James Kenneth Ridley was an English author, who was educated at University College, Oxford

University College, Oxford

.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...

. He served as a chaplain with the British Army. Ridley wrote two novels, The History of James Lovegrove, Esquire (1761

1761 in literature

See also: 1760 in literature, other events of 1761, 1762 in literature, list of years in literature.-Events:* On the death of Johann Matthias Gesner, the chair of rhetoric at the University of Göttingen is refused by both Johann August Ernesti and by David Ruhnken...

) and The Schemer, or the Universal Satirist, by that Great Philosopher Helter van Scelter (1763

1763 in literature

See also: 1762 in literature, other events of 1763, 1764 in literature, list of years in literature.-Events:* John Wilkes was arrested for his writings in The North Briton...

); but he is mainly remembered for his Oriental pastiche Tales of the Genii, a set of stories based on those of the Arabian Nights. That work, published in two volumes in 1764

1764 in literature

See also: 1763 in literature, other events of 1764, 1765 in literature, list of years in literature.-Events:* January 19 - John Wilkes is expelled from the British House of Commons for seditious libel for his article criticising King George III in The North Briton.* October 15 - While visiting...

, was issued under the pen name "Sir Charles Morell", supposedly British Ambassador at Bombay.

Ridley's Tales were allegedly composed by an imam

Imam

An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...

 named Horam and translated from a Persian manuscript; in actuality, they were products of Ridley's imagination. The Tales belong to a genre of imitation Orientalia popular in the 18th century; in its own time and after, Ridley's book was compared to Samuel Johnson

Samuel Johnson

Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...

's Rasselas. Ridley's compilation was popular, and went through seven editions by 1861; German and French translations also appeared.