Aesopica: A Series of Texts Relating to Aesop or Ascribed to Him [Hardcover]

Ben Edwin Perry (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 14, 2007

The most complete corpus of the proverbs and fables of Aesop ever assembled

Ben Edwin Perry's Aesopica remains the definitive edition of all fables reputed to be by Aesop. The volume begins traditionally with a life of Aesop, but in two different and previously unedited Greek versions, with collations that record variations in the major recensions. It includes 179 proverbs attributed to Aesop and 725 carefully organized fables, for which Perry also provides their eldest known sources. To better evaluate the place of Aesop in literary history, Perry includes testimonies about Aesop made by Greek and Latin authors, from Herodotus to Maximus Planudes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'Monumental' is the only appropriate word to describe this work."
--Journal of Oriental Languages

Product Details

• Hardcover: 792 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press; 2nd edition (February 14, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 025203192X
• ISBN-13: 978-0252031922
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.2 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,187,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars getting your masters in aesopic folklore?, March 13, 2007

By 

eliot - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aesopica: A Series of Texts Relating to Aesop or Ascribed to Him (Hardcover)

This book assumes a working knowledge of both Latin and Greek. The introduction is in English; the rest of the commentary is in Latin. The fables, life of Aesop and sayings of Aesop overlap in Greek and Latin. I was once hanging out at a monastery library and I stole into a dark closet where many old books donated by dead priests and nuns were piled up in boxes waiting for kingdom come. In one of the boxes (once belonging to a nun) I found a Greek reader that was published and inscribed in 1904. In the book were many Aesopic fables which I felt were quite satisfying. It's too bad that you can't find simple non New Testament Greek readers like that today. Aesopica is my favorite book. If you are looking for a cheaper alternative check out Babrius and Phaedrus published by Loeb Library, ISBN 0674994809.