Les Mille et une nuits, contes arabes - Antoine Galland

Archive.org has most of the old 1001 Nights scanned and readable either online or wherever you want to download them to (or print them).

Here are 9 volumes of Galland's Les Mille et une nuits, contes arabes - (French):


Volume One:

link: http://www.archive.org/details/lesmilleetunenu00unkngoog



Volume 2:

http://www.archive.org/details/lesmilleetunenui02galluoft

Volume 3:

http://www.archive.org/details/lesmilleetunenui03galluoft

Volume 4:

http://www.archive.org/details/lesmilleetunenui04galluoft

Volume 5:

http://www.archive.org/details/lesmilleetunenui05galluoft

Volume 6:

http://www.archive.org/details/lesmilleetunenui06galluoft

Volume 7:

http://www.archive.org/details/lesmilleetunenui07galluoft

Volume 8:

http://www.archive.org/details/lesmilleetunenui08galluoft

Volume 9:

http://www.archive.org/details/lesmilleetunenui09galluoft

Lyons Edition soon in Paperback

The penguin classics Lyons edition/translation of the 1001 Nights will be available in paperback at affordable rates starting May 10 (on amazon in any case), thanks to the many of you who passed this info on.

Here's the Amazon link to volume one:

http://www.amazon.com/Arabian-Nights-Tales-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140449388

The paperback version is the same version as last year's "gift set" release of three large hard back volumes in a gift cardboard box set thing which was going for around $100 USD in a limited release.

Please click "Lyons Reviews" on the "labels" tag on this blog for more information about this translation and more links and excerpts of reviews for it.

Shabaam Sahdeeq - Arabian Nights

From the 1997 release Soundbombing comes this track from Brooklyn MC Shabaam Sahdeeq. Features lyrics relating to the stories and to contemporary city life too.

Here's the original:



instrumental (music on both produced by Nick Wiz):

From Egypt: 1001 Nights Publishers Face Jail Time in Move by Lawyers

(many thanks to NW for passing this along):

A prominent group of lawyers in Egypt have recently invoked a "decency" censorship law in their call for a number of Egyptian publishers to be jailed for publishing the 1001 Nights.

The publishers have been producing a series of popular books relating to Egyptian heritage and the 1001 Nights is one of them.

The law invoked is known as article 178 which carries with it fines and even up to two years of jail time for publishers of indecent materials. The move by the lawyers is seen as particularly troublesome because they have had some moderate success in the recent past in invoking this law and punishing other publishers in the country.

press release below from the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information website (wiki about the group: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_Network_for_Human_Rights_Information):

"Cairo, April 22nd , 2010

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information said, today, that the failure of the Egyptian government to take a clear stance regarding the religious and political Hesba cases has encouraged more religious extremists and publicity seekers to join the “Actio popularis” team. Some lawyers filed a communiqué to the Prosecutor General in order to confiscate A Thousand and One Nights book and imprison its publishers at the general authority of culture palaces affiliate to the ministry of culture, claiming that the heritage script ” is offensive to public decency”.

On 17/4/2010 , a number of lawyers filed a complaint to the Prosecutor General, calling to open an investigation with Ahmad Megahed, Gamal Ghitani , writer, Gamal Askary , Saad Abdel Rahman and Susan Abdel Rahman who are responsible for publishing ”Zakhaer” (treasures) series issued by the general authority of cultural palaces at the ministry of culture. The lawyers filed their complaint as per article # 178 of the penal code, which fines and punishes “with imprisonment for a period of two years anyone who published literature, pictures, offensive to public decency”. Naturally , the book would be confiscated, too. So far ,two parts of A Thousand and One Nights have been published and the lawyers considered them as evidence against the complained.

This penal communiqué , which included an attack on the freedom of expression and creativity, describing those two rights as “a phenomenon” belongs, in form and subject, to a long list of political and religious Hesba cases. Such cases are currently an easy way to publicity as well as a legal means to prohibit writers, journalists and artists. The looseness of government in facing these Hesba cases, which are a real threat to freedom of expression and creativity in Egypt, has only one explanation ; giving the government a free hand to pursue challenging writers and journalists.

Silence of the minister of culture on such cases is encouraging to this actio popularis team. Earlier in April 2009, Ibdaa magazine , a ministry publication, was suspended by a court order and the minister took no action. Eventually , the magazine was allowed to republish by another court order.

Gamal Eid, ANHRI executive director said, “Demanding the confiscation of a heritage book and a creativity piece , such as A Thousand and One Nights, is a crime in essence . We will not be silent regarding these cases . ANHRI legal aid unit for freedom of expression will lead the defense of these writers and intellectuals who are exposed to an unfair crackdown by those publicity seekers. These writers and intellectuals insist on handing over historical and cultural treasures to the Egyptian reader and making them accessible to the Egyptian citizen just like other citizens in other countries that respect freedom of expression and freedom of creativity. ”

Here is the link to the above press release: http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=404

And a news story about the incident (in Arabic) from the newspaper Al-Masri Al-Youm (Egypt Today): http://www.almasry-alyoum.com/article2.aspx?ArticleID=252309

The Visual Sign as Semiotic Signifier in the Arabian Nights

Here is the article "The Visual Sign as Semiotic Signifier in the Arabian Nights" by Ferial Ghazoul on Scribd that someone has uploaded.

The Visual Sign as Semiotic Signifier in the Arabian Nights

ali baba and his bucking camel

Ali Baba and his Bucking Camel is the name of a sort of party/kids game from Tomy and appears to be UK specific.

It seems like a card game where you add pieces to the plastic camel until he "bucks" and then the person who got bucked (as it were) loses. This is only a guess but I'm fairly certain it's something like this.

Here are some pictures:

From 1001 Nights

From 1001 Nights

From 1001 Nights

and a video of some people playing it on youtube:

Ron Goodwin - Music For An Arabian Night

Ron Goodwin was a composer who did a lot of movie soundtracks in the 1960s and onward. Here are a couple of covers of his Nights themed album.

From 1001 Nights

From 1001 Nights

From 1001 Nights

and a couple songs from the album:

Paul Nurse's Eastern Dreams

From 1001 Nights

I'm honored to be the first to be able to show the upcoming (Penguin Canada/International) book cover for Paul Nurse's Eastern Dreams: How the Arabian Nights Came to the World. The cover looks great. Congratulations to Paul and can't wait until the book release. The book will be a historical overview of all of the major events in the history of the 1001 Nights (Galland to Mahdi and beyond) and will be an important addition to the serious academic inquiry on the 1001 Nights.

Liam Hemsworth in Arabian Nights 3D

Australian actor Liam Hemsworth who played Kirk's dad in the most recent Star Trek film and plays opposite Miley Cyrus in the current syrupy teen flick The Last Song will star in the upcoming 3D Blockbuster based on the Arabian Nights (based mostly on the 40's film of the same name which had little to do with any written version of the Nights).

Not sure if Scheherazade will be able to make her presence known underneath all of the action and special effects but Sinbad will be swashbuckling around I'm certain.

Shooting for the 3D film is set to begin this September.

More from MTV.com:

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/tag/arabian-nights