Aesop's Fables - Hardcover

Aesop

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1454910976 ISBN 13: 9781454910978

Publisher: Fall River, 2014

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author:

The writer known as Aesop was born into slavery in Greece in the seventh century BC. The first edition of his fables was published in 1484. French-born illustrator Ernest Griset spent most of his adult life in London. His artwork appeared in numerous books and periodicals for children and adults, including the long-lived humor magazine Punch. His edition of Aesop's Fables is considered a classic of nineteenth-century illustrated literature.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 4 Up—Originally published in 1869, this handsome collection of 383 fables includes versions taken from the writings of three well-known translators of Aesop's fables: Roger L'Estrange, a 17th-century English translator; Samuel Croxall, an English writer who published a volume entitled Fables by Aesop and Others (1722); and Jean LaFontaine, whose translations of the tales into verse have made them popular choices for collections published for children. Griset's more than 160 minutely detailed black-ink illustrations are liberally scattered throughout the weighty volume, 46 of them full-page engravings, the others small drawings and sketches. Griset was known to enjoy sketching the inhabitants of the London Zoo, and for his unusual skill at humanizing the animals in his artwork. Familiar fables ("The Hare and the Tortoise," "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse") are intermingled with many more sophisticated entries, all of them written in a literary style that, along with the clever humor of the illustrations, will be best appreciated by older children and adults. A short introduction to Aesop and a complete index to the fables are included.—Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH

About this edition

• Publisher: Fall River
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1454910976
• ISBN 13: 9781454910978
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 264
• Illustrator: Griset Ernest