The most famous fabulist after Aesop, the French poet Jean de la Fontaine published his three collections of fables in the second half of the seventeenth century, and found that not only had he an instant popular success on his hands; he happened to have written a literary masterpiece as well. Though not specifically composed for the young, these tales have a freshness and vividness which continue to appeal to children today, while the psychological astuteness of the author and the wit and elegance of his style will impress adults as well. La Fontaine happily ransacked a whole range of sources for his stories - from ancient Greek and Latin to contemporary French and Italian - adapting, interweaving, blending, inventing and transforming as he went. The result is a unique and imaginative tour de force which has delighted and entertained readers for over 300 years.

Selected Fables (Penguin Classics)

Literature & Fiction

Jean De La Fontaine

James Michie

Literary

Penguin Classics

Fables

Romain Simon

Children's Books

Andre Deutsch Ltd.

'The pleasure is twice as sweet When you cheat a cheat.' An illustrated collection of fables from one of France's most vital writers. One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants.

The World Is Full of Foolish Men (Penguin Little Black Classics)

Penguin

All the imagination, whimsy, and invention that have made Alexander Calder's mobiles and stabiles so popular. 36 fables — in rhymed translation by Eunice Clark — with a Calder drawing for each fable and 12 additional vignettes. Includes "The Lion in Love" and "The Hen That Laid the Golden Eggs." Contains mature content.

Selected Fables of Jean de la Fontaine

Arts & Photography

Individual Artists

Dover Publications

With their unique blend of wit and poetic mastery, the verse interpretations of Aesop’s Fables by 17th-century author Jean de La Fontaine have enchanted readers of all ages for over three centuries. 70 popular and oft-quoted fables appear here, including "The Grasshopper and the Ant," "The Town Rat and the Country Rat," "The Fox and the Grapes," "The Hare and the Tortoise," and dozens more. A classic of French literature; brilliantly translated by Walter Thornbury into English verse.

Selected Fables

History & Criticism

Fables (French Edition)

Poetry

Adamant Media Corporation

North Wind and the Sun

Brian Wildsmith

Econo-Clad Books

An unhappy rich man is disturbed by the joyous singing of a poor shoemaker.

Rich Man and the Shoemaker

The Fables of Jean de La Fontaine were issued in several volumes from 1668 to 1694. They are classics of French literature.

The Fables of La Fontaine

Reference

Foreign Language Study & Reference

Viking Adult

Presents the original French version of each fable, along with a new English translation which preserves the meter, line length, and rhyme scheme of the original

The Complete Fables of Jean de la Fontaine

Northwestern University Press

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Books by Jean De La Fontaine