Other editions of book Aesop's Fables

The habit of telling stories is one of the most primitive characteristics of the human race. The most ancient civilizations, the most barbarous savages, of whom we have any knowledge have yielded to investigators clear traces of the possession of this practise, The specimens of their narrative that have been gathered from all the ends of the earth and from the remotest times of which we have written record show traces of purpose, now religious and didactic, now patriotic and political; but behind or beside the purpose one can discern the permanent human delight in the story for its own sake.The Æsopic Fables are allegorical tales The form of the old animistic story is used without any belief in the identity of the personalities of men and animals, but with a conscious double meaning and for the purpose of teaching a lesson. The fable is a product not of the folk but of the learned; and though at times it has been handed down by word of mouth, it is really a literary form.

For more than 2,000 years, the fables of the Greek slave known as Aesop have entertained readers with their wise reflections on human nature and their insightful, often witty “morals.” This beautiful edition features more than 300 selections passed down through the ages, drawn from the classic compilations of Roger L'Estrange, Jean La Fontaine, and Samuel Croxall and lavishly illustrated by the nineteenth-century artist Ernest Griset. Part fairy tale, part fantasy, part parable, each of these fables is a polished gem of storytelling. Readers young and old will delight in these timeless fables whose unforgettable characters hold up an enchanted mirror that allow us to see ourselves.