What do you think?
Rate this book
[(The Dolphins, the Whales and the Gudgeon)] [By (author) Aesop] published on
An ass clothed in the skin of a lionAesops animal fables are some of the earliest stories ever told thought to have been composed by a slave in Greek antiquity and giving glimpses of a world that is harsh pitiless and yet also eerily familiarIntroducing Little Black Classics 80 books for Penguins 80th birthday Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics with books from around the world and across many centuries They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan from Tierra del Fuego to 16th century California and the Russian steppe Here are stories lyrical and savage poems epic and intimate essays satirical and inspirational and ideas that have shaped the lives of millionsAesop is believed to have lived in 6th century BC
60 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 561
22 people are currently reading
1168 people want to read
About the author
Aesop
2,466 books1,102 followers620 BC - 564 BC
Tradition considers Greek fabulist Aesop as the author of Aesop's Fables , including "The Tortoise and the Hare" and "The Fox and the Grapes."
This credited ancient man told numerous now collectively known stories. None of his writings, if they ever existed, survive; despite his uncertain existence, people gathered and credited numerous tales across the centuries in many languages in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day. Generally human characteristics of animals and inanimate objects that speak and solve problems characterize many of the tales.
One can find scattered details of his life in ancient sources, including Aristotle, Herodotus, and Plutarch. An ancient literary work, called The Aesop Romance tells an episodic, probably highly fictional version of his life, including the traditional description of him as a strikingly ugly slave (δοῦλος), whose cleverness acquires him freedom as an adviser to kings and city-states. Older spellings of his name included Esop(e) and Isope. A later tradition, dating from the Middle Ages, depicts Aesop as a black Ethiopian. Depictions of Aesop in popular culture over the last two and a half millennia included several works of art and his appearance as a character in numerous books, films, plays, and television programs.
Abandoning the perennial image of Aesop as an ugly slave, the movie Night in Paradise (1946) cast Turhan Bey in the role, depicting Aesop as an advisor to Croesus, king; Aesop falls in love with a Persian princess, the intended bride of the king, whom Merle Oberon plays. Lamont Johnson also plays Aesop the Helene Hanff teleplay Aesop and Rhodope (1953), broadcast on hallmark hall of fame.
Brazilian dramatist Guilherme Figueiredo published A raposa e as uvas ("The Fox and the Grapes"), a play in three acts about the life of Aesop, in 1953; in many countries, people performed this play, including a videotaped production in China in 2000 under the title Hu li yu pu tao or 狐狸与葡萄 .
Beginning in 1959, animated shorts under the title Aesop and Son recurred as a segment in the television series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show, its successor. People abandoned the image of Aesop as ugly slave; Charles Ruggles voiced Aesop, a Greek citizen, who recounted for the edification of his son, Aesop Jr., who then delivered the moral in the form of an atrocious pun. In 1998, Robert Keeshan voiced him, who amounted to little more than a cameo in the episode "Hercules and the Kids" in the animated television series Hercules.
In 1971, Bill Cosby played him in the television production Aesop's Fables.
British playwright Peter Terson first produced the musical Aesop's Fables in 1983. In 2010, Mhlekahi Mosiea as Aesop staged the play at the Fugard theatre in Cape Town, South Africa.
Tradition considers Greek fabulist Aesop as the author of Aesop's Fables , including "The Tortoise and the Hare" and "The Fox and the Grapes."
This credited ancient man told numerous now collectively known stories. None of his writings, if they ever existed, survive; despite his uncertain existence, people gathered and credited numerous tales across the centuries in many languages in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day. Generally human characteristics of animals and inanimate objects that speak and solve problems characterize many of the tales.
One can find scattered details of his life in ancient sources, including Aristotle, Herodotus, and Plutarch. An ancient literary work, called The Aesop Romance tells an episodic, probably highly fictional version of his life, including the traditional description of him as a strikingly ugly slave (δοῦλος), whose cleverness acquires him freedom as an adviser to kings and city-states. Older spellings of his name included Esop(e) and Isope. A later tradition, dating from the Middle Ages, depicts Aesop as a black Ethiopian. Depictions of Aesop in popular culture over the last two and a half millennia included several works of art and his appearance as a character in numerous books, films, plays, and television programs.
Abandoning the perennial image of Aesop as an ugly slave, the movie Night in Paradise (1946) cast Turhan Bey in the role, depicting Aesop as an advisor to Croesus, king; Aesop falls in love with a Persian princess, the intended bride of the king, whom Merle Oberon plays. Lamont Johnson also plays Aesop the Helene Hanff teleplay Aesop and Rhodope (1953), broadcast on hallmark hall of fame.
