"The Fables of Aesop." London: Hodder & Stoughton, (1909). Illustrated with 23 tipped-in color plates by Edward J. Detmold
While the actual details of Aesop’s life are hazy at best, he is best known as a Greek slave living in the fifth century BC, whose cleverness and wit embarrassed his philosopher master and won him his freedom. His subsequent travels paint him as emissary and interpreter, but most importantly a writer. His many fables, such as “The Hare and the Tortoise” and “The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” have long since become proverbial.
British illustrator Edward J. Detmold (1883-1957) often worked in tandem with his twin brother Maurice, who tragically passed away in 1908 after their publication of Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book.” Edward completed the illustrations for “The Fables of Aesop,” his first unaccompanied published work and one of his best, in 1909. This edition of over 300 classic moral tales features 25 color plates which showcase Detmold’s watercolor technique and his talent for animal illustration.
"The Fables of Aesop." London: Hodder & Stoughton, (1909). Illustrated with 23 tipped-in color plates by Edward J. Detmold
While the actual details of Aesop’s life are hazy at best, he is best known as a Greek slave living in the fifth century BC, whose cleverness and wit embarrassed his philosopher master and won him his freedom. His subsequent travels paint him as emissary and interpreter, but most importantly a writer. His many fables, such as “The Hare and the Tortoise” and “The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” have long since become proverbial.
British illustrator Edward J. Detmold (1883-1957) often worked in tandem with his twin brother Maurice, who tragically passed away in 1908 after their publication of Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book.” Edward completed the illustrations for “The Fables of Aesop,” his first unaccompanied published work and one of his best, in 1909. This edition of over 300 classic moral tales features 25 color plates which showcase Detmold’s watercolor technique and his talent for animal illustration.