This article traces the social and cultural circumstances of nineteenth-century c lations and translations of Alf Laylah wa Laylah into English, Arabic, or Per particular to gauge what cultural value these modem editions were thought t for their readerships. Through an examination of the critical discourse aroun text, it can be shown how the text’s cultural value was transformed through actions”–the translations and appropriations. The transformation of the valu text during this period illuminates the changing social role of literary prac consumption in these so