Aesop's Fables - Illustrated by Charles Robinson (The Banbury Cross Series)

By Charles Robinson

This wonderful collection of moral tales from Aesop, the Ancient Greek slave and storyteller, features gorgeous illustrations by Arthur Rackham.

Aesop was an Ancient Greek slave with a remarkable gift for storytelling and is believed to have lived between 620 and 560 BCE. This collection features a variety of entertaining stories and thought-provoking morals that were first told by Aesop and were passed down from generation to generation until they were recorded in writing. The brilliant tales are accompanied by Arthur Rackham’s beautifully imaginative and humorous illustrations.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pook Press
• Release date: Jan 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9781528782227

Book preview

A CONCEITED jackdaw was vain enough to imagine that he wanted nothing but the coloured plumes to make him as beautiful a bird as the Peacock. Puffed up with this wise conceit, he dressed himself with a quantity of their finest feathers, and in this borrowed garb, leaving his old companions, tried to pass for a peacock; but he no sooner attempted to stray with these splendid birds, than an affected strut betrayed the sham. The offended peacocks fell upon him with their beaks, and soon stripped him of his finery. Having turned him again into a mere jackdaw, they drove him back to his brethren. But they, remembering what airs he had once given himself, would not permit him to flock with them again, and treated

Reviews for Aesop's Fables - Illustrated by Charles Robinson (The Banbury Cross Series)

[.monkey.-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[pauline.ramsey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[m_mozeleski · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[anietzerck · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not sure if it was just the copy that I had but it seems that so many of the stories were the same or very similiar and there were also some that seemed to tell the same story but with different outcomes. I know that historians are pretty sure that other authors have added their own work to be included with Aesop's fables, and that made the repetitive stories a little easier to read. Individually though, most of the fables had a good lesson attached to it.

[dtn620 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[briannad84 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Read this for the "1001" books and they're good little stories with great moral messages, but I found it hard to read them straight thru as a whole book. A few of the stories I even got a bit confused on because I kept mixing them up with others that were similar. I thought a few times "didn't I just read this this one?" But it was a good read and a keeper, and at least I finished it!

[goldenbeep · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book while taking a course on animal satire with a focus on the Aesopic tradition. The fables are very entertaining and make for good conversation with friends. The translator, Laura Gibbs, has posted many of the fables on her website. However, the book is organized by situations, and there is nothing more satisfying than quoting one of Aesop's fables to remedy a particular situation.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[witchywoo-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved Aesop’s Fables as a child and I still do!!

[regoodrich · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[kristelh_15 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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

[berthashaver · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[cbrwn92 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[perlle_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Just as relevant as ever.

[aricana_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Tortoise and the Hare, the Grasshopper and the Ant, and dozens more of the delightful creatures that have been entertaining and instructing people for thousands of years. The storyteller Aesop lived in Ancient Greece, far away from us in time and distance. But his clever little stories have as much meaning for us today as they did when he first told them so long ago...

[auntieknickers · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.