Now that the tradition of storytelling even in his own Morocco is falling victim to television and other mass media, literary critic, writer, and translator El Koudia here at least saves from oblivion some of the stories that have been passed down the generations. He began by remembering tales his mother told, then asked her to retell them, then solicited other women particularly older ones from different regions of the country. He changed the tales, as storytellers do: reconstructing plots, deleting repetition, filling gaps in old memory. Allen (Arabic language and literature, U. of Pennsylvania) polished up the English and the style. Tale types and motifs are indexed. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)