The stories in this book have been selected from a larger collection called The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, also called The 1,001 Arabian Nights or - simply - The Arabian Nights. The full version tells the story of Shahrazad, a woman married to a cruel king who used to kill his wives after only one day. In order to escape death. Shahrazad tells her husband stories every night. The stories are so interesting that the king spares his wife so he can hear more each night. As is suggested by the title, this continues for 1,001 nights.