Aesop's Fables

This book, containing 35 Aesopic fables/versions of fables, is designed for students who, at a minimum, are finishing, or who have just finished, the first year (or the high school equivalent) of college Ancient Greek. It is also for individuals who studied Ancient Greek years ago and would like to return to the language and its literature in as easy and engaging a manner as possible. In order to better serve the needs of such readers as these, numerous grammatical and syntactical notes, along with extensive vocabulary lists, have been provided. A special feature of this text is the generous selection of different versions of the fables that have been created over time. Although many of these are retellings of the same fable in Ancient Greek (some of which are in verse), six come from La Fontaine’s celebrated French versions as recently translated with great verve by Craig Hill. The vast majority of these different versions, however, are from the rich tradition of English translations/adaptations made between the 17th and 20th centuries. Another special feature is the inclusion of a substantial number of illustrations from the 18th to the 20th centuries that showcase the various approaches artists have employed in illuminating the fables.