Arabian nights. Volume II : more marvels and wonders of the Thousand and one nights

Volume two in a collection of tales representing distinctive genres- from fairy tales to erotica-revealing the customs and societies in the medieval Middle East, as told by the mythic Sheherazade. A note on the text -- 1. The Caliph's night adventure -- The story of the blind man, Baba Abdullah -- The story of Sidi Nu'uman -- The story of Khwajah Hasan al-Habbal -- 2. The porter and the three ladies of Baghdad -- The first calender's tale -- The second calender's tale -- The tale of the envier and the envied -- The third calender's tale -- The eldest sister's tale -- The doorkeeper's tale -- 3. The sleeper and the waker -- The story of the scoundrel and the cook -- 4. The craft and malice of women, or The tale of the king, his son, his concubine, and the seven viziers -- The king and his vizier's wife -- The confectioner, his wife, and the parrot -- The fuller and his son -- The rake's trick against the chaste wife -- The miser and the loaves of bread -- The lady and her two lovers -- The king's son and the ogress -- The drop of honey -- The woman who made her husband sift dirt -- The enchanted spring -- The vizier's son and the hammam-keeper's wife -- The wife's plan to cheat her husband -- The goldsmith and the cashmere singing girl -- The man who never laughed during the rest of his days -- The king's son and the merchant's wife -- The page who pretended to know the speech of birds -- The lady and her five suitors -- The three wishes, or The man who longed to see the night of power -- The stolen necklace -- The two pigeons -- The house with the belvedere -- The sandalwood merchant and the thieves -- The womanizer and the three-year-old child -- The stolen purse -- The fox and the folk -- 5. Abdullah the fisherman and Abdullah the merman -- 6. The tale of Zayan al-Asnam -- 7. The ten viziers, or The story of King Azadbakht and his son -- The story of the merchant who lost his luck -- The tale of the merchant and his sons -- The story of Abu Sabir -- The story of Prince Bihzad -- The story of King Dadbin and his viziers -- The story of King Bakhtzaman -- The story of King Bihzard -- The story of Aylan Shah and Abu Tammam -- The story of King Ibrahim and his son -- The story of King Sulayman Shah and his niece -- The story of the prisoner and how Allah granted him relief -- 8. The tale of Al-Malik al-Nasir and the three chiefs of police -- The story of the chief of police of Cairo -- The tale of the chief of the Bulak police -- The story of the chief of the Forstat police -- The thief and the money changer -- The chief of the Kus police and the highway man -- 9. Fables -- The mouse and the cat -- The fish and the crab -- The crow and the serpent -- The wild ass and the jackal -- The crows and the hawk -- The spider and the wind -- The jackals and the wolf The partridge and the tortoises -- Afterword -- Glossary -- Bibliography. After King Shahryar had his wife killed for cheating, he began to corrupt-then kill-one virgin a night, as revenge on womankind. Then he meets Scheherazade, who, night after night, saves her own life by telling him fantastical tales of genies, wishes, terror, and passion.