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    Aesop's Fables
    Aesop's Fables
    Aesop's Fables
    Ebook69 pages53 minutes

    Aesop's Fables

    By Aesop

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    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArchive Classics
    Release dateJan 2, 1900
    Author

    Aesop

    Aesop was a Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as Aesop's Fables.

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    Reviews for Aesop's Fables

    4/5

    49 ratings64 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A cute collection of morality stories/fables collected into this volume. I have read it so many times--as an adult, as a kid, as a teen--and each time I take something different away from it. I love it.In fact, I took a tattoo idea from the Tortise and the Hare fable, and added to it my desire to travel, and voila! Two different ways to travel, but in my case, there isn't necessarily a correct one.
    • 3/5
      Aesops's Fables are short and sweet and easy to read for most ages. A number of the stories are very clever, all with a point or moral to be learned in the end. There are quite a few in this book that I have never heard before, many not as creative as the common Aesop's Fables I grew up knowing; however it was fun to read through them.
    • 4/5
      Just as relevant as ever.
    • 4/5
      short little proverbs usually using animals to tell a morality stories. Some of these proverbs are often spoken but wonder how many know whence they come? Remind me of the Proverbs from the Bible. Rating 3.75
    • 5/5
      Classic stories for people of any age. I have had a copy since I was little and it almost always is displayed on one of my shelves. It is full of small tales you have probably heard over and over, but delightfully do not grow old. There were wonderful illustrations as well.
    • 4/5
      This book contains 82 of Aesop's fables. Many of these short stories with a moral of the story at the end, I have never heard before. Many, many of these early stories have morals that I never knew the origin of - A stitch in time saves nine, honesty is the best policy. These moral little sayings have withstood the test of time.
    • 4/5
      Brilliant stuff, but some of the morals seem to contradict others. For example, The Ant And The Grasshopper teaches one to always prepare for the future, whereas The Frogs Desiring A King has the moral "Let well enough alone!" I think most adults can see the nuances differentiating those two stories, but a child might not be able to. And while some stories speak of the importance of teamwork, some exalt individual toughness and refusal to play along with others. So why do I still give this 4 stars? Because of life's pesky gray areas, of course.
    • 4/5
      I consider this a re-read - I can't quite remember when I read this previously, but most of the 100 fables included in this collection were familiar. I always knew that each fable included a moral - it was interesting in reading these that sometimes I didn't think the moral fit all that well.
    • 3/5
      Very, very simple anecdotes. Any fables that have been turned into lengthier morality tales such as "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" have been beefed up considerably.
    • 3/5
      Not the best book of fables in the whole wide world, but it does have its charm and its certainly brings back memories. There are lots of tales that I have heard before when I was a kid, several of them actually quite popular. However, this book goes straight to the point. You know the tale of the Turtle and the Hare, which has already been rewritten by several different authors, even having animated movies about it? Well, this book tells the story in half a page. Which isn't so bad, really. It's actually interesting to read those stories in a short format, with the emphasis on the story's lesson. A nice read for grown-ups, a good thing to give the children something to think about.
    • 4/5
      It would be a benefit to mankind if these morals were taught today. Instead, everything seems to be nonjudgmental. "Who are you to tell me I'm wrong?!!"
    • 5/5
      I always loved reading these fables when I was a kid, and they certainly permeated their way through my childhood even up until now. While they may seem a little silly and/or difficult to understand, there is certainly a message to be taken away from all of them if you are willing to think outside of the box.
    • 4/5
      The Boy Who Cried Wolf is a great story for young children. It has a very important lesson which is not to lie. The boy "cried wolf" and said there was a wolf when there was not. Then, when there actually was no one believed him. This is important for young children to learn. I really loved this story because of the lesson. I also enjoyed it because it was interesting and made the reader want to keep reading. The story was also great because it was a good length. It was not too long so it was not boring, but it also was not too short. The last thing I liked was that the story was well written. From the writing, I could envision the boy and what was happening in the story. This was a great book!
    • 4/5
      Some were great, some were dull (or even rather mean), and some were in-between. Overall, not super crazy about it, but glad to have read the collection of them.
    • 3/5
      Another reviewer said it best when stating that he enjoyed Aesop's Fables for the lessons rather than the storytelling. I was surprised to see how many of today's maxims originated from this collection of stories, and even moreso to hear that they had been penned in the 5th century BC. Definitely worth a read.
    • 5/5
      This was my first read through of Aesop's Fables in its entirety. Obviously I have encountered many of these fables before individually but was somewhat surprised by how dark they are. Aesop as a freedman was brilliant at seeing into the psyche of humankind. The Fables have held up well over the last 2500 years. I found it odd that the translator used the names of the Roman gods as opposed to the original greek gods.
    • 3/5
      I liked this one better than "Grimm's Fairy Tales" because A) they're all super short, great for reading a teeny bit at a time and B) the language is much more understandable. But like "Grimm's Fairy Tales", the stories get repetitive after a while. They're all moral lessons, and they fall under three categories: evil is its own ruin, be honest and don't lie, don't be vain/greedy/prideful. Consequences of failing to heed lessons A, B, and C will result in you being eaten by a tiger 90% of the time.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed this chapter book because of the moral messages learned from each short fable and how I could remember a majority of these stories from my own childhood. The moral lessons learned from these stories stem from always telling the truth, the idea that slow and steady will win the race, and to not judge someone by their appearance. As a child I remembered reading a great majority of these and enjoyed being able to reinterpret what was being said. Although the version I read did not contain illustrations, I did enjoy how the words came to life on the page. As one reads these stories, they can be illustrated in the reader's mind. The big idea of this chapter book is to give a recorded source of the oral stories told so as to teach moral lessons to children and adults.
    • 4/5
      Summary:This book is a series of short, and a little weird, stories with a little bit of proverb advice at the end of each story.Personal Reaction:I think this is an outstanding set of fables and short stories. I found this to be very entertaining and a little bit of an eye-opener. Reading some of these stories to my children was entertaining to them and entertaining to me to watch their reactions. A lot of the proverb advice I had to explain a little deeper for my oldest to understand them, but all in all a very good and entertaining read.Classroom Extension:1. These stories can be intergraded in many fashion of ways. I think it would be ideal to use as a "brain-break" in between lessons.2. This book can be used as a good way to bring literature into the classroom and can be a good way to introduce fables, proverbs, and short stories.
    • 3/5
      I read this book over the course of maybe a year reading generally one fable a day. Like a lesson of the day. Some were great, some kind of goofy but I found overall the many lessons imparted as valid as most religious doctrine.Aesop himself is somewhat of a mysterious person of Greece much like Homer with only conjecture of who he was and how he put together this book of wisdom using the animated figures to deliver the message. In any event I found it intriguing to read them all and experience the lessons of such an ancient time that can have such relevance today.
    • 4/5
      Yet another I should reread, although so many of the fables are so familiar. Who could forget the fox and the grapes? The lessons in Aesop are still worthwhile today.
    • 1/5
      Nothing in it is true - though some argue that it has 'truths' (of a sort). I gave it one star...
    • 5/5
      This was the first time I ever read any of Aesop's Fables and I loved each little story. These nuggets of morality hidden within tiny stories truly makes one think about their actions towards themselves and toward others. It is an excellent book to read to your little ones in hopes of helping them understand decency towards others.

