Books by Jean de la Fontaine

Gives readers a taste of the Classics' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants.

La Fontaine's witty and sophisticated animal fables are among the greatest poetic works in French. Christopher Betts's new translations match the inventiveness of the original. This generous selection, including half of the originals, is accompanied by superb illustrations by Gustave Dore, a contextualizing introduction and other features.

Aims to transform the world's great fables into charming poems of originality, wit, and verve. The author depicts lions, frogs, donkeys, rats, insects, birds and wily foxes in situations that reveal the quirks, follies and frailties he observed in humankind. He presents sins of pride, greed, and vanity under humorous attack.