Because this collection of folktales covers the entire Arab world from Morocco to Iraq, no other contemporary collection fills the niche it does. It is divided into six sections in categories such as animal tales or adventure tales. Sectional introductions provide the cultural background useful for interpreting the tales. Out of alleys of Cairo and Bedouin tents, from the Moroccan laborers and Syrian peasants, the approximately 130 tales vary considerably in length and portray heroes and villains, corruption and nobility equally. The tales were selected from a broad array of previously published sources and transcripts of the editor's field work.