      I would recommend this book to others.
    • 4/5
      Collections of these short tales with a moral were among the very first works--after the Bible--to be published on the printing press. It's amazing how many catch phrases come from these fables: Honesty is the best policy. Don't count your chickens before they've hatched. Look before you leap. Aesop himself, like Homer, may never have existed in history. Tradition makes him a slave in Asia Minor, possibly of Ethiopian descent, born in 620 and eventually freed for his cleverness becomes a counselor to kings and companion to philosophers. Herodotus, Aristophanes, Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch, Horace all mentioned Aesop and his tales, and the earliest surviving collection is from the first century. They're been used by orators and in primers ever since, and definitely should be read in the interest of cultural legacy. They're short. One of the most famous ones is only three lines:Driven by hunger, a fox tried to reach some grapes hanging high on the vine but was unable to, although he leaped with all his strength. As he went away, the fox remarked, 'Oh, you aren't even ripe yet! I don't need any sour grapes.' People who speak disparagingly of things that they cannot attain would do well to apply this story to themselves.To be honest, I tend to think these are best read by children, preferably in an illustrated edition. There's really no authoritative canon for the fables, the two primary collections from antiquity consist of only a few hundred tales. A lot of translations use antiquated language, or put the pithy tales into rather elaborated verse, or cut the moral, so you might want to scan various editions before deciding which to get. They're worth knowing, if only to be able to recognize where so many familiar stories and phrases come from.
    • 4/5
      This book contains 82 of Aesop's fables. Many of these short stories with a moral of the story at the end, I have never heard before. Many, many of these early stories have morals that I never knew the origin of - A stitch in time saves nine, honesty is the best policy. These moral little sayings have withstood the test of time.
    • 5/5
      A collection of the greatest stories with a moral attribute ever. Attributed by Aristotle as the best. Transformed into verse by Socrates, these stories captured the imagination of the greatest thinkers in human history, and continue to do so today. No child stands to be harmed by learning these tales, in fact, and argument could be made for the opposite effect. The most highly recommended literature for children by indisputable sources.
    • 2/5
      Written, according to legend, by the Greek slave Aesop, these one or two page fables offers the readers lessons and morals for a variety of circumstances. The edition that I read did not contain all of Aesop’s fables (there are over 350+ stories), but did include many of familiar ones, Androcles and the Lions, the Fox and the grapes, story of the tortoise and the hare, the country mouse and the city mouse etc. For the most part I was disappointed (I think my previous exposure to the Aesop Fables was from the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show and the "Aesop & Son" segments—very funny and much more insightful than the original)—most of the tales appear to be pointless, with some either hypocritical or abhorrent—many of the fables the reader is presented with a character of honorable behavior that is taken advantage of by those who are not. I suppose the moral of any story is life is hard—get used to it! I would not recommended this to any child—even though this book is often marketed that way—only 2 out of 5 stars.
    • 3/5
      What is there to say about Aesop's Fables? We all grew up with them, but I found it interesting to read them all in one place. Several of them were new to me. I will admit, though, that it was difficult to read more than a few in one sitting. I recommend that everyone reads them all at least once in their lifetime.
    • 5/5
      Dad used to read these to us when we were children.
    • 4/5