Brazilian dramatist Guilherme Figueiredo published A raposa e as uvas ("The Fox and the Grapes"), a play in three acts about the life of Aesop, in 1953; in many countries, people performed this play, including a videotaped production in China in 2000 under the title Hu li yu pu tao or 狐狸与葡萄 .
Beginning in 1959, animated shorts under the title Aesop and Son recurred as a segment in the television series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show, its successor. People abandoned the image of Aesop as ugly slave; Charles Ruggles voiced Aesop, a Greek citizen, who recounted for the edification of his son, Aesop Jr., who then delivered the moral in the form of an atrocious pun. In 1998, Robert Keeshan voiced him, who amounted to little more than a cameo in the episode "Hercules and the Kids" in the animated television series Hercules.
In 1971, Bill Cosby played him in the television production Aesop's Fables.
British playwright Peter Terson first produced the musical Aesop's Fables in 1983. In 2010, Mhlekahi Mosiea as Aesop staged the play at the Fugard theatre in Cape Town, South Africa.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
June 5, 2016
Aesop’s fables are as true today as when they were first written, which was over two and a half thousand years ago. They are a revealing collection of life lessons, or morals, that are represented (mainly) through the interactions of animals such as the lion, wolf, fox and ass. The animals represent humans that are of a particular mind set or act in a certain way. The little fables often reveal in a harsh truth for the story dwellers.
I do, however, only recommend this edition if you’ve never read any of Aesop’s fables, though very few people probably haven’t. This edition has a nice little selection of the fables, though it excludes my personal favourites such as the Lion and the Frog and The Lioness and The Fox.
If you’re already familiar with the fables then you’re better off avoiding this and buying an illustrated version such as the Fall River Classic one. This is because the illustrations are very fine and really help to add to the fables; they almost improve the reading process. The ones in this are just printed in a standard way, one to each page, which really fails to capture the essence of the work.
Penguin Little Black Classic- 61
The Little Black Classic Collection by penguin looks like it contains lots of hidden gems. I couldn’t help it; they looked so good that I went and bought them all. I shall post a short review after reading each one. No doubt it will take me several months to get through all of them! Hopefully I will find some classic authors, from across the ages, that I may not have come across had I not bought this collection.
I do, however, only recommend this edition if you’ve never read any of Aesop’s fables, though very few people probably haven’t. This edition has a nice little selection of the fables, though it excludes my personal favourites such as the Lion and the Frog and The Lioness and The Fox.
If you’re already familiar with the fables then you’re better off avoiding this and buying an illustrated version such as the Fall River Classic one. This is because the illustrations are very fine and really help to add to the fables; they almost improve the reading process. The ones in this are just printed in a standard way, one to each page, which really fails to capture the essence of the work.
Penguin Little Black Classic- 61
The Little Black Classic Collection by penguin looks like it contains lots of hidden gems. I couldn’t help it; they looked so good that I went and bought them all. I shall post a short review after reading each one. No doubt it will take me several months to get through all of them! Hopefully I will find some classic authors, from across the ages, that I may not have come across had I not bought this collection.
October 25, 2018
I'm not a big fan of fables in general, but these are short enough and pretty straight forward. I also enjoyed reading a sentence about tortoises not being content with the anarchy in their land. That was a nice image.
April 20, 2018
It’s enchanting to think how Aesop’s fables, said to be written in the sixth century, resonate so well today. Despite the fables here being written mainly from the point of view of animals, it’s clear to see that people never change.
Little Black Classics have given us a short fable on each page, with a short description of the moral, or lesson learned, after each of them. Although I had initially welcomed these explanations, I feel on reflection they made things too easy - I would have preferred to have mulled the fables over and considered their meanings for myself. The way they were set out here allowed me to plough through them, making this a very quick read.
Despite the meagre length of these tales, they all had resonance and meaning on the way we live our lives. My favourite, by far, was The Bat, the Bramble, and the Gull, which spoke to us about holding on to things. I found the behaviour of the bramble to be melancholically beautiful; a strange way to feel about a plant, indeed.
Another excellent dip into otherwise uncharted territory for me; bring me more Aesop, please.
Little Black Classics have given us a short fable on each page, with a short description of the moral, or lesson learned, after each of them. Although I had initially welcomed these explanations, I feel on reflection they made things too easy - I would have preferred to have mulled the fables over and considered their meanings for myself. The way they were set out here allowed me to plough through them, making this a very quick read.
