Malcolm Lyons is a world renowned specialist in his field of classical Arabic poetry and is the senior fellow at Pembroke College, Cambridge, having been a fellow there since 1956. His published works include a biography of Saladin, The Arabian Epic, Identification and Identity in Classical Arabian Poetry, a translation of The Arabian Nights, and articles on Arabic literature. His wife specialises in Modern Arabic literature, and has been an Emertius fellow at Lady Cavendish Hall, Cambridge since 1976.Robert Irwin is the author of For Lust of Knowing, The Middle East in the Middle Ages, The Arabian Nights: A Companion and numerous other specialised studies of Middle Eastern politics, art and mysticism. His novels include The Limits of Vision, The Arabian Nightmare The Mysteries of Algiers and Satan Wants Me.