      I think that "Grimm's Fairy Tales" is the best "book" ever "written", but some of these are just irritating to read, and that's all. Also, incidentally, the academic's glossary and such is real dross.... I think that I've read 1000 one-line briefs of Juno in my life, and they are all pretty much the same.... Have you ever heard that guy on the radio who's shy about playing "Stabat Mater", because he's afraid that it's not *really* early music.... Yeah, anyway. {And anyway it's so funny, because if you asked one of Aesop's, he'd tell you that there are really only a few gods, Jupiter and Mercury, and Juno and Venus.... But if you consulted the glossary you'd think that there were dozens and dozens.... and anyway, it's all about George Orwell! George Orwell.... and Victorian newspapers!} Anyway. Wikipedia quality. The the stuff itself is so variable.... well, I mean, and they can't even tell if the source material is Greek or Latin, or whatever their problem is.... And I know that they're both.... Eh, icky, but.... I mean, the Latin word for "woman" is "mulier", and the Greek is "gyne". {It sounds vaguely hickish, doesn't it?.... "Juno MacGuff".... "China Syndrome"!} I mean, that's similar, right, just like the quality of the source material. (And just like Juno is *kina like Hera*, as everyone mentions literally every time that anyone mentions Juno.... the Wife-Goddess appreciates, you guys. She doesn't need to be distinct; she's just the Wife-Goddess.... yeah.) And the quality.... I mean, it's everything from "The Goose Who Laid The Golden Eggs", to "The Witch" ~ hahaha witch, you got sworded! To which the only response is: shut up kid, or I'l beat you up with a flashlight! One day you'll know what it's like!.... When you, 'Meet the Parents', hahaha. ^^ And, you know, Jonah Hill could be a goose too: "I just want to buy these boots, so I can take them home and wear them." So, yeah. Wikipedia quality. It's like when the TV is playing a nebula documentary in one room, and the radio is playing a vision care speech in the other, so that you can't hardly hear either one, and yet neither one is any good.... But whatever this is, it's science! And those one-sentence moralic-acid summaries, oh my.... I didn't know that it was possible to be both monkish and sloppy at the same time, hahaha. {And there are no princesses in Aesop; nobody is a king's son. Everybody is some sort of beast, and they tend to act trashy and end up dead. And, just generally, though not every single time, the attitude of the country yokel overplays itself.... it's not so much charming millers as sooty blacksmiths!}{Okay, and one more comment: I don't put much stock in the current (?-- I mean, you could crack open, the introduction, even, to one of these Barnes & Noble, Special!, books, and think that Tolstoy was still alive, and Ben Stiller not born yet.... but I suppose that the more priggishly outdated you actually are, the more progressively forward-thinking you theoretically are) system of classification of old tales and such, ("Aarne-Thompson".... "I call it the Nefario Principle!"), any more than I believe in the classification system for novels, (aside from 'alphabetically by author's last name, which, although obviously practical in obvious contexts, is really just a shelving system), i.e.-- '1. Title, 2. Author, 3. Name of Book'.... And they come up with these most delightful phrases, like, 'Social life and customs'-- (*Marshall Eriksen voice*) like, what does *not* fall under the general heading of, 'Social life and customs'? Oh, and the Dewey Decimal System, too. I think that I've improved upon it, to be honest. Librarians might not agree with me, but they never liked me before, why would they start now? Anyway." 'Lie down on the coach.' 'What does that mean?' 'You're a nut! *a coocoo clock, coocoos, and there's a cat* You're crazier than a coconut!'Yeah. And it's not like 'Grimm', it's really just not-- even the name, there really were two brothers named 'Grimm', but 'Aesop' might as well be 'Bede' or somebody, in fact, he almost is.... I mean, the source material is so confused, that it's not even all in the same language-- memories of that, much?-- and there are these uneven editorial intrusions.... I mean, uneven is one thing, but it's so inappropriate, it's like they weren't even commenting on the right book, the one that they were reading.... And the thing itself gives you a nice sense of the 'verbal' quality, and it is old, very old, sure, but it's also sloppy and pessimistic.... And we don't all like reading Mark Twain, or whoever it was.... so dreary, so unromantic. Could be worse, but it's not, like Maupassant's "In The Moonlight" tale, or something like that, I mean, the Greeks could be fine, but they could also be cookoo. It's a mixed bag.}(7/10)

