The Arabian Nights The Tale of the Sharper of Alexandria1959 Vintage Book Illu
This enchanting illustration comes from the 1959 Arabian Nights Picture Book by Nancy Dingman Watson, illustrated by Aldren A. Watson. Salvaged from a damaged copy, this original page has been lovingly preserved—mounted to an 8x10 foam board, matted and framed, sealed for protection, and fitted with both a wall hanger and table stand. It arrives safely packaged in waterproof wrapping and boxed for secure shipping.
About The Arabian Nights
Also known as One Thousand and One Nights, this timeless collection of Middle Eastern folktales has traveled across centuries, languages, and continents. Framed by the story of Scheherazade—a brilliant storyteller who saves her life night after night through the power of imagination—these tales explore morality, justice, love, betrayal, and the unpredictable nature of fate. From genies and merchants to thieves and kings, the stories celebrate wit, resilience, and the belief that a well-told story can change destiny itself.
About This Tale
“The Tale of the Sharper of Alexandria (Husan-al-Din)” follows a clever thief who outsmarts the authorities and those around him. This illustration captures a quiet but fateful moment: a police trooper asleep beside his camel in the street corner, unaware that his saddlebag—holding a thousand pieces of gold—is being slit open by thieves. The controversy in this story lies in its moral grayness; it blurs the line between cunning and corruption, showing how intelligence and deceit often share the same bed. It questions the nature of justice and whether the clever deserve punishment—or admiration.
Why These Stories Endure
The Arabian Nights endures because it celebrates the power of the human mind to imagine, survive, and transform. Each tale reflects universal truths about desire, destiny, and deception—reminding us that wisdom sometimes wears the mask of trickery. The blend of morality and mischief, beauty and brutality, continues to captivate modern audiences as much as it did centuries ago.
A Piece of Literary History
This framed print preserves not just a vintage illustration, but a living piece of world literature—one that has crossed cultures, challenged censors, and inspired countless retellings. A perfect gift for lovers of myth, art, and the eternal art of storytelling.
