FROM OUR EDITORS

Barnes & Noble Classics offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics:New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations Bibliographies for further reading Indices & Glossaries, when appropriateAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. Barnes & Noble Classics pulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

As legend has it, the storyteller Aesop was a slave who lived in ancient Greece during the sixth century B.C. His memorable, recountable fables have brought amusing characters to life and driven home thought-provoking morals for generations of listeners and modern-day readers. Translated into countless languages and familiar to people around the world, Aesop￯﾿ﾽs fables never tarnish despite being told again and again.

This collection presents nearly 300 of Aesop￯﾿ﾽs most entertaining and enduring stories￯﾿ﾽfrom ￯﾿ﾽThe Hare and the Tortoise￯﾿ﾽ and ￯﾿ﾽThe Town Mouse and the Country Mouse￯﾿ﾽ to ￯﾿ﾽThe Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs￯﾿ﾽ and ￯﾿ﾽThe Wolf in Sheep￯﾿ﾽs Clothing.￯﾿ﾽ Populated by a colorful array of animal characters who personify every imaginable human type￯﾿ﾽfrom fiddling grasshoppers and diligent ants to sly foxes, wicked wolves, brave mice, and grateful lions￯﾿ﾽthese timeless tales are as fresh and relevant today as when they were first created.

Full of humor, insight, and wit, the tales in Aesop￯﾿ﾽs Fables champion the value of hard work and perseverance, compassion for others, and honesty. They are age-old wisdom in a delicious form, for the consumption of adults and children alike.

D. L. Ashliman, an emeritus professor at the University of Pittsburgh, taught folklore, mythology, German, and comparative literature at that institution for 33 years. He has also served as guest professor at the University of Augsburg in Germany.