Tales from the Thousand and One Nights, translated by Edward William Lane

These are stories embedded inside stories, sometimes three times over. And they are all embedded in the original, long story being told by Scheherazade to save her life. Throughout, these are narratives with purpose: they are told to amaze or distract a king or a genie into doling out lenient punishment; they are told to instruct youth in correct behavior or provide a warning to young lovers; they are told to entertain and amuse; and ultimately, they are told to keep Scheherazade alive until her lover relents her vow to kill her.

Overall, the characters in the story are interesting and down-to-earth enough, even when they are kings and princesses, for the reader to care about them. Some of the stories are incredible narratives, many among the best are also famous: Sinbad and the Seven Voyages, Aladin and the Lamp, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Significant things happen to these characters: they are buried alive, they are disowned, they are denied marriages, they are carried away by enchanted horses to magic kingdoms.

The stories are strongly narrated as sequences of events; it is clear how each event follows from the circumstances of the previous. Rarely does a genie emerge to facilitate the events in a story, though it is always pleasant when one does. Sometimes the actions of the people are fantastic or extreme, but then these are fairy tales and that is expected and enjoyable.

The stories within stories create additional layers of narration that contribute to all the stories being told. The fact that each story is ultimately being told by Scheherazade is easy to forget while reading. These stories are all excellent examples of narration, made even better by the embedded nature of the stories and the fantastic events that happen to the characters in them.