It was ordained that Shibli Bagarag, nephew to the renowned Baba Mustapha, chief barber to the Court of Persia, should shave Shagpat, the son of Shimpoor, the son of Shoolpi, the son of Shullum; and they had been clothiers for generations, even to the time of Shagpat, the illustrious. Now, the story of Shibli Bagarag, and of the ball he followed, and of the subterranean kingdom he came to, and of the enchanted palace he entered, and of the sleeping king he shaved, and of the two princesses he released, and of the Afrite held in subjection by the arts of one and bottled by her, is it not known as 'twere written on the finger-nails of men and traced in their corner-robes? As the poet says: Ripe with oft telling and old is the tale, But 'tis of the sort that can never grow stale. Now, things were in that condition with Shibli Bagarag, that on a certain day he was hungry and abject, and the city of Shagpat the clothier was before him; so he made toward it, deliberating as to how he should procure a meal, for he had not a dirhem in his girdle, and the remembrance of great dishes and savoury ingredients were to him as the illusion of rivers sheening on the sands to travellers gasping with thirst. And he considered his case, crying, 'Surely this comes of wandering, and 'tis the curse of the inquiring spirit! for in Shiraz, where my craft is in favour, I should be sitting now with my uncle, Baba Mustapha, the loquacious one, cross-legged, partaking of seasoned sweet dishes, dipping my fingers in them, rejoicing my soul with scandal of the Court!' Now, he came to a knoll of sand under a palm, from which the yellow domes and mosques of the city of Shagpat, and its black cypresses, and marble palace fronts, and shining pillars, and lofty carven arches that spanned half-circles of the hot grey sky, were plainly visible. Then gazed he awhile despondingly on the city of Shagpat, and groaned in contemplation of his evil plight, as is said by the poet: The curse of sorrow is comparison! As the sun casteth shade, night showeth star, We, measuring what we were by what we are, Behold the depth to which we are undone.

The last of the great Victorian novelists, George Meredith was also a celebrated poet and a distinguished critic. This comprehensive eBook presents the complete works of George Meredith, with numerous illustrations, rare texts appearing in digital print for the first time, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Meredith's life and works * Concise introductions to the novels and other texts * ALL 20 novels, with individual contents tables * Images of how the books were first printed, giving your eReader a taste of the original Victorian texts * Excellent formatting of the texts * Special chronological and alphabetical contents tables for the poetry * Easily locate the poems you want to read * Includes rare essay collections appearing here for the first time in digital publishing * Special criticism section, with 12 essays evaluating Meredith’s contribution to literature * Features the celebrated biography on Meredith by Constantin Photiadès: GEORGE MEREDITH: HIS LIFE, GENIUS AND TEACHING, available in no other collection - discover Meredith's literary life * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles CONTENTS: The Novels THE SHAVING OF SHAGPAT FARINA THE ORDEAL OF RICHARD FEVEREL EVAN HARRINGTON EMILIA IN ENGLAND RHODA FLEMING VITTORIA THE ADVENTURES OF HARRY RICHMOND BEAUCHAMP’S CAREER THE HOUSE ON THE BEACH THE CASE OF GENERAL OPLE AND LADY CAMPER THE TALE OF CHLOE THE EGOIST THE TRAGIC COMEDIANS DIANA OF THE CROSSWAYS ONE OF OUR CONQUERORS LORD ORMONT AND HIS AMINTA THE AMAZING MARRIAGE CELT AND SAXON THE GENTLEMAN OF FIFTY AND THE DAMSEL OF NINETEEN The Play THE SENTIMENTALISTS The Poetry INTRODUCTION TO THE POETRY OF GEORGE MEREDITH LIST OF POEMS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER LIST OF POEMS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER The Essays ESSAY ON COMEDY MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS UP TO MIDNIGHT The Criticism THE QUALITY OF GEORGE MEREDITH by Oscar Wilde MEREDITH by Arnold Bennett THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH by Virginia Woolf ON REREADING MEREDITH by Virginia Woolf GEORGE MEREDITH by Robert Lynd TWO LETTERS by Robert Louis Stevenson GEORGE MEREDITH AS A POET by Arthur Symons ABOUT MEREDITH by G. K. Chesterton GEORGE MEREDITH by James Joyce HARDY AND MEREDITH by Richard Burton GEORGE MEREDITH by W. E. Henley LIVING MASTERS: MEREDITH AND HALL CAINE by David Christie Murray The Biography GEORGE MEREDITH: HIS LIFE, GENIUS AND TEACHING by Constantin Photiadès Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles