Aesop was probably a prisoner of war, sold into slavery in the early sixth century BC, who represented his masters in court and negotiations, and relied on animal stories to put across his key points. All these fables, full of humour, insight and savage wit, as well as many fascinating glimpses of ordinary life, have now been brought together for the first time in this definitive and fully annotated modern edition.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Lost In Translation:
I picked up this book hoping to find really a good academic telling of the fables. Instead, I find a poorly written book full of grammatical errors. Plus, I think there is definitely something lost in the translation of the original fables as most of the "morals" make no sense in relation to the story. The introduction to the book, which really could have used a good editor, is very wishy washy about saying anything definitive as to the origins of these fables. The notes attached after some of the fables... more info
Disappointing:
The translators justify calling this edition "Complete" because no one can say for sure what a "complete Aesop" would be. That's a lame excuse for an assertive title. Especially vexing is the lack of an index or table of contents; if you are looking for a particular fable, you must hunt through the whole book. It is good that they based their translations on the Chambrey edition, though the Perry edition (1952) is much more comprehensive. I am stunned by the comment made by "Fluid Artist" that the Perry... more info
Needed it and got it:
It came with such speed I didn't have time to worry that classes would begin.
Still some of the best instructions for life!:
Great stuff! For more good (and often very un-PC) tales for your children, find an unexpurgated version. A lot of Aesop's Fables should be required reading for young school children as they really teach you how to keep people from taking advantage of you (Christianity and Christian stories don't do a very good job of this sadly) and how to work hard and succeed.
