Select Fables of Esop and Other Fabulists. In Three Books. A New Edition
Loading...
Authors
Aesop
Dodsley, Robert
Issue Date
1790?
Type
Book, Whole
Language
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
This book first departs from the tradition of Dodsley printings (see my notes on, e.g., the first edition of 1761) with its frontispiece, which is a copy of the frontispiece in many Croxall editions: a writer surrounded by animals looks back over his shoulder toward a smaller figure further in the background. The Life of Aesop included here is not labeled as by de Meziriac, nor is it the same biography that appears in standard Dodsley editions. The essay on fable that follows appears to be Dodsley's but lacks his introductory portion and his name. The next major change comes with the first fable. We no longer have a set of medallions gathered on one page before the fables which they illustrate. We have instead an individual illustration for each fable, taking perhaps one-third of a page. These are rectangular, with varying ornamentation over the top and upper sides of each. The illustrations are simple in nature and even crude in their working, though their size gives them a chance to present more than can be presented in the tiny medallions of the early Dodsley editions. The book is in fair condition, with the cover separating from the front of the book and its spine. For my comments on the text of Dodsley, see Crukshank's edition of 1798.
Description
Citation
Publisher
Printed for Will. Osborne & Jn. Mozely
William Osborne & John Mozely
William Osborne & John Mozely