Arabian Nights: Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions

Collected nearly a millennium ago, these folktales are presented as stories that crafty Scheherazade tells her husband, King Shahryar, over a thousand-and-one consecutive nights, to pique his interest for the next evening's entertainment . . . and save her life. They include "Sinbad the Sailor," "Aladdin and His Magic Lamp," and "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves." Color illustrations by René Bull.