La Fontaine Selected Fables

A collection of the world’s most beloved fables

Jean de la Fontaine popularized some of our most loved proverbial tales, including “The Hare and the Tortoise” and “The Hen Who Laid Golden Eggs,” transforming the world’s great fables into charming works of astonishing originality, wit, and verve. James Michie’s earthy translations capture the friendly brio, nimble comedy, and jaunty wisdom of the original. Black-and-white line drawings by J. J. Grandville introduce each fable.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.