To help plan my recaps, I created a list of every story in The Arabian Nights. This is derived from the indices at the back of the three volumes of the Penguin Classics editions. I thought I may as well post on the site, and it is pasted below.
I used the same list to create a rudimentary visualisation of the stories: their relative sizes, and how they nest within one another.
First, I created a spreadsheet (Arabian_Nights_Contents.csv, 18KB) which lists the stories by ‘level’ (i.e. whether they are told directly by Shahrazad, or one of the characters within one of her stories). The sheet also lists the number of Nights that a story spans, and also the number of pages the story covers in the Penguin Classics edition.
(Given more time, I might have also listed the number of bytes that each story consumes when rendered the HTML format found on the Project Gutenberg editions).
I used this data to generate a simple webpage. My version presents separate columns for each of the three Penguin Classics volumes, but could just as easily have been a single long list.
1001recaps.org/visualization.html
As you will see, the aesthetics of my visualisation leaves a lot to be desired. I cannot help but wonder what someone with more design and artistic flair could do with the same data.
List of Stories in the Arabian Nights
- 1—3 The merchant and the jinni
- 1—2 The story of the first old man
- 2 The story of the second old man
- 2—3 The story of the third old man
- 3—9 The fisherman and the ‘ifrit
- 4—5 The story of King Yunan and Duban the sage
- 5 The story of King Sindbad and the falcon
- 5 The story of the treacherous vizier
- 7—8 The story of the semi-petrified prince
- 4—5 The story of King Yunan and Duban the sage
- 9—19 The porter and the three ladies
- 11—12 The story of the first dervish
- 12—14 The story of the second dervish
- 13 The story of the envious and the envied
- 14—16 The story of the third dervish
- 17—18 The story of the lady of the house
- 18 The story of the doorkeeper
- 9—19 Harun al-Rashid and the fisherman’s chest
- 19—24 The story of the young man and the three apples
- 20—24 The story of Nur al-Din and Shams al-Din
- 24—34 The hunchback
- 25—26 The Christian’s story
- 27—28 The inspector’s story
- 28—29 The Jewish doctor’s story
- 29—34 The tailor’s story
- 31—34 The story of the barber
- 31 The story of the barber’s first brother
- 31—32 The story of the barber’s second brother
- 32 The story of the barber’s third brother
- 32 The story of the barber’s fourth brother
- 32—33 The story of the barber’s fifth brother
- 33 The story of the barber’s sixth brother
- 31—34 The story of the barber
- 34—38 Nur al-Din Ali and Anis al-Jalis
- 38—45 Ghanim ibn Ayyub, the slave of love
- 39 The story of the eunuch Bukhait
- 39—40 The story of the eunuch Kafur
- 45—145 King ‘Umar ibn al-Nu’man and his family
- 107—137 The story of Taj al-Muluk Kharan and Princess Dunya
- 112—128 The story of ‘Aziz and ‘Aziza
- 142—143 The story of the hashish addict
- 107—137 The story of Taj al-Muluk Kharan and Princess Dunya
- 146—147 The peahen, the duck and the gazelle
- 147—148 The pious shepherd
- 148 The water fowl and the tortoise
- 148—150 The wolf and the fox
- 149 The story of the hawk and the partridge
- 150 The story of the man and the snake
- 150 The weasel and the mouse
- 150 The crow and the cat
- 150—152 The fox and the crow
- 150—151 The story of the flea and the mouse
- 151—152 The story of the falcon and the birds of prey
- 152 The story of the sparrow and the eagle
- 152 The hedgehog and the doves
- 152 The story of the merchant and the two thieves
- 152 The thief with the monkey
- 152 The story of the foolish weaver
- 152 The sparrow and the peacock
- 153—169 Ali ibn Bakkar and Shams al-Nahar
- 170—249 The story of King Shahriman and his son, Qamar al-Zaman
- 237—246 The story of Ni’ma ibn al-Rabi’ and Nu’m
- 249—270 ‘Ala’ al-Din Abu’l-Shamat
- 270—271 Hatim of Tayy
- 271—272 Ma’n ibn Za’ida
- 272—273 The city of Labtit 888
- 273 Hisham ibn ‘Abd al-Malik and the young Bedouin
- 273—276 Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi
- 276—279 Abd Allah ibn Abi Qilaba and Iram, City of the Columns
- 279—282 Ishaq ibn al-Mausili
- 282—285 The slaughterhouse cleaner and the lady
- 285—294 Harun al-Rashid and ‘the second caliph’
- 294—296 Ali the Persian
- 296—297 Harun al-Rashid, the slave girl and Abu Yusuf
