The Dolphins, the Whales and the Gudgeon: Aesop

`An ass, clothed in the skin of a lion...`

Aesop`s animal fables are some of the earliest stories ever told, thought to have been composed by a slave in Greek antiquity and giving glimpses of a world that is harsh, pitiless and yet also eerily familiar.

Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin`s 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions

Aesop is believed to have lived in 6th century BC. Aesop`s The Complete Fables is available in Penguin Classics.