I know it’s a complex history but (clickbaity headline aside) in this short article composed mainly of quotes there are 6 errors of fact. Lots of woolly writing on the Nights around, so just to be precise… theguardian.com/books/2021/dec… 1. It’s not ‘also known as 1001 Nights’. That’s the title of the work. ‘Arabian Nights’ is a made-up English title which publishers still insist on using today. In every other language it is 1001 Nights.

https://twitter.com/yasmineseale/status/1400840608617541635?s=20

Coming in September
wwnorton.com/books/97816314… The Nights are the work of a thousand years and still in flux. Here is the earliest fragment of the text, from the 9th century, discovered by the amazing Nabia Abbott and held at the Oriental Institute, Chicago (OI 17618)

O Kabikaj, do not eat this paper!

The fish-glue, leather and other substances that made up Arabic and Ottoman manuscripts appealed to insect appetites. Sometimes these books appealed to kabikaj, the name of a jinn, leader of moths, patron angel of reptiles or real toxic plant for protection from damage.

Sometimes disobedient worms responded in their own magic language.