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This is a really excellent set of choices. 😊😊 I'll add a comment about a particular version of The Arabian Nights for those who might like to explore the stories at a later date if it isn't the choice this time.
I have a number of translations of The Thousand and One Nights. One that I like very much is the three volume edition of Edward Lane. It has brilliant informative notes on the social and religious contexts of the stories which are still much admired. I found these notes--some of which run to several pages--absolutely fascinating. There were times when I would read the story straight through and then go back and read all the notes with equal enjoyment. Lane wanted his translation to be read by the general Victorian public; hence he eliminates the courser passages which Burton, Payne and more modern editions retain.
The old hard cover edition I have includes some wonderful atmospheric illustrations by William Harvey. Possibly they are also present in the free Project Gutenberg version.
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