The Arabian Nights (Illustrated Edition) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Enchanting Tales of Arabian Prince & Princess, Aladdin, Sindbad the Sailor, Ali Baba and Other Classic LegendsBy Richard Francis Burton
Length8h 17m
About this audiobook
The Arabian Nights (Illustrated Edition) presents the celebrated cycle of medieval Arabic, Persian, Indian, and Egyptian tales in Richard Francis Burton's famously ornate English rendering. Framed by Shahrazad's life-preserving narration to King Shahryar, the collection moves through wonder tales, romances, comic anecdotes, voyages, moral fables, and erotic intrigues. Burton's prose is deliberately archaic, sensuous, and philologically dense, reflecting Victorian fascination with the "Orient" while preserving a sense of oral abundance and narrative layering. Richard Francis Burton was a soldier, explorer, translator, ethnographer, and prodigious linguist whose travels through India, Arabia, and East Africa shaped his literary ambitions. His pilgrimage to Mecca in disguise and his controversial studies of sexuality, religion, and custom informed both the authority and the biases of his translation. Burton approached the Nights not merely as entertainment but as a vast archive of social manners, fantasy, language, and comparative culture, though his work remains inseparable from nineteenth-century Orientalist assumptions. This illustrated edition is recommended for readers seeking a grand, immersive encounter with one of world literature's most influential narrative traditions. It will especially reward those interested in folklore, translation history, Victorian prose, and the complex meeting of scholarship, imagination, and empire.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.0 (392)
Includes Goodreads
GenreFairy Tales and Folklore, Fantasy
Length8 hrs 17 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateAug 13, 2021
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2Introduction
3Historical Context
4Synopsis (Selection)
5SINDBAD THE SAILOR
Show all chaptersShow less
6The First Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor
7The Second Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor
8The Third Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor
9The Fourth Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor
10The Fifth Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor
11The Sixth Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor
12The Seventh Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor
13ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP (pt. 1)
14ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP (pt. 2)
15THE THREE CALENDERS
16The Story of the First Calender
17The Story of the Second Calender
18The Story of the Third Calender
19THE SLEEPER AWAKENED
20Analysis
21Reflection
More from Richard Francis Burton
The Complete Works of Sir Richard Francis Burton (Illustrated & Annotated Edition)Richard Francis Burton444h 29m4.4 (71)$1.99 · $0.00
KAMA SUTRA (Annotated)Richard Francis Burton7h 57m3.7 (26.7K)$2 · $0.00
Kama Sutra - Annotated (The original english translation by Sir Richard Francis Burton) (Annotated)Richard Francis Burton, Vatsyayana8h 1m$2 · $0.00
One Thousand and One Nights (Complete Annotated Edition) (Annotated)Richard Francis Burton254h 44m4.5 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
1001 NightsRichard Francis Burton256h 3m4.2 (1.7K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Sir Richard Francis Burton (Illustrated & Annotated Edition)Richard Francis Burton435h 14m$1 · $0.00
Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah & Meccah (Vol.1-3)Richard Francis Burton108h 7m4.1 (3K)$1.99 · $0.00
KAMA SUTRARichard Francis Burton7h 53m3.6 (11K)$1 · $0.00
Kama Sutra (Summarized Edition)Richard Francis Burton2h 46m3.8 (11)$2
Dark HarmonyLaura Thalassa14h 25m4.2 (101.3K)$23
The High PriestessMaya Daniels5h4.5 (47)$15 · $0.00
A Christmas CarolCharles Dickens3h 9m4.2 (1.1M)$3 · $0.00
The Wonder ClockHoward Pyle, Katharine Pyle8h 16m4.3 (2.1K)$1 · $0.00
The Family InheritanceTricia Stringer12h 14m4.3 (2.6K)$29 · $0.00
The Good Wife of BathKaren Brooks19h 48m4.2 (9K)$40 · $0.00
Mary JaneJessica Anya Blau9h 45m4.2 (166.6K)$29 · $0.00
