Well ordered and generous, this collection of classic writing from the Arabic, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Persian opens the door to a rich storehouse. Under the headings of Story, Drama, Song and Scripture there is a full sample of more than one great work from more than one culture; and before each category there is a readable comment on the relation of the work to others, significance and so forth. Among the selections are samples from The Thousand and One Nights, Japanese theatre, Confucian Analects, the Rubaiyat, the Bhagavad Gita and more. Impressive and inviting.