Fables of Aesop

by Alexander Calder (Illustrator)

Overview

This Dover volume brings into general circulation for the first time a rare edition of Aesop's Fables issued in Paris in 1931 and limited to only 665 copies. The book combines the 1692 translation of the Fables by English journalist Sir Roger L'Estrange with 50 drawings created especially as illustration for the tales by American sculptor, painter, and illustrator Alexander Calder.
L'Estrange's 17th-century rendering of the fables is a delight to read, judged by The Cambridge History of English Literature "the best that we have." Calder's art needs no special introduction: his widely displayed "mobiles" and "stabiles" have won him international popularity. The drawings Calder executed for this book rank among his most imaginative creations.
Two hundred and one of the traditional fables are narrated here, including such all-time favorites as "A Hare and a Tortoise," "A Fox and Grapes," "A Lyoness and a Fox," "A City Mouse and a Country Mouse," "A Swallow and a Crow," and "A Fox and a Raven." An entertaining volume for general readers, prized by literature students and art lovers alike, this is a book that should appeal to practically everybody.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780486217802
Publisher:	Dover Publications
Publication date:	06/01/1967
Series:	Dover Fine Art, History of Art
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x (d)
Age Range:	5 - 11 Years

About the Author

A pioneering American sculptor and artist, Alexander Calder (1898–1976) is best known for his invention of the mobile. His playful sense of humor is evident throughout his works, which range from jewelry and toys to tiny, matchbox-sized wire sculptures and grand 70-foot steel sculptures that grace plazas throughout the world.

Table of Contents

Ant and Fly
Ant formerly a Man
Ape and Dolphin
Ape and Fox
Ape and Fox
Apples and Horse-Turds
Ass and Frogs
Asse and Ungrateful Master
Asse and Whelp
Asse and Wolf
"Asse, Ape and Mole"
"Asse, Lyon, and Cock"
Asses to Jupiter
Astrologer and Traveller
Axe and Forrest
Bat and Weazle
"Bat, Birds, and Beasts"
"Bat, Bramble and Cormorant"
Bee-Master
Belly and Members
Boar and Horse
Boasting Mule
Boy and Cockles
Boy and False Alarums
Boy and his Mother
Boy and Snake
Bragging Traveller
Camel at First Sight
Camel praying for Horns
Cat and Cock
Cat and Mice
Cat and Venus
City Mouse and Country Mouse
Cock and Diamond
Cocks and Partridge
Collyer and Fuller
Countryman and Snake
Countryman and Snake
Crow and Dog
Crow and Muscle
Crow and Raven
Cunning Woman
Daw and Borrow'd Feathers
Daw and Pigeons
Daw with String at's Foot
Death and an Old Man
Doctor and Patient with sore eyes
Dog and Butcher
Dog and Cock on Journy
Dog and Shadow
Dog and Theif
Dog and Wolfe
Dog and Wolfe
Dog in a Manger
Dog invited to Supper
"Dog, Sheep, and Wolf"
Eagle and Arrow
Eagle and Daw
Eagle and Fox
Eagle and Man
"Estritche, Birds and Beasts"
Farmer and his Dogs
Father and Sons
Fawn and Stag
Fisherman and Pipe
Fisherman's Good Luck
Fisherman Disappointed
Fishing in Troubled Waters
Flea and Man
Flea and Hercules
Fortune-Teller
Fowler and Blackbird
Fowler and Partidge
Fowler and Pigeon
Fox and Bramble
Fox and Carv'd Head
Fox and Crab
Fox and Crocodile
Fox and Goat
Fox and Grapes
Fox and Hare to Jupiter
Fox and Huntsmen
Fox and Lyon
Fox and Raven
Fox and Sick Lyon
Fox and Stork
Fox and Weazle
Fox that lost his Tayle
Frog and Oxe
Frogs Chuse a King
Gall'd Ass and Raven
Gardiner and his Dog
Gnat and Lyon
Goat and Vine
Hare and Tortoise
Hares and Frogs
"Hares, Foxes and Eagles"
Hen and Swallow
Horse and Lion
Horse and Asse
Hound and Mastiffe
Husbandman and Stork
Hunted Bever
Imposter to the Oracle
Jupiter and Bee
Jupiter and Fraud
Jupiter and Herds-Man
Jupiter and Modesty
Jupiter and Serpent
Jupiter's Wedding
Kingfisher
"Kite, Hawk and Pigeons"
Laden Asse and Horse
Large Promises
Lark and her Young Ones
Lark in Net
League Betwixt Wolves and Sheep
Lyon and Asse
Lyon and Bear
Lion and Mouse
"Lyon, Ass, &c., a Hunting"
Lyon and Bull
"Lyon, Ass and Fox"
Lyon in Love
"Lyon, Fox and Wolfe"
Lyoness and Fox
Man and Two Wives
Man and Wooden God
Man bit by Dog
Mercury and Carpenter
Mercury and Statuary
Mercury and Tiresias
Mercury and Traveller
Miller burying his Gold
Mole and her Dam
Mountain in Labour
Musician
Nightingale and Bat
Old Dog and his Master
Old Lyon
Old Man and Lyon
Old Tree Transplanted
Old Weazle and Mice
"Peach, Apple and Blackberry"
Peacoct to Juno
Pigeon and Crow
Pigeon and Picture
Raven and Snake
Raven and Swan
Sheep and Crow
Shepherd turn'd Merchant
Shepherd and Sheep
Shepherd and Wolves Whelp
Sick Kite and her Mother
Smith and his Dog
Snake and Crab
Snake and File
Sow and Bitch
Sow and Dog
Stag Drinking
Stag and Horse
Stag and Lyon
Stag and Oxen
Stag with One Eye
Swallow and Crow
Swallow and Other Birds
Swan and Goose
Thieves that stole a Cock
Thrush and Birdlime
Thrush and Swallow
Thunny and Dolphin
Tree and Wedge
Travellers by the Sea-Side
Trumpeter taken Prisoner
Two Cocks Fighting
Two Enemies at Sea
Two Frogs that Wanted Water
Two Neighbour-Frogs
Two Travellers and Bag of Money
Two Young Men & a Cook
Unhappy Match
Washing of a Blackmore
Wasps in Honey-Pot
"Wasps, Partidges and Husbandman"
Wife and Drunken Husband
Wild Ass and Tame
Wolf and Crane
Wolf and Sow
"Wolf, Kid and Goat"
Wolfe and Fox
Wolfe and Kid
Wolfe and Lamb
Wolfe and Lyon
Wolfe and Sheep
"Wolfe, Lamb and Goat"
Woman and Fat Hen
Woman and her Two Daughters
Young Man and Swallow

