Summary
The Thousand and One Nights, Vol.
I, translated by Edward William Lane with later editorial contributions from Stanley Lane-Poole, Sophia Lane Poole, and C.J. Harvey, presents the opening stories of the famed Middle Eastern collection of tales more widely known as Arabian Nights.
At its heart lies the frame story of Scheherazade, who tells nightly tales to the king to postpone her execution. Within this first volume are a variety of narratives blending adventure, romance, fantasy, and moral lessons, including accounts of powerful kings, wandering merchants, genies, and enchanted objects.
Lane’s translation, one of the most influential English versions of the work, is notable for its Victorian moral framing and extensive explanatory notes on Islamic culture and society.
Though often abridged and shaped to fit 19th-century sensibilities, it helped introduce Western audiences to the rich oral and literary tradition of Arabic storytelling.