This collection is the first volume of simplified stories from The Thousand and One Nights. Better known as Arabian Nights in western countries, this book is a collection of entertaining and instructive tales with Persian, Indian, and Arabic backgrounds.
The legend has it that in the ancient times, in the land of Persia, there was a king called King Shahryar. He had reigned happily in his kingdom for a long time, when one day he discovered that his wife had been unfaithful to him. This filled him with rage. The whole world darkened before his eyes. He had his wife and all her maids to death. None of these murders, however, quenched his thirst for revenge. Therefore, he made it a custom to marry a young girl every night and kill her the next morning. He went on with this for three years until the vizier’s daughter, Shahrzad, volunteered to marry the king. Shahrzad was a wise clever girl who knew a lot about ancient legends. The very first night she told him an amusing story with a plot of suspense. Thus the king postponed her death for one more night. On the second night she told another interesting story which would be completed the following night. This went on for a thousand and one nights. During this time Shahrzad gave birth to three children and thus they started a family in the real sense. Moreover, the thousand and one nights which had passed between King Sharyar and his wife proved that Shahrzad was a virtuous woman and that he should not judge people so hastily.
The present volume is a collection of seven related short stories. Each story is followed by two comprehension exercises and a vocabulary drill. There is also a glossary at the back of the book which helps the readers with the definition of difficult words.
It is hoped that these stories will provide a pleasant reading material for both lower-intermediate and intermediate students of English.

1- The Fisherman and the Genie
2- King Yunan and Doctor Duban
3- King Sindbad and his Falcon
4- Doctor Duban’s Death
5- The Fisherman and the Strange Fishes
6- The Enchanted King
7- Freedom from Magic