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Just got a big thing of classics and one of them is "The tales of the Arabian Nights." Has anyone read these stories? Are they good? I'm really curious now.

I've read them. Heck, I have Robert Irwin's Companion to them.

You have the book, if you are curious, read some of it and answer yourself the question of are they good. One hint might be that they have been published and republished in English for over 300 years. Somebody must enjoy them.

Certainly some will be familiar.

"Just got a big thing of classics" You really think "thing" was the best word for use here?

They're all online. There aren't really 1001 tales, but there are quite a few. You've probably heard some of the stories in form or another because a lot of these tales repeat with different names in different cultures. They're really good though and definitely fun to read. I'm pretty sure they were banned at some point in the Muslim world because of some of the "explicit" content.

There are different version of the translations and i think i heard some of the explicit stuff was just made up by one of the translators.
I've read some, like all folktales, fairytales whatever you want to call them, i found them very hard to read. I think its because they were never meant to be read but rather just to be heard.
I did enjoy the CONTENT of the 7 voyages of sinbad, if not the actual experience of reading them. The original Sinbad is a far, far cry from the television versions :lol .

great stories some brutal and some just interesting. a must read

I really like them. Recently found a 1960s illustrated version to add to my daughter's book collection. Some of them are a little strange but worth reading.

Well, I think you should definitely satisfy your curiosity, they are quite interesting and witty. I agree that they would have been probably considered quite explicit once upon a time, but some of the stories like that of Aladdin and Ali Baba make for good childrens' tale. Worth a read.

Go ahead and enjoy. It is a wonderful book.

Interesting read.

You should read them. The tales are from different authors, some of them are really beautiful but others didn't impress me. However the book is impregnate by a magical atmosphere that brings you to a very different, mysterious and enchanted world, so I strongly recommend to read it!

I really love short stories and fables especially from India and Arab and Arabian Nights was no exception. I'd really have loved it though if the flow was consistent throughout the book because at some point the stories no longer flow into each other.

They are great and full of wisdom. To me, Sherazade is a great example of self-sacrifice done with wisdom and style. Just amazing!

I love the stories in Arabian nights but it's hard to maintain the story in my head with so many foreign Arabic names. It would have been more enjoyable with easier names.

I love Arabian Nights. My husband had never read it, so I read it to him. It's kind of our thing now.

I didn't like the story probably because I couldn't remember the names of the characters. I didn't finish reading it.