Book Review: Aesops Fables: George Fyler Townsend: A Must Read For All

Aesop's Fables Translated by George Fyler Townsend is a must read for all ages. It has a learning for all - a child, a youth and an older person. The difference between a Story, Parable and Fable is well articulated right in the beginning of this book to get everyone clear about what is what. The fables in this book have been picked from various resources as old as pertaining to 1610, from book Mythologica Aesopica by Isaaci Nicholai Neveleti. The other books from where these fables have been derived are - Febualae Aesopiacae from Francisci de Furia 1810, Delphin Classics 1822, George Cornewell Lewis 1846 and 1857. As usual, every fable has a great message and learning from it.

The story in Aesop's Fables, for instance, titled as The Bat and the Weasels is about a Bat who falls down on ground and is caught by a Weasel as its food. The Bat pleads to Weasel to pardon his life but Weasel resists and stays adamant on eating it saying a Weasel by nature is enemy of all birds. The Bat pleads further saying he is not a bird but a member of mice family. On this plead Weasel spares his life. Some other day, again, the Bat falls down on the earth and is caught by another Weasel who refuses to spare its life stating that any Weasel is bound to eat a mouse on which the Bat asks for pardoning its life saying that he is not a mouse but a bird. He gets another chance of his life when this Weasel also spares him on the plea offered by the Bat. Learning from story is that it is always good to turn circumstances to good account. 

Another great fable is about an astronomer who used to go out every night to observe the sky. One night he fell in a deep well and start crying for help on which one of his neighbor tells him that for most of his life spent in finding out what is in heaven and sky, he should also have focused on what is there on earth!

Similar are the numerous other short fables where the crisp story part and a superb learning afterwards adds a good amount of wisdom to one's knowledge. Overall Aesop's Fables translated by George Fyler Townsend is a very interesting read along with a good amount of learning from each fable.