Despite the meagre length of these tales, they all had resonance and meaning on the way we live our lives. My favourite, by far, was The Bat, the Bramble, and the Gull, which spoke to us about holding on to things. I found the behaviour of the bramble to be melancholically beautiful; a strange way to feel about a plant, indeed.
Another excellent dip into otherwise uncharted territory for me; bring me more Aesop, please.
March 28, 2020
Aesop is claimed to have lived first as a slave and then as an adviser around 600 BC, while he also indulged in spinning fables that give voices to animals and objects. This book contained ~50 stories spanning a page each, some of them as short as 2 sentences. Most of them come with morals that I could no way associate with the stories, and were sometimes just too ridiculous that I wouldn't want to recommend it to anyone. But, it was a ton of fun to read it !
![Profile Image for [ J o ].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1673171874i%2F4639825._UY200_CR4%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
February 4, 2017
A great introduction to Aesop's Fables. They are not quite what I expected of them, but found them to be interesting enough. Some were very relevant, both to the modern era and to myself, but some are a little Machiavellian, or perhaps, to fit in with this series, Gracián. The italicised explanations underneath each one was also very welcomed.
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Shop | Etsy
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Shop | Etsy
April 5, 2019
Rating Aesop is like rating the King James Bible or rating the Brother Grimm. The stories are so ubiquitous it is easy to both overappreciate and underappreciate them at the same time. I'll come back and give this more attention as soon as this damn snake warms up.
December 28, 2024
some of the fables were actually so funny and packed with realness. each fable was also so on the nose and it’s amazing how they’re still easily applicable even now and will forever remain applicable and timeless.
January 19, 2025
My seventh read from the Penguin Little Black Classics box set. I forgot that this was the guy who came up with the story of the country mouse and the city mouse!
These fables are witty, compressed, epigrammatic, and the moral appended to the end sometimes hits like a mic-drop. Part of the joy of reading these things lies in the way the story elements rearrange in one's mind after one reads the moral: "oh, that's what it all meant! how clever!" Ultimately, each fable is little more than a metaphor, where an abstract concept finds apt and memorable physical embodiment in a house-ferret's marriage-bed or a stag's antlers or some other animal thing, and there's a lot that a writer of poetry could learn from this.
These fables are witty, compressed, epigrammatic, and the moral appended to the end sometimes hits like a mic-drop. Part of the joy of reading these things lies in the way the story elements rearrange in one's mind after one reads the moral: "oh, that's what it all meant! how clever!" Ultimately, each fable is little more than a metaphor, where an abstract concept finds apt and memorable physical embodiment in a house-ferret's marriage-bed or a stag's antlers or some other animal thing, and there's a lot that a writer of poetry could learn from this.
August 14, 2015
I have raved about all these Little Black Classics before and its never enough.
This book is genius and very witty. I never read any of Aesop books before and I actually never heard of him but it is never too late to love his works (maybe when I was a kid but can't remember it). This book used nature/gods to reflects the moral or lessons/advises into daily life. It contains short and very short stories about animals and gods and how the author used all these characters 'mimicking' our life. What interesting the most for me is that most of these stories/fables are just a paragraph long, how genius is that?! They might be short but they are very sharp, bold and 'full'. At the end of each fables, there are sentences that describes each fables and the meaning behind that stories. Awesome.
It is only 58 pages, and almost 50 pages of that book filled with bookmarks and highlights indicated that I really really impressed, obsessed and enjoyed reading it. This is another book that really great for people who want to start reading classics. Highly recommend this to anyone.
From all of my favourites in this book, I chose these 3 titles and its morals as my all time gold:
1. The Field Mouse and The Town Mouse : Live simply and free from passion, instead of luxuriously in fear and dread.
2. The Ass Who Was Taken For A Lion : Be poor and ordinary. Dont have pretensions to wealth or you will be exposed to ridiculed and danger. For we cannot adapt ourselves to that which is alien to us.
3. The Mole and His Mother : Similarly, boastful people promise the impossible and are proved powerless in the most simple affairs.
This book is genius and very witty. I never read any of Aesop books before and I actually never heard of him but it is never too late to love his works (maybe when I was a kid but can't remember it). This book used nature/gods to reflects the moral or lessons/advises into daily life. It contains short and very short stories about animals and gods and how the author used all these characters 'mimicking' our life. What interesting the most for me is that most of these stories/fables are just a paragraph long, how genius is that?! They might be short but they are very sharp, bold and 'full'. At the end of each fables, there are sentences that describes each fables and the meaning behind that stories. Awesome.
