These stories, first told by Princess Scheherezade under threat of death if she ceased to amuse, first appeared in the west around 1700 Collected over centuries from India, Persia and Arabia, they range from vivacious erotica, animal fables and adventure fantasies, to Sufi teaching tales and provided the daily entertainment of the mediaeval Islamic world This is the Mahdi edition, the definite Arabic edition of the 14th century manuscript in the Bibliotheque Nationale