Aesop is said to have lived about 620–560 BC and to have been a slave on the Greek Island of Samos, later freed by his master Iadmon. Aesop compiled fables, which may originally have been passed down through oral tradition. They were among the first illustrated printed books to be produced. The earliest known example was produced in Bamberg, Germany, in 1461.
Aesop
Aesop's Fables have long been a resource for moralists and story-tellers, and popular subjects for illustration aimed at both children and adults. They were among the first…
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Aesopus Moralisatus (Aesop's Fables)
Turn the pages of Aesopus Moralisatus, an edition of Aesop's Fables published in 1485 by Francesco del Tuppo (1443–1501) in Naples, Italy. The text, short versions of the f…
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The Tenterden Aesop
The Tenterden Aesop is an 18th-century English edition of Aesop's Fables, with illustrations painted in the margins by its owner, Jeremiah Cliff, in around 1710.
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Aesop's Fables: The Ant and the Grasshopper
In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he …
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Aesop's Fables: The Hare and the Tortoise
'The Hare was once boasting of his speed before the other animals. "I have never yet been beaten," said he, "when I put forth my full speed. I challenge any one here to rac…
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Aesop's Fables: The Jackdaw and the Peacocks
A Jay venturing into a yard where Peacocks used to walk, found there a number of feathers which had fallen from the Peacocks when they were moulting. He tied them all to hi…
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Aesop's Fables: The Boy Who Cried Wolf
There was once a young Shepherd Boy who tended his sheep at the foot of a mountain near a dark forest. It was rather lonely for him all day, so he thought upon a plan by wh…
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Aesop's Fables: The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
A Wolf found great difficulty in getting at the sheep owing to the vigilance of the shepherd and his dogs. But one day it found the skin of a sheep that had been flayed and…
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Aesop's Fables: The Frogs Desiring a King
The Frogs were living as happy as could be in a marshy swamp that just suited them; they went splashing about caring for nobody and nobody troubling with them. But some of …
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Aesop's Fables: The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
A Town Mouse once upon a time went on a visit to his cousin in the country. He was rough and ready, this cousin, but he loved his town friend and made him heartily welcome.…
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A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
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Dictionary of Children's Clothes: 1700s to Present
Over the last 300 years, children's clothing has witnessed a gradual shift from dressing children to adult requirements, in multiple layers and formal…
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