Aesop's Fables (Oxford World's Classics) [Paperback]

Aesop (Author), Laura Gibbs (Translator)

Book Description

Series: Oxford World's Classics | Publication Date: April 10, 2003

The fables of Aesop have become one of the most enduring traditions of European culture, ever since they were first written down nearly two millennia ago. Aesop was reputedly a tongue-tied slave who miraculously received the power of speech; from his legendary storytelling came the collections of prose and verse fables scattered throughout Greek and Roman literature. First published in English by Caxton in 1484, the fables and their morals continue to charm modern readers: who does not know the story of the tortoise and the hare, or the boy who cried wolf?

This new translation is the first to represent all the main fable collections in ancient Latin and Greek, arranged according to the fables' contents and themes. It includes 600 fables, many of which come from sources never before translated into English.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`'Laura Gibbs has recently brought out a splendid translation with a very helpful introduction of the bulk of the fables in the Oxford World's Classics.'' Gabriel Josipovici, TLS

About the Author

Laura Gibbs completed her M.Phil. in European Literature at St Antony's College, Oxford and her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at the University of California at Berkeley. She has also studied and taught at the Centre for the Study of Anthropology and the Ancient World at the University of Siena in Italy. She is currently employed as a specialist in academic computing at the University of Oklahoma where she is developing Latin and Greek teaching tools for use on the Internet.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (April 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192840509
• ISBN-13: 978-0192840509
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #994,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 600 fables! great!, August 19, 2005

By 

mythgirl (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aesop's Fables (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

This translation of Aesop's fables (600 of them!) contains detailed references for people interested in finding out more about the Greek and Latin originals. And contrary to the comments of jennal24, the gender of the animals in this translation follows the gender of the animal names in Latin and Greek - since the fox (alopeks) is feminine in Greek, that's why monkey is a "she". there's nothing feminist about this: it's just grammar. too bad jenna124 has no idea what s/he is talking about. anyway, if you want to find out about the hundreds of Greek and Latin fables and need an English translation, this is a great place to begin. none of the other books of Aesop's fables in English contains as complete a selection of fables as this Oxford World's Classics version.

57 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best English Translation in Print, March 2, 2006

By 

Willis G. Regier "Billinois" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Aesop's Fables (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

Perhaps there are versions of Aesop that readers would enjoy more, and there are plenty of editions that come with engaging illustrations, but if a reader wants to get as close as possible to Aesop's Greek, this is the edition to buy. All of the prior great translators of Aesop have been British--Caxton, L'Estrange, Ogilby, Croxall, Clarke, James, Townsend, Jacobs, and Jones--and of these only Jacobs was a serious Aesop scholar. Laura Gibbs is a scholar as well as a translator; she bases her translations on the best editions; she includes more fables (to show historical variation, some fables appear twice); she provides a better introduction and much better notes than competing editions. Gibbs's volume also has the best index of any Aesop in English. This is an edition worthy of the Oxford imprint, and the first thorough translation of Aesop by an American since Lloyd Daly's AESOP WITHOUT MORALS (1961, now out of print). To experience the immensity and complexity of Aesop, try this.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, February 28, 2010

By 

Armando-Malwani "Seeker" (MN, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Aesop's Fables (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

Excellent reference for for the novice story teller. This book is cheat sheet for the complete Aesop's fables and also gives you the take home message. I grew up hearing Aesop and wanted my kids to have the same experience. This is definitely not for reading to the kids verbatim. I highly recommend it for the storyteller parent.