The Arabian Nights (Calla Editions) Hardcover – October 18, 2010

I have been collecting the Calla Editions' books since 2009. My first purchase was Tales of Mystery and Imagination (Calla Editions) and I was so impressed with the quality (wonderful illustrations, superior binding, etc.) that I began collecting the Calla books. Each and every book has been a delight, and not only have these books enhanced my home library, they have been a joy to peruse and read over and over again. Each book is illustrated by a well-known illustrator such as Arthur Rackham, Kay Nielsen, Chris Van Allsburg, etc. and the illustrations are the true highlights in each book.In Calla Editions' The Arabian Nights, the illustrations are by Rene Bull, who was born in Dublin in 1872, and is one of the well-known illustrators from the Golden Age of fantasy illustration. Bull's extensive travels to the Middle East have allowed him to bring a high level of realism in his illustrations in this book, depicting Arabs in their traditional costumes, with intricate details and vivid colors.This edition of The Arabian Nights is a republication of the edition originally published by Constable and Co., Ltd., in 1912. There are 20 sumptuously-illustrated full-colored plates, and 98 black-line illustrations. I must say that though I was enchanted by the colored plates, the black-line illustrations were my favorites! They are exquisitely-rendered!This edition does not contain all of the tales of the Arabian Nights. The book contains:The Ass, the Ox, and the LabourerThe Merchant and the GenieThe Story of the Fist Old Man and the HindThe Story of the Second Old Man and the Two Black DogsThe Story of the FishermanThe Story of the Grecian King and the Physician DoubanThe Story of the Husband and the ParrotThe Story of the Vizier that was PunishedThe Further Adventures of the FishermanThe History of the Young King of the Black IslesThe Story of Sinbad the SailorThe Story of Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Perie BanouThe Story of Ali Baba and the Forty RobbersThe Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful LampAdventure of the Caliph Haroun al RaschidThe Story of Baba AbdallaThe Story of Syed NoumanThe Story of Cogia Hassan AlhabbalThe Story of Ali Cogia, a Merchant of BagdadThe Story of Abou Hassan; or, The Sleeper AwakenedThese Calla Edition books are a treasure and are a must-have for any collector and fan of well-illustrated, quality books.

Even before Dover began this new series of "Calla" hardbacks, I felt their top management deserved an invite to the White House for tea and crumpets and a tasteful award ceremony where they would be honored by The President for advancing the great traditions of the American publishing industry and American Culture in general. And these new Calla books make that mandate for recognition all the more imperative. Not only are these perfectly executed, they are bargain-priced--and actually printed here in the good old USA. Amazing.I first fell in love with Dover about fifteen years ago when a eccentric Bohemian friend of mine recommended their paperbacks for both the subject matter of the titles and book build-quality. Even Dover paperbacks are built for a lifetime, with superior bindings and acid-free paper. But it was the eclectic array of Dover titles which fueled my evolution in all types of fascinating and arcane areas: Egyptology, American Indians, occult studies, arms and armour, castles, railways, primitive art, explorers and adventurers of every sort throughout the centuries from Marco Polo to Captain Richard Burton, fossils, travel, African exploration, lighthouses, tools, engineering, Victorian architecture, world folk lore and mythology--on and on the list goes. I really found a kindred spirit with the Dover catalogue and I must have purchased over 200 of the Dover titles. These books are older classics and I suspect the fact that many may be out of copyright has helped Dover produce them at a bargain price, but the high-end execution always gives the title the respect it deserves. I will immediately buy a Dover edition over any other publisher for any given book I'm thinking of buying.Then, about a year ago, I was perusing the inventory of Logo's Bookstore in Santa Cruz, California and I noted a spectacular copy of "The Knave of Hearts." This is illustrated by Maxfield Parrish, and some may say it has some of Parrish's best art ever. The quality of this book was truly impressive, and I was staggered to see it was a Dover book, under the "imprint" of "Calla." I had never seen a Dover hardback before. As other reviewers have noted, the paper quality is first-rate, and the prints are probably better than the original first-printing way back when. I bought the book immediately. For some reason I didn't think to search for other Calla titles, but when I received a recent Dover catalogue I noted they had numerous other titles.I just received "Arabian Nights" and "Tales of Mystery and Imagination." These are thicker, heavier books than the "Knave of Hearts." Like Knave, they are cloth-bound books with fabulous illustrations. I collect different versions of Arabian Nights, and this is one of the best that's been published in the last century (obviously it's not the full 17-volume set, but a selection of the best tales). Overall quality is 10/10. As a basis for comparison: I was collecting Folio Society books for several years, and they are likewise astonishing creations. (Until I realized that I had all their titles that I really wanted; and their annual list of new titles was becoming a little staid; and their membership "gifts" were far from compelling.) The build quality on these Calla editions is at least as good as the Folio Society titles, but at one-third the price. (Folio Society does provide protective slip-cover box which is a nice enhancement to the book.) Rest assured, as others have noted, these Calla volumes are stone-cold family heirlooms we're talking about here. Buy them while you can, there's no guarantee these will be around forever.So, old Dover shook things up in my bibliophile scheme of things. It used to be: Dover for paperbacks which I read from cover to cover; Taschen for coffee-table-type collectable books, and Folio Society for a highly rendered edition of the classics. Now, Dover dominates two out of three of these realms.

In these days when almost everyone owns a kindle or some other electronic device in which to read books it's easy to forget the charm of actually holding a book in your hands, flipping through the pages with your fingers, feeling the paper, admiring the illustrations. When most books are mass produced and have cheap binding, cheap paper and no attention or care for any kind of elegance or quality, it's hard to remember how books were once an object of reverence and admiration, that people spent fortune on and treasured. But this is the book which will remind you of those days.Like other books in the Cala edition series this is a magnificent edition, and every detail - the hardcover binding, the paper, the exquisite art work is beautifully done and is a joy to hold and look at.I bought this beautiful, elegant edition of "Arabian nights" as a gift to myself, and I treasure it and hope to pass it on to my children.As for the content - the elaborate style of the story telling and the vocabulary will be over the head of younger readers. The pace of the stories is somewhat outdated and much slower than what we're accustomed to today, so if you intend to introduce children to this classic piece of literature, You will have to assist them with it. The brilliant art work will hold any child (or grownup) captive and is sure to pique their interest in the book.