Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Robert Maturin (1820): A series of “tales nested within tales,” in which a scholar sells his soul to the devil in exchange for 150 extra years of life, then searches the world for someone to take over the pact for him.

The Monk: A Romance by Matthew Gregory Lewis (1796): A Spanish monk forgoes his monastic vows when giving into temptation of increasingly depraved acts of sorcery, murder, incest, and torture.

The Necromancer; or, The Tale of the Black Forest (German: Der Geisterbanner. Eine Wundergeschichte aus mündlichen und schriftlichen Traditionen) by Lawrence Flammenberg (Karl Friedrich Kahlert) (1794): A gothic novel of murder, ghosts, and dark magic, structured as a series of interconnected stories, all centering on the enigmatic figure of Volkert the Necromancer.

Night & Horses & the Desert: An Anthology of Classical Arabic Literature (an anthology) edited by Robert Irwin (2002): An anthology containing excerpts from numerous works of classic Arabic literature, dating between fifth to sixteenth centuries along with commentary explaining their significance to the historic world as well as the modern.

One Thousand and One Nights (AKA Arabian Nights) (Arabic: Alf Laylah wa-Laylah) by various authors (later including Antoine Galland) (c. 800): Possibly the most famous collection of Middle Eastern folk tales, including stories originally penned in multiple languages by authors over several centuries, along with favorite characters later added by Antoine Galland such as Aladdin and Sinbad the Sailor.

Paradise Lost by John Milton (1667): An epic poem in ten books concerning the biblical story of the fall of man and the Angelic War over Heaven as told from multiple perspectives.

Peter Schlemihl’s Miraculous Story (German: Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte) by Adelbert von Chamisso (1814): A novella in which a young man trades his shadow to the devil for a “bottomless wallet,” only to later regret his decision and make atonement for the remainder of his life.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890): A young man trades his soul for perpetual youth and beauty; his portrait ages instead of him, recording the years and his hedonistic sins.

The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám (Persian: trans. from various quatrains) by Omar Khayyám (c. 1120): A collection of Arabic poetry, written by various authors, though all ascribed to Khayyám, discussing such topics as beauty, myth, and creation.

The Shaving of Shagpat by George Meredith (1856): A humorous Oriental romance composed of stories within stories, in which a barber and enchantress go against a tyrant whose power is held in his magical hair.

The Tales of the Genii: or, the Delightful Lessons of Horam, The Son of Asmar by Sir Charles Morell (James Ridley) (1764): A collection of short fantasy tales modeled on those of Arabian Nights, originally published in two volumes.

Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange (Arabic: al-hikayat al-‘ajiba wa’l-akhbar al-ghariba) by various authors (c. 800): Historically notable as the earliest known Arabic fantasy short stories, a third of which were expanded upon to include within the original Arabian Nights.