The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 10 (of 10)

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

58360

Title

The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 10 (of 10)

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Richard F. Burton's final volume of *The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night* concludes the epic saga with the tale of Ma'aruf the Cobbler and his wife Fatimah. This edition offers a scholarly terminal essay examining the social condition of early Islam, the position of women, and the cultural milieu of Baghdad. Rich with anthropological notes, Burton's translation provides a definitive look at the manners, customs, and literary traditions of the Moslem world, blending enchanting fiction with rigorous...

Summary up to 500 words

In this concluding volume of his monumental translation, Richard F. Burton presents the final installment of *The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night*. The narrative centerpiece is the tale of Ma'aruf the Cobbler and his wife Fatimah, a story of domestic life and moral complexity drawn from Lane's original collection. Beyond the fiction, Burton provides a substantial terminal essay exploring the social condition of Al-Islam during its earlier development. He vividly reconstructs the grandeur of Baghdad under the Caliphate, describing it as a center of human civilization, pleasure, and learning that rivaled Paris in the ninth century. Burton details the city's infrastructure, its educational institutions, and its unique administrative machinery, including the role of the Caliph as a court of cassation and the efficiency of its police forces, such as the *Tawwābīn* (Penitents). The essay critically addresses the position of women, the nature of the faith, and the evolution of Islamic theology and law. Burton argues that Islam was not a new religion but a purification of earlier doctrines, tracing its roots to Adam and contrasting its cosmopolitan vitality with the barbarism of contemporary Europe. He also delves into the *pornology* and social vices inherent in such a wealthy capital, viewing them as natural weeds in a rich fallow. The volume is further enriched by extensive appendices, including indexes of tales, an alphabetical table of notes, and a bibliography of the Nights and their imitations. Burton's prose is erudite, occasionally digressive, and deeply informed by his years of residence in Cairo and his study of Oriental languages. He defends his translation against critics, asserting that his version preserves the spirit and meter of the original while making it accessible to Western readers. The book stands as both a literary treasure and a historical document, offering an unvarnished look at the customs, beliefs, and daily lives of the people of the East as Burton understood them in the late nineteenth century.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Folklore
• Fairy Tales