Selected Fables

A collection of the world's most beloved fables 

Jean de la Fontaine popularized some of our most loved proverbial tales, including "The Hare and the Tortoise" and "The Hen Who Laid Golden Eggs," transforming the world's great fables into charming works of astonishing originality, wit, and verve. James Michie's earthy translations capture the friendly brio, nimble comedy, and jaunty wisdom of the original. Black-and-white line drawings by J. J. Grandville introduce each fable.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695) French poet, whose FABLES rank among the masterpieces of world literature. His FABLES CHOISIES MISES EN VERS, usually called 'La Fontaine Fables', were published over the last 25 years of his life. The first volume appeared when the author was 47. The book includes some 240 poems and timeless stories of countryfolk, heroes from Greek mythology, and familiar beasts from the fables of Aesop. James Michie was born in 1927. His publications include translations of The Odes of Horace, The Poems of Catullus and The Epigrams of Martial.