- 297—299 Khalid ibn Abd Allah al-Qushairi and the lover who confessed to theft
- 299 The generosity of Ja’far the Barmecide to the bean seller
- 299—305 Abu Muhammad the sluggard
- 305—306 The generosity of Yahya ibn Khalid to Mansur
- 306—307 The generosity of Yahya to the forger
- 307—308 The caliph al-Ma’mun and the scholar
- 308—327 ‘Ali Shar and Zumurrud
- 327—334 Harun al-Rashid and Ali ibn Mansur
- 328—334 The story of Jubair ibn ‘Umair al-Shaibani and Budur
- 334—338 The story of al-Ma’mun, the Yemeni and the six slave girls
- 338—340 Harun al-Rashid, the slave girl and Abu Nuwas
- 340—341 The man who stole the dog’s gold bowl
- 341—342 The wali and the clever thief in Alexandria
- 342—344 Al-Malik and his three walis
- 344—345 The money-changer and the thief
- 345—346 The wali of Qus and the trickster
- 346—347 Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi and the merchant
- 347—348 The woman who gave alms to a poor man
- 348—349 The pious Israelite
- 349—351 Abu’l-Hassan al-Ziyadi and the man from Khurasan
- 351 The poor man and his friends
- 351—352 The rich man who lost and then regained his money
- 352—353 The caliph al-Mutawakkil and the slave girl Mahbuba
- 353—355 Wardan the butcher, the woman and the bear
- 355—357 The princess and the ape
- 357—371 The ebony horse
- 371—381 Uns al-Wujud and al-Ward fi’l-Akmam
- 381—383 Abu Nuwas and the three boys
- 383 Abd Allah ibn Ma’mar al-Taimi, the Basran and the slave girl
- 383—384 The ‘Udhri lover
- 384 The vizier of Yemen and his younger brother
- 384—385 The lovers in the school
- 385 Al-Mutalammis and his wife Umaima
- 385—386 Harun al-Rashid and the Lady Zubaida in the pool
- 386 Harun al-Rashid and the three poets
- 386—387 Mus’ab ibn al-Zubair and A’isha ibn Talha
- 387 Abu’l-Aswad and his slave girl
- 387 Harun al-Rashid and the two slave girls
- 387 Harun al-Rashid and the three slave girls
- 387—388 The miller and his wife
- 388 The fool and the knave
- 388—389 Abu Yusuf and the Lady Zubaida
- 389 The caliph al-Hakim and the merchant
- 389—390 Anushirwan and the peasant girl
- 390—391 The water carrier and the goldsmith’s wife
- 391 Chrosroe, Shirin and the fisherman
- 391—392 Yahya ibn Khalid the Barmecide and the poor man
- 392 Muhammad al-Amin and Ja’far ibn Musa al-Hadi
- 392—393 The sons of Yahya ibn Khalid and Sa’id ibn Salim al-Bahili
- 393—394 The trick played by a wife on her husband
- 394 The pious Jewish woman and the two evil old men
- 394—395 Ja’far the Barmecide and the old Bedouin
- 395—397 The caliph ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and the young Bedouin
- 397—398 The caliph al-Ma’mun and the Pyramids
- 398—399 The thief and the merchant
- 399—401 Masrur and Ibn al-Qaribi
- 401—402 The pious prince
- 402—403 The schoolmaster who fell in love through what he heard
- 403 The foolish schoolmaster
- 403—404 The schoolmaster who could neither read nor write
- 404 The king and the virtuous wife
- 404—405 ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Maghribi and the rukh
- 405—407 ‘Adi ibn Zaid and Princess Hind
- 407 Di’bil al-Khuza’i, the lady and Muslim ibn al-Walid
- 407—409 Ishaq al-Mausili, the singer and the merchant
- 409—410 The two unfortunate lovers
- 410—411 The lovers of Tayy
- 411—412 The mad lover
- 412—414 The abbot who converted to Islam
- 414—418 Abu ‘Isa and Qurrat al-Ain
- 418—419 Al-Amin and his uncle, Ibrahim al-Mahdi
- 419 The caliph al-Mutawakkil and al-Fath ibn Khaqan
- 419—423 The dispute about the merits of men and women
- 423—424 Abu Suwaid and the white-haired woman
- 424 Ali ibn Muhammad and the slave girl, Mu’nis
- 424 The two women and their lovers
- 424—434 ‘Ali, the Cairene merchant
- 434—436 The pilgrim and the old woman
- 436—462 The slave girl Tawaddud
- 462 The angel of death, the rich king and the pious man
- 462—463 The angel of death and the rich king
- 463—464 The angel of death and the king of the Israelites
- 464 Alexander the Great and the poor king
- 464—465 King Anushirwan the Just
- 465—466 The Jewish judge and his virtuous wife
- 466—467 The shipwrecked woman
- 467—468 The pious black slave
- 468 The pious Israelite and his wife
- 470—471 Al-Hajjaj and the pious man
- 471—473 The smith who could put his hand in the fire
- 473—474 The pious man and his cloud
- 474—477 The Muslim hero and the Christian girl
- 477—478 The Christian princess and the Muslim
- 478—479 The prophet and the justice of God
- 479 The Nile ferryman
