The Arabian Nights Entertainments, Illustrated by Louis Rhead, 1925

The Arabian Nights Entertainment. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1916 (1925). Illustrated by Louis Rhead. Octavo. In original black cloth boards with front pastedown, gilt titles to spine. Four full color and numerous black and white illustrations inside. Top edge gilt. 

Presented is a beautifully illustrated printing of The Arabian Nights Entertainment. The book was first published by Harper & Brothers in New York and London in 1916. This is the later May 1925 printing, as indicated by the Harper "E-Z" printing code on the copyright page.  As detailed on the full title page, this edition has “over one hundred illustrations and decorations by Louis Rhead,” including a full color frontispiece and three full color illustrations. The book is presented in its original black cloth boards with full color paste down illustration and gilt titles to the spine. 

The Arabian Nights Entertainments, also known as The Thousand and One Nights, is a centuries-old collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian folktales. The collection is framed by the story of Shahrazad, a clever woman who tells one new tale, night after night, in an attempt to delay and postpone her execution by King Shahriyar. Ranging from adventure and romance to moral fables and fantastical stories, her stories include favorites like “Aladdin,” “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” and “Sinbad the Sailor,” among countless others. The collection emerged from stories that trace back to ancient Persia and India, with additions from Arabic literature in the 8th century, and has evolved and grown over time, with additions from Iraq, Syria, and Egypt. Some printings include only 10 or 20 tales, some have 100 tales, while others include a thousand or more. 

The first western printing of the collection was a French translation by Antoine Galland in the early 1700s. This 12-volume work titled Les Mille et une nuits, contes arabes traduits en français, included several stories for the first time that were not in the original Arabic manuscript, notable among them were "Aladdin's Lamp" and "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves". These tales were popularized in Europe and inspired numerous literary, artistic, and scholarly adaptations throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Through this long process of transmission, The Arabian Nights Entertainments became one of the most influential and beloved works of literature. 

This printing, issued in 1916 by Harpers & Brothers, contains illustration and border decorations by Louis Rhead. Louis Rhead (1857–1926) was an English-born illustrator and poster artist celebrated for his contributions to American graphic art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Trained at the National Art Training School in London and later in Paris with Gustave-Rodolphe-Clarence Boulanger, he moved to New York in 1883 and worked as art director for the publisher D. Appleton. Rhead became known for his decorative designs for magazines, book covers, and ceramics, as well as for his striking posters influenced by the style of Eugène Grasset.

Between the early 1890s and mid-decade, Rhead produced nearly one hundred posters for leading publications such as The Century, Harper’s, St. Nicholas, The Bookman, and Scribner’s, along with commercial posters for major consumer brands. His work earned wide acclaim, with solo exhibitions in London in 1896 and at Paris’ Salon des Cent in 1897.

After 1900, Rhead devoted himself primarily to book illustration, creating memorable images for classic editions including Robin Hood, The Swiss Family Robinson, Robinson Crusoe, The Deerslayer, Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and The Arabian Nights Entertainments.

CONDITION: 

Octavo. Very good + condition. In original black cloth boards with front pastedown, gilt titles to spine. Top edge gilt. Light bumping to the boards and spine, fading of gilt, the back board has a tiny little hole in the cloth near the spine, ink inscription from 1927 on front endpaper. Clean and bright pages with only minor finger smudges, no creases or folds. Four full color illustrations, including frontispiece, and numerous black and white illustrations. Illustrated by Louis Rhead.

Book Dimensions: 9 1/8”H x 6 ½”W x 1 6/8”D. 

Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.