It is only 58 pages, and almost 50 pages of that book filled with bookmarks and highlights indicated that I really really impressed, obsessed and enjoyed reading it. This is another book that really great for people who want to start reading classics. Highly recommend this to anyone.
From all of my favourites in this book, I chose these 3 titles and its morals as my all time gold:
1. The Field Mouse and The Town Mouse : Live simply and free from passion, instead of luxuriously in fear and dread.
2. The Ass Who Was Taken For A Lion : Be poor and ordinary. Dont have pretensions to wealth or you will be exposed to ridiculed and danger. For we cannot adapt ourselves to that which is alien to us.
3. The Mole and His Mother : Similarly, boastful people promise the impossible and are proved powerless in the most simple affairs.
July 26, 2020
Read all my reviews on https://urlphantomhive.wordpress.com
3.5 stars
I used to translate these fables in Greek class, and as such one spends a lot of time analyzing the structure even more than the actual stories. In this collection, I could focus on the stories.
It is an introduction into Aesop and fables in general, so if you have already read some before, there might not be much new for you in this one. However, I did enjoy reading them. These are some very early surviving stories and still they run true, with the animals representing human characteristics.
~Little Black Classics #61~
3.5 stars
I used to translate these fables in Greek class, and as such one spends a lot of time analyzing the structure even more than the actual stories. In this collection, I could focus on the stories.
It is an introduction into Aesop and fables in general, so if you have already read some before, there might not be much new for you in this one. However, I did enjoy reading them. These are some very early surviving stories and still they run true, with the animals representing human characteristics.
~Little Black Classics #61~
March 24, 2020
This tiny book is part of a series put out by Penguin called Little Black Classics. This one collects about 55 of Aesop’s fables together. These are all short fables, few longer than a page and many of only a few lines.
The title is an interesting choice in that that fable isn’t among the most well-known of those assembled. However, some oft the most famous have rather banal titles like: “The Fox and the Goat” or “The Wolf and the Lamb.”
I found the collected fables to be thought-provoking, as well as being a broad sample (not a lot of the same moral repeating.) My favorites, for their cleverness, were: “The Stag at the Spring and the Lion,” “The Field Mouse and the Town Mouse,” “The Woodcutter and Hermes,” and “The Ass Carrying Salt.” Your results may vary.
I like that they’ve embraced the short format with these books. It often used to be the case that they would pad out a 50- or 60-page book like this to 120 pages, using filler, forwards, needless illustrations, and useless epilogues. This book is just the fables. (Most, but not all the fables, include a single line summation of the fable’s moral. While I don’t think this is necessary for adult readers, it might be helpful in explaining the story to children.)
The title is an interesting choice in that that fable isn’t among the most well-known of those assembled. However, some oft the most famous have rather banal titles like: “The Fox and the Goat” or “The Wolf and the Lamb.”
I found the collected fables to be thought-provoking, as well as being a broad sample (not a lot of the same moral repeating.) My favorites, for their cleverness, were: “The Stag at the Spring and the Lion,” “The Field Mouse and the Town Mouse,” “The Woodcutter and Hermes,” and “The Ass Carrying Salt.” Your results may vary.
I like that they’ve embraced the short format with these books. It often used to be the case that they would pad out a 50- or 60-page book like this to 120 pages, using filler, forwards, needless illustrations, and useless epilogues. This book is just the fables. (Most, but not all the fables, include a single line summation of the fable’s moral. While I don’t think this is necessary for adult readers, it might be helpful in explaining the story to children.)
September 22, 2019
A collection of fables, some of which I remember from my childhood. Suitable for all ages, and with some good moral, but not exactly riveting.
Fancied something short and simple today, and this definitely fit that bill.
Fancied something short and simple today, and this definitely fit that bill.
January 25, 2021
outdated morals
April 10, 2015
Not only are the Penguin Little Black Classics the perfect size to slip into your bag, and the perfect length to read on a bus journey or in free time at work or college, they are the perfect introduction to classics.
The range available is very impressive, and as someone with a growing interest in classic authours and literature, I found myselfdrawn to a number of titles. Aesop's fables ended up extremely high on my list, and I'm beyond glad I got my hands on a copy.
Going in to it, I expected one or two long fables. Upon reading it, I found that there were lots - I didn't count each one so I don't know exact numbers, but I'd safely say well over 40.
