From the author's preface when the book was originally published in 1897: "In explanation of some features of the following tales and of the Russo-Judean genius for story-telling in general, it should be remembered that the tellers of the tales current in Russian Jewry are students of the Talmud, accustomed to the hyperbole, characteristic of much of the unique literature to which they devote their lives. It is not too hazardous to say that in point of inventiveness they can vie with the Arabian Nights' Entertainments, and in ideality and moral elevation they far surpass them. "These tales of fact, folklore, and fiction may serve to open a window of the great dungeon wherein at least half of scattered Israel suffers, worships, and dreams. Living in a gloomy present, and ever picturing a golden future; languishing in wretchedness here, while never losing hope in a blessed hereafter, it is a race that has learned to weep and laugh at the same time. Now and then the scene is tinged with the melodramatic, but it never fails to convey profound faith, deep reverence, lofty morality, proud self-consciousness, and sublime spirituality. "That the Russian Jew is in possession of enough material for tales of woe, needed no demonstration. What the world does not yet appreciate is his optimism, his readiness to laugh at the humorous sides of life, and his ability to make others laugh at them."