George Fyler Townsend

1 down, 1,000 to go. Huh? What? What am I talking about? Well, you know those popular "1,001 x1 to x2 Before You Die" books? I'm tackling the x1=books/x2=read version, because hey, that's the hardest. Aesop's Fables was #1 in the first edition of the book, so that's where I've started. It's a smart choice, as the reading was light, and easy to motor through, pausing only when appreciating a choice one with an excellent moral lesson. The fact that the animals represent specific traits and show more aspects of humanity was not lost on me. My kids enjoyed some of the tales too, as did the strangers during my commute, staring at a man reading fairy tales. show less

Tales with moral endings. Preparing those for the hard world. Each story has some familiar stories like Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing, and The Boy Who Cried Wolf. (Those are not the actual titles of the stories in the book) There are quite a few I did not know of like The Dolphin and The Lion which is the one that sticks with me the most.

The stories are never more than two pages long and while I got the moral of some others seemed over my head or maybe too old. I did not find much show more entertainment in reading this which is probably how the tales should be read not for entertainment but as stories read to warn us of dark side of life. show less

This copy is undated but is the Routledge edition. Other editions are Morrat Yard & Co (1905) and Parent's Magazine Press (1964). Translated by the Rev. Geo. Fyler Townsend, M.A. (1814-1900), who also translated the "Arabian Nights".

1883. Green pictorical cloth stamped in black and gilt with animals and flower designs on the front and spine. Pages xxxii,224 with index. A clean copy with some edgewear at the spine ends.