- 479—481 The pious Israelite who recovered his wife and children
- 481—482 Abu’l-Hasan al-Darraj and Abu Ja’far, the leper
- 482—536 Hasib Karim al-Din and the snake queen
- 486—533 The story of Buluqiya
- 499—531 The story of Janshah
- 486—533 The story of Buluqiya
- 536—566 Sindbad the sailor
- 538—542 The first journey of Sindbad
- 542—546 The second journey of Sindbad
- 546—555 The third journey of Sindbad
- 550—556 The fourth journey of Sindbad
- 556—559 The fifth journey of Sindbad
- 559—562 The sixth journey of Sindbad
- 563—566 The seventh journey of Sindbad
- 566 Alternative version of the seventh journey of Sindbad: Sindbad and the elephant graveyard
- 566—578 The City of Brass
- 578—606 The wiles of women: the king and his seven viziers
- 578—579 The story of the king and the wife of his vizier
- 579 The story of the merchant and his parrot
- 579 The story of the fuller and his son
- 580 The story of the chaste wife
- 580—581 The story of the mean man and the bread
- 581 The story of the woman and her two lovers
- 581—582 The story of the prince and the ghula
- 582 The story of the honey
- 82 The story of the wife who made her husband sieve dirt
- 582—583 The story of the enchanted spring
- 584 The story of the vizier’s son and the wife of the bath keeper
- 584—585 The story of the wife who cheated her husband
- 586—587 The story of the goldsmith and the Kashmiri singing girl
- 587—590 The story of the man who never laughed again
- 591—592 The story of the prince and the merchant’s wife
- 592 The story of the page who pretended to understand the speech of birds
- 593—596 The story of the woman and her five would-be lovers
- 596 The story of the three wishes
- 596—597 The story of the stolen necklace
- 597 The story of the two doves
- 597—598 The story of Prince Bahram and Princess al-Datma
- 598—602 The story of the old woman and the merchant’s son
- 602 The story of the ‘ifrit’s beloved
- 603—604 The story of the merchant and the blind old man
- 605 The story of the lewd man and the three-year-old child
- 605—606 The story of the stolen purse and the five-year-old child
- 606—624 Judar and his brothers
- 624—680 ‘Ajib and Gharib
- 680—681 ‘Utba and Rayya
- 681—682 Hind, daughter of al-Nu’man, and al-Hajjaj
- 683—684 Khuzaima ibn Bishr and ‘Ikrima ibn al-Fayyad
- 684—685 Yunus al-Katib and Walid ibn Sahl
- 685—686 Harun al-Rashid and the young Bedouin girl
- 686—687 Al-Asma’i and the three Basran girls
- 687—688 Ishaq al-Mausili and his visitor
- 688—691 The Udhri lovers
- 691—693 The Bedouin and his faithful wife
- 693—695 Harun al-Rashid and the story of the woman of Basra
- 695—696 Ishaq al-Mausili and the devil
- 696—697 The Medinese lovers
- 697—698 Al-Malik al-Nasir and his vizier
- 698—708 Dalila the wily
- 708—719 The adventures of ‘Ali al-Zaibaq
- 719—738 Ardashir and Hayat al-Nufus
- 738—756 Julnar of the sea and her son, Badr Basim
- 756—778 King Muhammad ibn Saba’ik and Hasan th 91 e merchant
- 758—778 The story of Saif al-Muluk and Badi al-Jamal
- 778—831 Hasan of Basra, the goldsmith
- 831—845 Khalifa the fisherman
- 845—863 Masrur and Zain al-Mawasif
- 863—894 Nur al-Din and Miriam the sash-maker
- 896—899 The young man of Baghdad and his slave girl
- 899—930 King Jali’ad and his son, Wird Khan
- 900—901 The story of the cat and the mouse
- 902 The story of the ascetic and his butter jar
- 903 The story of the fish and the crab
- 903 The story of the crow and the snake
- 904 The story of the wild ass and the jackal
- 905 The story of the unrighteous king and the pilgrim prince
- 906 The story of the crows
- 907 The story of the snake charmer
- 907 The story of the spider and the wind
- 909—910 The story of the two kings
- 910 The story of the blind man and the cripple
- 918 The story of the foolish fisherman
- 919 The story of the boy and the thieves
- 919 The story of the merchant and his wife
- 920 The story of the merchant and the thieves
- 921 The story of the jackals and the wolf
- 921—922 The story of the shepherd and the thief
- 924 The story of the partridge and the tortoises
- 930—940 Abu Qir and Abu Sir
- 940—946 ‘Abd Allah of the land and ‘Abd Allah of the sea
- 946—952 Harun al-Rashid and Abu’l-Hasan of Oman
- 952—959 Ibrahim and Jamila 576
- 959—963 Abu’l-Hasan al-Khurasani
- 963—978 Qamar al-Zaman
- 978—989 Abd Allah ibn Fadil and his brothers
- 989—1001 Ma’ruf the cobbler
- 1001 The end of the story of King Shahriyar and Shahrazad