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Spring-September 2004 The first e-text that I've read off of Project Gutenburg.
This is an amazing collection. Downright astounding. I may be attacked for the comparison, but as the Bible is a collection of Words of God, and moral instruction, this is a collection of Persian/Eastern Folk-tales. I have not seen a printed copy of this work, but it must be weighty; the text file was 54,000 lines long, (with about 10 words per line.) And this is why it has taken me 5 months to finish it.
I enjoyed all the stories, as I do with most fairy-tales. There was a point where I was a little tired of it all though; when all the tales seemed to have a similar colour and tone to them, and similar themes. Then I just put this aside for a week or two, and read something else. I would have to say though, that if anyone wanted to read this just to have a taste of the writing, and knowledge of what's in it, then they certainly need not read the whole work. One quarter would more than suffice. And they could always start off with those stories that are well known: Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, Ali Baba and the forty thieves, or the Journeys of Sinbad.
Besides the "Story" form of the pieces, I enjoyed the Cultural Insight it provided. It is fairly frequent that in character descriptions, mention is made of "Believers of the True Faith" -which in this case is Muslim, (I believe.) There are many little details, which surprised and delighted me, because I know so little of this religion, and the culture that ... it comes from/comes from it. From the washing of the hands, to the specific prayer times, (Which allow ever so many trysts to happen with wives and daughters that are left at home.)