The reader is kept closely en rapport with the original author, the translation being as exact as English syntax and style will permit, abiding faithfully by the words, arrangement and imagery, and following the rigorous canons of oriental scholarship. The book is provided with full notes that include not only those of a specialist character that a scholarly work of this type requires but also those that will help and even entertain the general reader. A glossary explains the Arabic words that most appear in the text, and a comprehensive introduction sets the scene and describes the dramatis personae.