A review by rosie_khan
Marvellous Thieves: Secret Authors of the Arabian Nights by Paulo Lemos Horta

5.0

Incredible book on the history of the Arabian Nights! I read it for a research paper for my world literature class, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in knowing the truth about the storytellers, translators, travelers, and other characters involved in the making of the Arabian Nights. It's very well-written, even funny at times. I only closely read the first two chapters and skimmed the rest, because my paper focused on Hanna Diyab, Paul Lucas, Antoine Galland, and the origins of the story of Aladdin, but the latter part of the book focused on the English translators was still deeply engaging and educational. I'm so glad my university library had a copy of this book.