Editorial Reviews

This British husband-and-wife team has gleaned more than a hundred of the ancient storyteller's fables for this beguiling compendium. Well-known entries (e.g., "The Tortoise and the Hare"; "The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs") are presented cheek-by-jowl with lesser-known offerings ("The Bald Knight"; "The Crab and Her Baby"). As explained in a detailed foreword, the retellings are served up much as Aesop might have told them, unadorned by the cliched moral epigrams that have come to be attached to his tales over the centuries. The abundant illustrations invite browsing as well as close reading: the pages are peppered with droll black-and-white sketches as well as energetic full-color watercolors. A table of contents and title index are useful additions. All ages. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 1-6-Containing over 100 fables attributed to Aesop, this is one of the most comprehensive collections to be published since the classic V.S. Vernon Jones's edition, which appeared in 1912. It contains obscure but interesting selections such as ``The Oak and the Reed'' and ``The Mice and the Weasels at War'' in addition to well-known favorites. The retellings are brief and do away with the stated morals. They are loosely arranged according to main characters, e.g., fables about mice are grouped together. A collector's note and information about Aesop are also included. Like Arthur Rackham, whose illustrations accompany the Vernon Jones compilation, Rowan Barnes-Murphy has chosen to alternate pen-and-ink line drawings with larger, full-color paintings. His numerous pictures are accomplished and capture the essence of each animal and human in the manner of a caricature. While the ink-and-watercolor artwork is effective, Barnes-Murphy seems to be most at home with the black-and-white line drawings. Overall, this oversized volume makes a worthwhile addition to folklore collections.-Denise Anton Wright, Illinois State University, Normal

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