    Book preview

    Aesop's Fables - Aesop

    The Project Gutenberg EBook of Aesop's Fables, by Aesop

    This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

    Title: Aesop's Fables

    Author: Aesop

    Posting Date: December 18, 2011 [EBook #28] Release Date: March 8, 1992 Last Updated: March 15, 2002

    Language: English

    *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AESOP'S FABLES ***

    AESOP'S FABLES (82 Fables)

    From The PaperLess Readers Club, Houston (713) 977-9505 (BBS)

                                   Voice/Fax (713) 977-1719

    1-21 22-42

      The Cock and the Pearl The Frog and the Ox

      The Wolf and the Lamb Androcles

      The Dog and the Shadow The Bat, the Birds, and the Beasts

      The Lion's Share The Hart and the Hunter

      The Wolf and the Crane The Serpent and the File

      The Man and the Serpent The Man and the Wood

      The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse The Dog and the Wolf

      The Fox and the Crow The Belly and the Members

      The Sick Lion The Hart in the Ox-Stall

      The Ass and the Lapdog The Fox and the Grapes

      The Lion and the Mouse The Horse, Hunter, and Stag

      The Swallow and the Other Birds The Peacock and Juno

      The Frogs Desiring a King The Fox and the Lion

      The Mountains in Labour The Lion and the Statue

      The Hares and the Frogs The Ant and the Grasshopper

      The Wolf and the Kid The Tree and the Reed

      The Woodman and the Serpent The Fox and the Cat

      The Bald Man and the Fly The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

      The Fox and the Stork The Dog in the Manger

      The Fox and the Mask The Man and the Wooden God

      The Jay and the Peacock The Fisher

    43-62 63-82

      The Shepherd's Boy The Miser and His Gold

      The Young Thief and His Mother The Fox and the Mosquitoes

      The Man and His Two Wives The Fox Without a Tail

      The Nurse and the Wolf The One-Eyed Doe

      The Tortoise and the Birds Belling the Cat

      The Two Crabs The Hare and the Tortoise

      The Ass in the Lion's Skin The Old Man and Death

      The Two Fellows and the Bear The Hare With Many Friends

      The Two Pots The Lion in Love

      The Four Oxen and the Lion The Bundle of Sticks

      The Fisher and the Little Fish The Lion, the Fox, and the Beasts

      Avaricious and Envious The Ass's Brains

      The Crow and the Pitcher The Eagle and the Arrow

      The Man and the Satyr The Milkmaid and Her Pail

      The Goose With the Golden Eggs The Cat-Maiden

      The Labourer and the Nightingale The Horse and the Ass

      The Fox, the Cock, and the Dog The Trumpeter Taken Prisoner

      The Wind and the Sun The Buffoon and the Countryman

      Hercules and the Waggoner The Old Woman and the Wine-Jar

      The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey The Fox and the Goat

    Aesop's Fables

    The Cock and the Pearl

    A cock was once strutting up and down the farmyard among the hens when suddenly he espied something shinning amid the straw. Ho! ho! quoth he, that's for me, and soon rooted it out from beneath the straw. What did it turn out to be but a Pearl that by some chance had been lost in the yard? You may be a treasure, quoth Master Cock, to men that prize you, but for me I would rather have a single barley-corn than a peck of pearls.

    Precious things are for those that can prize them.

    The Wolf and the Lamb

    Once upon a time a Wolf was lapping at a spring on a hillside, when, looking up, what should he see but a Lamb just beginning to drink a little lower down. There's my supper, thought he, if only I can find some excuse to seize it. Then he called out to the Lamb, How dare you muddle the water from which I am drinking?

    Nay, master, nay, said Lambikin; if the water be muddy up there, I cannot be the cause of it, for it runs down from you to me.

    Well, then, said the Wolf, why did you call me bad names this time last year?

    That cannot be, said the Lamb; I am only six months old.

    I don't care, snarled the Wolf; "if it was not you it was

    your father;" and with that he rushed upon the poor little Lamb

    and

     .WARRA WARRA WARRA WARRA WARRA

     .ate

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