The Arabian Nights’ Entertainments consisting of a Collection of Stories told by the Sultaness of the Indies, to divert the Sultan from the Execution of a Bloddy Vow Which he had made to marry and kill a Lady every day, to avenge the inconstancy of his sultana. New York: G. G. Sickels, 1829. pp. 200.
/ THE / ARABIAN NIGHTS’ / ENTERTAINMENTS / CONSISTING OF / A COLLECTION OF / STORIES / TOLD BY / THE SULTANESS / Of the Indies, to divert the Sultan from the / Execution of a / BLODDY VOW / Which he had made to marry and kill a Lady / every day, to avenge the inconstancy of his / Sultana. / [7mm double rule] / TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH / [7mm double rule] / NEW YORK: / G. G. SICKELS, PUBLISHERS / [7mm rule] / 1829. /
(7.3 x 13.1 cm)
AN0270
George G. Sickels appears to have been active publishing between 1827 and 1831. Sickels seems to have published anthology types of works. These include a collection of Fairy Tales (1830), Wonders of the Horse (1828), John Page Letters (1828), Tales of the Wild and Wonderful (1829), Punch and Judy (1830) and an edition of Robinson Crusoe (1829) and Gulliver’s Travels (1827).
This Arabian Nights edition has no copies listed in WorldCat. There are no copies listed for sale on line either, making it something of a rarity. It’s too bad that my copy is in such abysmal shape. The original boards seem to have been crudely re-covered with some sort of cloth, stitch and glued on. The binding is cracked and split with some of the original front mater now missing. There are no end leaves at the start. The first page is an illustration, the only one left. It’s from Aladdin, his mother presenting a gift to the Sultan. It’s not a typical subject for an Aladdin illustration.
The whole book is rather crudely put together, with lots of blank pages throughout. For the first 8 nights, an unpaginated half-title page precedes the actual tale. That takes the tales to the start of Aladdin.
At the end of the 5th night, page 52, the next numbered page is 57, with a single leaf between the two, being the 6th night’s half title page. No text is missing. It unclear if it’s 53/54 or 55/56 that’s missing, but a leaf is missing.
There are only 5 tales presented:
The Arabian Nights Entertainments [frame tale]
The First Night: The Merchant and the Genie
History of the First Old Man and the Bitch
History of the Second Old Man and the Two Black Dogs
The Story of Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp
History of a King’s Son Dressed in Callendar’s Habit
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