The present work contains the complete Syriac text of the seven hundred and twenty-seven "Laughable Stories," which were collected by John Abu'l-Faraj, more commonly known as Gregory bar-Hebraeus, the head of the Jacobite Church, or Maphrian of the East, from A.D. 1264 to 1286. Sixty-eight of these stories have been published before: eight by Adler, Bernstien and others, and sixty by Morales; but the remainder now appear in print for the first time.

A peculiar interest attaches itself to the "Book of Laughable Stories," for it was the child of the compiler's old age. And it says much for the broadmindedness and versatility of the learned and venerable Bar-Hebraeus that, while his mind was closely occupied with history and philosophy and with the writings on works of grammar and other difficult subjects, the enthusiastic churchman found time to jot down notes of the witty, cynical, amusing, edifying, and didactic sayings and narratives which he came across during his perusal of the literatures of the Jews and Greeks, Arabs and Persians, Indians and Syrians.