This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

"The world is old, they say. Well, so it is! But it is as greedy for amusement as a child!"

The Happy Cobbler and his sad neighbor the Financier -- the Mouse in the Moon -- the Elephant and the Rat . . . Jean de La Fontaine found inspiration for his fables high and low, in society and nature, in history and fancy.

Born in Champagne, France, in 1621, La Fontaine published the fables that would grant him literary immortality in a series of books beginning in 1668, with the last appearing the year before his death in 1695. Their magic is nowhere more evident than here, in "The Original Fables."

Jean de La Fountaine (1621 - 1695) was a famous French fabulist and poet. His first major work was a translation and adaptation of Eunuchus of Terence. Fontaine found inspiration for his fables from Aesop, Horace, and ancient Indian literature. Fontaine made great use of satire and was known for expressing his views on politics. Silvestre de Sacy, said that Fontaine's fables "supply delights to three different ages: the child rejoices in the freshness and vividness of the story, the eager student of literature in the consummate art with which it is told, the experienced man of the world in the subtle reflections on character and life which it conveys." The 18 fables in this collection will be a delight to read.