The Complete Fables (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

by Aesop (Author), Robert Temple (Translator, Introduction), Olivia Temple (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Aesop was probably a prisoner of war, sold into slavery in the early sixth century BC, who represented his masters in court and negotiations, and relied on animal stories to put across his key points. All these fables, full of humour, insight and savage wit, as well as many fascinating glimpses of ordinary life, have now been brought together for the first time in this definitive and fully annotated modern edition.

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Greek

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140446494
• ISBN-13: 978-0140446494
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #435,745 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book does NOT contain the complete fables of Aesop., July 2, 1999

By A Customer

This translation claims to contain the complete fables of Aesop, but this is not correct: Ben E. Perry's edition of Aesopic fables for the Loeb Classical Library (ISBN: 0674994809) contains approximately twice as many fables as the Temples' supposedly "complete" fables. Robert and Olivia Temple do not know very much about the sources of Aesopic fables, and they do a poor job of describing the history of this wonderful body of folklore. People who are really interested in Aesop would do well to look for a copy of Lloyd Daly's Aesop without Morals (out of print) or they can read the brilliant collection of Aesop's fables in seventeenth-century English by Roger L'Estrange (published in Everyman's Library Children's Classics, ISBN: 0679417907).

38 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for children, but a good source & great book, December 26, 2000

By	KTB "KTB" (NYC) - See all my reviews

I think perhaps some of the reviewers here are missing the point of this book. And please don't go read Ben E. Perry's book because it's just full of falsities. I know, I've read it. Here's the thing: the fables that I and many others have grown up with are really adaptations and distortions of the real fables. And as the author points out, those fables may have been attributed to Aesop but he didn't think all of them up. He had other sources he drew from. These fables are probably not best read to children but if you're going to use them to help teach morals then adapting them to your own purpose is fine. However, I read this edition for a scholarly purpose because I'm interested in the origins of fables and folk tales. It is a really good book for that purpose. Morality was not Aesop's thing, the morals were attached later. If you're into morality then try another book.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, March 17, 2006

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

The translators justify calling this edition "Complete" because no one can say for sure what a "complete Aesop" would be. That's a lame excuse for an assertive title. Especially vexing is the lack of an index or table of contents; if you are looking for a particular fable, you must hunt through the whole book. It is good that they based their translations on the Chambrey edition, though the Perry edition (1952) is much more comprehensive. I am stunned by the comment made by "Fluid Artist" that the Perry edition (AESOPICA, 1952) is full of falsities; it'd be good to know what those falsities are. Fluid Artist claims to have read Perry's book, which would be marvelous, since it is almost 800 pages long and almost entirely in Greek and Latin. Laura Gibbs's AESOP'S FABLES (Oxford) is better in every respect.