The Funny Thing About Norman ForemanJulietta Henderson9h 11m4.2 (16.4K)$29 · $0.00
Orange FairytalesAndrew Lang10h 59m4.3 (2.4K)$2 · $0.00
The Arabian Nights EntertainmentsAnonymous8h 41m4.2 (238.9K)$2 · $0.00
Daughter of the Moon GoddessSue Lynn Tan15h 1m4.2 (175.7K)$33 · $0.00
The Child ThiefBrom19h 37m4.2 (24.8K)$40 · $0.00
Dragon HavenRobin Hobb19h 39m4.2 (59K)$40 · $0.00
The Happy Prince, and Other TalesOscar Wilde2h 33m4.2 (43.9K)$1 · $0.00
The Seven Skins of Esther WildingHolly Ringland19h 8m4.2 (15.3K)$40 · $0.00
The Door-to-Door BookstoreCarsten Henn6h 4m4.2 (47.1K)$24 · $0.00
Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish PeasantryVarious12h 58m4.2 (8.1K)$2 · $0.00
A Girl Called RumiAri Honarvar11h 52m4.3 (471)$23 · $0.00
The Things Gods Break: the unmissable new 2025 sequel to the international bestselling Greek Gods romantasy The Games Gods PlayAbigail Owen20h 38m4.2 (34.5K)$46 · $0.00
The Governess GameTessa Dare7h 23m4.2 (94.9K)$24 · $0.00
Demon CopperheadBarbara Kingsolver21h 3m4.5 (949.4K)$46 · $0.00
Remarkably Bright CreaturesShelby Van Pelt11h 17m4.4 (1.7M)$29 · $0.00
Before the Coffee Gets Cold: A Toshikazu Kawaguchi Book SetToshikazu Kawaguchi18h 55m4.5 (1.4K)$40 · $0.00
The Song of AchillesMadeline Miller11h 15m4.3 (2.3M)$29 · $0.00
The Left and the LuckyWilly Vlautin6h 40m4.4 (1.1K)$24 · $0.00
Hunt of the DragonJuliette Cross9h 46m4.4 (736)$20
Deadly GameChristine Feehan13h 20m4.3 (15.8K)$30
Swimming in the DarkTomasz Jedrowski6h 30m4.2 (98.9K)$24 · $0.00
Dark GuardianChristine Feehan12h 32m4.5 (26.3K)$33 · $0.00
The Neil Gaiman ReaderNeil Gaiman27h 3m4.5 (3.2K)$53 · $0.00
The HobbitJ. R. R. Tolkien10h 51m4.4 (4.9M)$12 · $0.00
Bad HabitAlana S. Portero5h 37m4.4 (52.3K)$24 · $0.00
Science Fiction & Fantasy CollectionH. P. Lovecraft16h 32m4.5 (2.7K)$2 · $0.00
The Undead PoolKim Harrison16h 13m4.4 (34.6K)$33 · $0.00
The Edge of DawnBeverly Jenkins10h 15m4.5 (1.1K)$29 · $0.00
The Tapestry of FateShannon Chakraborty20h 2m4.4 (3.4K)$46 · $0.00
The Sweetest FiendRaven Kennedy16h 35m4.5 (476)$40 · $0.00
The Lack of LightNino Haratischwili26h 20m4.4 (9.2K)$53 · $0.00
My Dear HamiltonStephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie23h 7m4.4 (63.6K)$46 · $0.00
A Broken People's PlaylistChimeka Garricks6h 40m4.4 (3.7K)$24 · $0.00
You may also like
Sindbad the Sailor, & Other Stories from the Arabian NightsAnonymous7h 36m4.2 (1.8K)$2 · $0.00
The Arabian Nights EntertainmentsAndrew Lang11h 45m4.1 (18.6K)$2 · $0.00
Rewards and FairiesRudyard Kipling8h 1m4.0 (2.4K)$2.30
Brown FairytalesAndrew Lang10h 43m4.1 (1.3K)$1 · $0.00
The Grimm's Fairy Tales - Complete Edition: 200+ Stories in One VolumeBrothers Grimm29h 24m4.2 (170.7K)$2 · $0.00
The Violet Fairy Book (Annotated)Andrew Lang11h 39m4.7 (304)$2 · $0.00
By Right of Conquest; Or, With Cortez in Mexico (Annotated)G. A. Henty15h 20m4.0 (1.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Green Fairy BookAndrew Lang13h 15m4.3 (4.5K)$1 · $0.00
The Sea FairiesL. Frank Baum4h 38m3.8 (2K)$1 · $0.00
Moira's PenMegan Whalen Turner3h 44m4.2 (2.4K)$18 · $0.00
The Grey FairytalesAndrew Lang10h 59m4.1 (2.1K)$2 · $0.00
Stories from the PentameroneGiambattista Basile8h 23m4.0 (1.2K)$1 · $0.00
The Wonder ClockHoward Pyle, Katharine Pyle8h 16m4.3 (2.1K)$1 · $0.00
The Arabien Nights EntertainmentsAnonymous9h 16m4.2 (236.2K)$2.30
ARABIAN NIGHTS: Andrew Lang's 1001 Nights & R. L. Stevenson's New Arabian Nights (Annotated)Robert Louis Stevenson, Andrew Lang23h 36m4.4 (12)$1.99 · $0.00
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 16Richard F. Burton18h 3m3.9 (13)$2.30
In Quest of El DoradoStephen Graham9h 3m$2.30
The Silver Princess in OzRuth Plumly Thompson3h 46m4.0 (304)$2 · $0.00
Tale of the Shipwrecked SailorScriptural Research Institute26m4.3 (12)$3.50 · $0.00
The Princess Omnibus Collection: 20 Captivating StorybooksM. F. Hutchinson, Charles Dickens, Davis Brinton, David Whitelaw, Elizabeth Von Arnim, Percy James Brebner, John Reed Scott, Julia Magruder, Mary De Morgan, Charles Perrault, Gertrude Crownfield, Gudrun Thorne-Thomsen, Peter Christen Asbjà ̧rnsen, Jà ̧rgen Engebretsen Moe, Virginia Watson, Mrs. Lang, Edith Ogden Harrison, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Amy Brooks, Helen Ashe Hays, Andrew Lang, Gene Stratton-Porter96h 2m$1.99 · $0.00