Aesop (620-560 BC) - A Greek writer and/or collector of fables about whose
life little is known. He is said to have been born a slave and later
released, but many believe he is a legendary figure. Aesop's Fables are
animal stories with moral lessons, many of which are from Oriental and
ancient sources dated hundreds of years before his time.
Aesop's Fables II (c. 550 B.C.)
A collection of 258 additional fables from Aesop. Controversy
among scholars ranges from such debated issues as the number of
fables written by Aesop (certain fables, for instance, appear on
Egyptian papyri dated close to 1,000 years before he was born) to
arguments as to whether Aesop in fact actually ever existed at all.
Regardless of authorship, these fables seem to have an almost
universal appeal.
