“And the finishing thereof was during the first decade of Jamádi the Second, of the one thousand and one hundred and fifteenth year of the Hegirah (= A.D. 1703) by the transcription of the neediest of His slaves unto Almighty Allah, Ahmad bin Mohammed al-Tarádí, in Baghdad City: he was a Sháfi’í of school, and a Mosuli by birth, and a Baghdadi by residence, and he wrote it for his own use, and upon it he imprinted his signet. So Allah save our lord Mohammed and his Kin and Companions and assain them! Kabíkaj.”[2] Now as this date corresponds with A.D. 1703, whereas Galland did not begin publishing until 1704–1705, the original MS. of Ahmad al-Tarádí could not have been translated or adapted from the French; and although the transcription by Mikhail Sabbagh, writing in 1805–10, may have introduced modifications borrowed from Galland, yet the scrupulous fidelity of his copy, shown by sundry marginal and other notes, lays the suspicion that changes of importance have been introduced by him. Remains now only to find the original codex of Al-Tarádí. I have noticed in my translation sundry passages which appear to betray the Christian hand; but these are mostly of scanty consequence in no wise affecting the genuineness of the text. The history of Zayn al-Asnam was copied from the Sabbágh MS. and sent to me by M. Houdas, _Professeur d’Arabe vulgaire a l’École des langues orientales vivantes_; an Arabist, whose name is favourably quoted in the French Colonies of Northern Africa. M. Zotenberg kindly lent me his own transcription of Alaeddin before sending it to print; and I can only regret that the dilatory proceedings of the Imprimerie Nationale, an establishment supported by the State, and therefore ignoring the trammels of private industry, have prevented my revising the version now submitted to the public. This volume then begins with the two Gallandian Tales, “Zeyn Alasnam” and “Aladdin,” whose Arabic original was discovered by M. Zotenberg during the last year: although separated in the French version, I have brought them together for the sake of uniformity. The other eight (or nine, including the Princess of Daryabar), entitled History of Khudadad and his Brothers, and the Princess of Daryabar; History of the Blind Man, Baba Abdullah; History of Sidi Nu’uman; History of Khwajah Hasan al-Habbal; History of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves; History of Ali Khwajah and the Merchant of Baghdad; History of Prince Ahmad and the Fairy Peri-banu; History of the two Sisters who envied their Cadette; are borrowed mainly from the Indian version of Totárám Sháyán. And here I must quote the bibliographical notices concerning the sundry versions into Urdu or Hindustani which have been drawn up with great diligence by Mr. Blumhardt.