Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp: A Classic Folktale from the ‘Arabian Nights’ (Unabridged)
About this ebook
One of the most famous tales of the Arabian Nights, the story of Aladdin tells of a poor young man who, under false pretences, is recruited by a Magician from the Maghreb to retrieve a Wonderful Lamp from within an Enchanted Treasury. Double-crossed and trapped in an underground cave, Aladdin’s future looks bleak until he encounters his first Jinni, after which his life will never be the same again...
A rich tale of deceit and magic, vengeance and love, if you want to read the complete story of Aladdin, then look no further than this unabridged edition.
[Folklore Type: ATU-561 (Aladdin)]
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About the author
The book of The Thousand and One Nights was brought to the attention of Western Europe by the French archaeologist, Antoine Galland (1646-1715), in the early 18th-century. Born in Rollot, he studied Greek and Latin in Paris. Galland travelled extensively, and during his prolonged residences abroad, he acquired a thorough knowledge of Arabic, Turkish, and Persian languages and literature. When he finally returned to France, he rendered valuable assistance to the Keeper of the Royal Library and d’Herbelot, an orientalist.
In 1701, he published his translation of Sinbad the Sailor. Its success, and the rage for fairy tales (contes de fees), popularised by writers such as Charles Perrault, led him to translate a 14th-century Syrian manuscript of tales from The Thousand and One Nights, which he published in twelve volumes, starting in 1704, under the title Les mille et une nuits. The first volumes of his work were solely based on the manuscript, the latter volumes were not, and mystery surrounds the origin of these tales, which include some of the most famous, such as Aladdin and Ali Baba.
There are no Arabic manuscripts that pre-date Galland which contain these so-called ‘Orphan Tales.’ In addition, Galland makes mention of a Syrian writer and storyteller, Youhenna Diab (Hanna Diyab), who recounted fourteen tales to him from memory, seven of which he included, amongst them are Aladdin and Ali Baba.
Scholars remain divided, but what cannot be denied is the enduring popularity of the stories that came to be collectively known in English as the ‘Arabian Nights.’
Rachel Louise Lawrence is a British author who translates and adapts folk and fairy tales from original texts and puts them back into print, particularly the lesser-known British & Celtic variants.
Since writing her first story at the age of six, Rachel has never lost her love of writing and reading. A keen wildlife photographer and gardener, she is currently working on several writing projects.
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