THE HISTORY OF THE FORTY VEZIRS;

or, The Story of the Forty Morns and Eves.

Written in Turkish by Sheykh-Zada, and now done into English by E. J. W. Gibb, M.R.A.S.

“The interest of this compilation is naturally not to be compared to that aroused by the ever-fresh ‘Thousand and One Nights;’ but it has had high reputation among particular admirers, and the gentleman to whom we are indebted for this English version—apparently the most complete in any language of Western Europe—merits the thanks of the reading public for the work performed.”—Athenæum.

“A delightful addition to the wealth of Oriental stories available to English readers is ‘The History of the Forty Vezirs’ (Redway), done into English by Mr. E. J. W. Gibb, from the Turkish of Sheykh-Zāda. The collection comprises 112 stories. To the forty told by the Lady and those of the forty Vezirs, Mr. Gibb has added four from Belletête, twenty from a MS. in the India Office, six from Dr. Behrnauer’s translation, and two from a MS. recently purchased by Mr. Quaritch. The results of collation are admirably summarized in a comparative table that analyzes the contents of the various texts. In the preface Mr. Gibb deals with the bibliography of the French and German versions, and indicates some of the more interesting parallels suggested by those old stories in the ‘Gesta Romanorum,’ the ‘Decameron,’ the ‘Thousand and One Nights,’ the ‘Mabinogion,’ and other treasures of old-world fable. In short, Mr. Gibb has considerately done everything to help the reader to an intelligent appreciation of this charming book.”—Saturday Review.

“In my opinion the version is definite and final. The style is light and pleasant, with the absolutely necessary flavour of quaintness; and the notes, though short and few, are sufficient and satisfactory. Mr. Gibb does not write only ad clerum; and thus he has been obliged to ‘leave in the obscurity of an Eastern language’ three whole tales (pp. 353, 366, and 399), No. 2 being exceedingly witty and fescennine. He has the good sense, when he supplants a broad joke by a banal English phrase, to subjoin in a note the original Turkish (pp. 109, 140, 199, 215, and 382). Yet some of the novelle are highly spiced enough: see the amorous princess in the Eleventh Wazir’s story (pp. 381-3); and the truly Turkish and unspeakable version of modest Æsop’s ‘Countryman and his Son.’ Of the less Milesian I would especially commend the story of the Venus-star and the magical angels, Harut and Marut (p. 167); the explanation of the proverb, ‘Take counsel of the cap that is on thy head’ (p. 362), and the Thirty-seventh Wazir’s tale, showing why ‘men have beaten their wives since the days of Saint Adam’ (p. 349).”—Sir Richard F. Burton, in the Academy.

Large post 8vo., cloth, uncut, price 7s. 6d.