Fables of La Fontaine – Gustave Doré – c.1880 | Thornbury Translation

The Fables of Jean de La Fontaine presents selections from French poet Jean de la Fontaine’s classic fables, translated into English verse by Walter Thornbury. Fontaine found inspiration from many sources, gathering tales and sayings from other famous writers such as Horace, Bocaccio, Machiavelli, and Aesop. While Fontaine collected his anthology for the benefit of learned adults, many readers found that the tales proved educational in offering moral guidance for children, and they became standard reading in many French schools. The enduring popularity of the fables such as the Grasshopper and the Ant, the Raven and the Fox, the Hen with the Golden Eggs, and the Tortoise and the Hare suggests that the fables provide entertainment and wisdom to audiences of all ages. The text follows La Fontaine’s arrangement across all twelve books, rendered in rhythmic English and paired with 85 full-page engravings by Gustave Doré that reflect the tone of each fable, ranging from dramatic to satirical. This undated edition was produced by William T. Amies in Philadelphia circa 1880 utilizing the translation of Walter Thornbury.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Fables of La Fontaine, Translated into English verse by Walter Thornbury, to which is added an essay on his life and works; Also, the Life of Aesop, the Phrygian. Profusely illustrated by Gustave Dore.
• Author(s): Jean de La Fontaine
• Illustrator(s): Gustave Doré
• Contributor(s): Walter Thornbury (Translator)
• Publisher: Philadelphia, William T. Amies
• Edition: Amies’ Standard Art Edition, Undated [c.1880]
• Format: Quarto (4to), single volume
• Binding: Original green and gilt-stamped cloth
• Size: 11.25 in × 9 in (28.5 cm × 23 cm)
• Collation: lvi, 733, [1] pp
• Illustrations: 85 full-page wood engravings by Gustave Doré
• Provenance: Ex-library bookplate of Detroit Public Library on front pastedown
• Contents Include:
  • Preface by Walter Thornbury
  • Selections from Fontaine’s Books I–XII in English verse
  • Full suite of engravings by Gustave Dore

Condition:

Good condition. Cloth boards and black and gilt stamping have kept their color, though the boards show moderate staining and shelfwear. The hinges are secure, showing modern repair. The text block is shaken, but intact, and all pages are present and complete. Mild age-toning is confined to the margins of the pages throughout.

Why Collect This?

• Complete set of Dore full-page engravings
• English verse translation by Victorian writer Walter Thornbury
• Sought by collectors of illustrated literature and 19th-century translation

Item Number: #31071