Title: Selected Fables for Children

Description

The French poet Jean de La Fontaine (1621-95) is best known for his 243 Fables, which he wrote over a 26-year period between 1668 and 1694. Patterned after Aesop’s Fables, La Fontaine’s tales involve a familiar cast of rabbits, grasshoppers, ants, foxes, and other animals. Written in verse, the Fables have been read by successive generations of French children, but also have been appreciated by adult readers for their satirical commentary on human nature. This copy of a late-19th century children’s edition belonged to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. It contains illustrated versions of 26 of the Fables, including the universally known “The Tortoise and the Hare” and “The Fox and the Grapes.” Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel (1851-1903) was a French painter and children’s book illustrator. His best-known works include a series of paintings on the life of Joan of Arc, now in the collections of the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC.