Scheherazade (A Tale from the Arabian Nights) by Albert Seligman

Scheherazade (A Tale from the Arabian Nights) by Albert Seligman
Publisher: Dulacebooks
Genre: Young Adult (14-18 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Dulacebooks’ new Arabian Nights series presents these tales decorated with the illustrations from the original editions of the Victorian and Golden Age. Over fifty different illustrators’ versions of these stories are reproduced here, fully restored and many in full color. These are the finest examples of the artists and illustrators of the Arabian Nights, including-

Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, Kay Nielsen, René Bull , Maxfield Parrish, William H Robinson, Thomas H Robinson, Charles Robinson, Thomas Mackenzie, Walter Crane, Louis Rhead, Helen Stratton, Virginia Frances Sterrett, Elizabeth Mackinstry, John Gilbert, HJ Ford, Edward J Detmold, Eric Pape, AE Jackson, Willy Pogany, Milo Winter, Monroe S Orr, Charles Folkard, Walter Paget, William Stang, JD Batten, Frances Brundage, Gustav Dore, FOC Darley, William Harvey, the Brothers Dalziel, and many others.

The first book in the series is how the 1001 nights begin, with Scheherazade and her sister weaving the tales to her new husband Schahriar, the Sultan. The Tales in this edition are:

The Sultan and his Vow

The Fable of the Ass, the Ox, and the Laborer

The Story of the Merchant and the Genie

The History of the First Old Man and the Hind

The History of the Second Old Man and the two Black Dog

Words are one of the most powerful weapons that exist.

One of the many reasons why I’m always excited to read Mr. Seligman’s latest work is that it gives me the opportunity to explore older or ancient cultures and other pieces of the past that are rarely if ever covered in the average history class. I loved reading these legends and stories and poring over the beautiful artworks that were created to illustrate important scenes in them. One can learn so much about a culture by pay attention to the values shared in their literature and how their characters respond to the usual, and in some cases not so usual, challenges in life.

The relationships between the various characters were nuanced and fascinating. As the social conventions of this culture were rarely if ever spelled out clearly, I had to read between the lines to understand why certain characters behaved the way they did or what they hoped to accomplish by telling stories that often ended with cliffhangers until it was time to share the next instalment in that series.

I also adored the story within a story format of this piece. The beginning and end described a character who decided to tell these tales in an attempt to convince his daughter to change their mind about a potentially deadly life decision. Other readers should find out for themselves exactly what that choice was, but I thought it was a clever way to explain why someone would suddenly want to tell so many old legends in a row.

Scheherazade – A Tale From the Arabian Nights was truly magical.