Each fable was set out nicely on it's own page, making it easy to read and clear to see when one ended and another began. A lot also had their morals or meanings printed at the bottom, which I felt was a very nice touch, as sometimes lessons aren't always abundently clear.
Overall, I felt this was a very easy, gentle introduction to classics and Greek work. And for 80p, you really can't go wrong.
The range available is very impressive, and as someone with a growing interest in classic authours and literature, I found myselfdrawn to a number of titles. Aesop's fables ended up extremely high on my list, and I'm beyond glad I got my hands on a copy.
Going in to it, I expected one or two long fables. Upon reading it, I found that there were lots - I didn't count each one so I don't know exact numbers, but I'd safely say well over 40.
Each fable was set out nicely on it's own page, making it easy to read and clear to see when one ended and another began. A lot also had their morals or meanings printed at the bottom, which I felt was a very nice touch, as sometimes lessons aren't always abundently clear.
Overall, I felt this was a very easy, gentle introduction to classics and Greek work. And for 80p, you really can't go wrong.
August 15, 2015
*2.5 stars
It was okay, very very short and I found some good quotes.
"Often it is the place and the occasion which give one the daring to defy the powerful."
"Those who hold their own against the first people who attack them make themselves formidable to others who do so." (this one reminded me of Ender's Game)
"When some people decide upon doing harm, the fairest defence has no effect whatsoever."
It was okay, very very short and I found some good quotes.
"Often it is the place and the occasion which give one the daring to defy the powerful."
"Those who hold their own against the first people who attack them make themselves formidable to others who do so." (this one reminded me of Ender's Game)
"When some people decide upon doing harm, the fairest defence has no effect whatsoever."
December 31, 2022
This is one of my favourite books of all time.
I specifically like The Cat and The Cock, The Two Cocks and The Eagle, The Ass,The Cock,and The Lion, The Ass Carrying Salt, and The Ass Who Was Taken For A Lion
These fables truly convey the remarkable similarities between nature and our own lives.
10/10 would recommend.
I specifically like The Cat and The Cock, The Two Cocks and The Eagle, The Ass,The Cock,and The Lion, The Ass Carrying Salt, and The Ass Who Was Taken For A Lion
These fables truly convey the remarkable similarities between nature and our own lives.
10/10 would recommend.
July 10, 2018
These fables are honestly really weird, but also hilarious. I enjoyed this little collection of Aesop's fables a lot!
May 13, 2019
This is a cute little collection of Aesop’s fables, and I’m glad that I finally got to reading it. I’d love to read a full collection of all his work.
September 8, 2020
Witty , especially for something written in 6 BCE . But overall , I thought it was just ok .
November 28, 2022
De overgrootvader van Toon Tellegen
December 15, 2022
Love these so much
November 7, 2023
Timeless life lessons written by Aesop such a long time ago. Truely fascinating!
May 15, 2024
Can’t wait to read these to my kids and make them the most insufferable mfs on the playground
September 27, 2024
Just little fables
June 9, 2025
It had great morals and has such fun short stories within the fables!
Read
July 8, 2025We always return to those things in which we have a stake.
January 25, 2025
These short fables do not appear to be that special at first, yet considering that they were written over 2,5 thousand years ago and can still be applied to todays society is wild to think about
November 18, 2024
The fables of the world's greatest fabulist, Aesop, are really life-changing in a way that it reminds us to be morally upright. I used to love fables, especially his, when I was a child, and until now that I'm older I still love it. It is just nostalgic to reminisce how we enjoy such stories being told when we were young, wherein objects whether animate, inanimate, concrete, and abstract came to life by having human attributes.
March 19, 2016
Personally I really like fables, I like how writers use animals to show flaws in human thinking; it's so simple, but for me it's really fun to read.
Especially because this is one of the Little Black Classics, it's an incredibly fast read which is fine with these fables.
A whole book must be read 'in pieces', meaning that reading all those fables back-to-back will become boring or maybe even monotonous (the stories are usually around 20 lines!) because of their shortness.
Overall, really happy I picked this up and definitely a recommendation for everyone who likes fables!
Happy reading!
Especially because this is one of the Little Black Classics, it's an incredibly fast read which is fine with these fables.
A whole book must be read 'in pieces', meaning that reading all those fables back-to-back will become boring or maybe even monotonous (the stories are usually around 20 lines!) because of their shortness.
Overall, really happy I picked this up and definitely a recommendation for everyone who likes fables!
Happy reading!
April 3, 2015
Some of these fables are just ridiculous.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews