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    Aesop’s Fables
    Aesop’s Fables
    Aesop’s Fables
    Ebook410 pages4 hours

    Aesop’s Fables

    By Aesop

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    About this ebook

    HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.

    ‘It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow.’

    Living in Ancient Greece in the 5th Century BC, Aesop was said to be a slave and story-teller. His much-loved, enduring fables are revered the world over and remain popular as moral tales for children. With infamous vignettes, such as the race between the hare and the tortoise, the vain jackdaw, and the wolf in sheep’s clothing, the themes of the fables remain as fresh today as when they were first told and give an insight into the Ancient Greek world.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateMay 31, 2012
    ISBN9780007480883
    Aesop’s Fables

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    Reviews for Aesop’s Fables

    4/5

    13 ratings13 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Dad used to read these to us when we were children.
    • 3/5
      Read this for the "1001" books and they're good little stories with great moral messages, but I found it hard to read them straight thru as a whole book. A few of the stories I even got a bit confused on because I kept mixing them up with others that were similar. I thought a few times "didn't I just read this this one?" But it was a good read and a keeper, and at least I finished it!
    • 3/5
      Various fables by Aesop are presented in a collection.The book would be useful in discussing morals and fables with kids.
    • 5/5
      I like Aesop's fables because of the simple stories that relate back to a moral. I don’t like some of the stories' because of the cruelness of some of them. These stories have been retold many times but still possess the same stories with the morals being connected.
    • 4/5
      Every few years I enjoy rereading Aesop’s Fables. When I come across a different edition with wonderful, new-to-me illustrations, I just can’t help myself. The morals of the Fables are occasionally contradictory, that’s where they’re most interesting in fact. For example, some tales seem to indicate that opposites attract and can help one another; in other instances alike things are attracted to one another and those things that are different are dangerous and can cause them harm; still, one has to fight the urge, because they are so amusing, to agree with all of Aesop’s “lessons” on all points. The best thing you can get from it as a child is that the world can be a contradictory place and that the best thing to do is ask questions about the truth of any given assertion or act. Aesop, if he did exist, seems like he could probably move from being a skeptic to being paranoid pretty easily. It’s good to read the tales with a dose of good humor.
    • 4/5
      Not sure if it was just the copy that I had but it seems that so many of the stories were the same or very similiar and there were also some that seemed to tell the same story but with different outcomes. I know that historians are pretty sure that other authors have added their own work to be included with Aesop's fables, and that made the repetitive stories a little easier to read. Individually though, most of the fables had a good lesson attached to it.
    • 4/5
      The Tortoise and the Hare, the Grasshopper and the Ant, and dozens more of the delightful creatures that have been entertaining and instructing people for thousands of years. The storyteller Aesop lived in Ancient Greece, far away from us in time and distance. But his clever little stories have as much meaning for us today as they did when he first told them so long ago...
    • 5/5
      Who does not like Aesop's Fables? Come on.
    • 4/5
      Quick and short are the ancient greek moralistic tales. This is a beautifully illustrated collection of a few of them. I read "The Wolf and The Crane". The story of a greedy wolf who overeats and starts choking on a bone. He then begs the animals to help him saying he'll do anything for it. A crane does, sticking her long beak down and drawing out the bone. She then asks for her reward and he states that she should be grateful for him not biting her head off when she stuck it down his throat. The moral: he who live on expectations are sure to be disappointed.
    • 3/5
      The translated or retold stories are straight-forward, but the editor often chose to use English proverbs as his "Applications", some of which were not particularly applicable; it seems redundant to use an idiomatic phrase to explain a fable.
    • 3/5
      Bill Myers is a good Christian Supernatural author. This book is good but I don't recommend it to everyone. In this book he made references to things that I could see why he'd write it in but I didn't necessarily agree with it. In my opinion it was a conservative view. So for those of you who are not conservative I don't recommend this book.
    • 5/5
      A moral education, and Chesterton's perceptive remarks about fable as truism and fairytale as realism aside, also something of a sentimental one. It's like, if we worshipped Aesop, does anyone think the Bible would have caught on as instructive stories for children and maybe adults, as opposed to the bloodthirsty fever dreams of a Middle Eastern death cult?Plus some of them are just dumb jokes, and a surprising percentage of those are funny.
    • 4/5
      I read this book while taking a course on animal satire with a focus on the Aesopic tradition. The fables are very entertaining and make for good conversation with friends. The translator, Laura Gibbs, has posted many of the fables on her website. However, the book is organized by situations, and there is nothing more satisfying than quoting one of Aesop's fables to remedy a particular situation.

    Book preview

    Aesop’s Fables - Aesop

    THE BAT AND THE WEASELS

    A Bat who fell upon the ground and was caught by a Weasel pleaded to be spared his life. The Weasel refused, saying that he was by nature the enemy of all birds. The Bat assured him that he was not a bird, but a mouse, and thus was set free. Shortly afterwards the Bat again fell to the ground and was caught by another Weasel, whom he likewise entreated not to eat him. The Weasel said that he had a special hostility to mice. The Bat assured him that he was not a mouse, but a bat, and thus a second time escaped.

    It is wise to turn circumstances to good account.

    THE ASS AND THE GRASSHOPPER

    An Ass having heard some Grasshoppers chirping, was highly enchanted; and, desiring to possess the same charms of melody, demanded what sort of food they lived on to give them such beautiful voices. They replied, The dew. The Ass resolved that he would live only upon dew, and in a short time died of hunger.

    THE LION AND THE MOUSE

    A Lion was awakened from sleep by a Mouse running over his face. Rising up angrily, he caught him and was about to kill him, when the Mouse piteously entreated, saying: If you would only spare my life, I would be sure to repay your kindness. The Lion laughed and let him go. It happened shortly after this that the Lion was caught by some hunters, who bound him by strong ropes to the ground. The Mouse, recognizing his roar, came and gnawed the rope with his teeth, and set him free, exclaiming:

    You ridiculed the idea of my ever being able to help you, not expecting to receive from me any repayment of your favor; now you know that it is possible for even a Mouse to confer benefits on a Lion.

    THE CHARCOAL-BURNER AND THE FULLER

    A Charcoal-burner carried on his trade in his own house. One day he met a friend, a Fuller, and entreated him to come and live with him, saying that they should be far better neighbors and that their housekeeping expenses would be lessened. The Fuller replied, The arrangement is impossible as far as I am concerned, for whatever I should whiten, you would immediately blacken again with your charcoal.

    Like will draw like.

    THE FATHER AND HIS SONS

    A Father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, he placed the faggot into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. They tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it. He next opened the faggot, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons’ hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words: "My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these

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