FIRST EDITION OF “THE FIRST ACCURATE VERSION” OF THE ARABIAN NIGHTS, ILLUSTRATED BY WILLIAM HARVEY

LANE, Edward William. The Thousand and One Nights, Commonly Called, in England, the Arabian Nights' Entertainments. A New Translation from the Arabic, with Copious Notes. London: Charles Knight, 1839-41. Three volumes. Royal octavo, early three-quarter brown morocco, raised bands, elaborately gilt-decorated spines, marbled boards and endpapers, all edges gilt. $2500.

First edition in book form of Lane’s important translation of The Arabian Nights, illustrated with more than 500 intricate wood engravings from original designs by William Harvey.

"This was the first accurate version of the celebrated Arabic stories, and still remains the best translation… the eastern tone, which was lost in the earlier versions… is faithfully reproduced… The work is enriched with copious notes, derived from the translator's personal knowledge of Muslim life and his wide acquaintance with Arabic literature, and forms a sort of encyclopedia of Muslim customs and beliefs" (DNB). First issued in parts, 1838-40. The illustrator William Harvey was "Thomas Bewick's most successful apprentice… [and became] the leading designer for wood-engraved book illustrations in the 1830s and 1840s" (Hodnett, 126). For Thousand and One Nights, Harvey kept as many as 40 engravers busy, producing over 500 amazingly intricate blocks. "He collaborated very closely with Lane in preparing his drawings and drew heavily on his collection of Oriental costumes" (Muir, Victorian Illustrated Books, 31). Additional wood-engraved title pages. CBEL III:1020.

Interiors generally clean with infrequent and mostly marginal foxing, Volume II with very minor expert reinforcement to inner hinges, light rubbing to handsome morocco bindings.