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The Symbolic Literature of the Renaissance

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[These pages are under construction. Contributions are welcome and will be acknowledged.  For details see here]

Abstemius, Laurentius Fabulae Venice: Johannes de Cereto di Tridino, 1449

Aesop

----------------------Esopi appologi sive mythologi cum quibusdam carminum et fabularum Bale: Jacob Wolff de Pforzheim, 1501

Aesopus & Brandt. In addition to a selection of Aesop's fables, there are 141 fables by Brandt, author of The Ship of Fools

----------------------Et Aliorum Faculae Venice: Remondini, 1675

----------------------Fables of Aesop according to Sir Roger L'Estrange Paris: Harrison of Paris, 1931

----------------------Fabulae Lyons: de Tournes, 1581

An exact repeat of the 1570 edition. 3rd ed. By de Tournes 61 plates, some attributed to Salomon.
Other editions: Janot 1542, de Tournes 1547 in French, de Tournes 1551 in Greek

----------------------Fabulae Cologne: Apvd Ioannem Tornaesium, 1619

----------------------Fabularum Dilligen: J.C. Bencard, 1695

----------------------Fabellae graece et latine Venice: Francesco Rampazetto, 1561

----------------------The Fables (by John Ogilby) London: Andrew Cook, 1651

First edition of Ogilby translation

----------------------Vita Venice: Monteferrato, 1492

-----------------------Vita et Fabulae Naples: del Tuppo, 1485

Latin and Italian. Superb illustrations

The preceding are just a personal representative selection of the vast number of editions of Aesop's Fables published during the Renaissance. For further information see http://www.mythfolklore.net/aesopica/

Alberti, L B Philodoxeos fabula Venice: Aldus, 1588 *L 38

Written in 1424 Alberti attributed it to the ancient writer Lepidus. He revealed his authorship in a second edition in 1434

-----------------------Fables diverses trad. en franc.  Paris 1693 *G I 53 

Anonymous XXV fabulen der dieren Delft: Adriaen Gerritsen, 1617

Flemish verse.

Audin, De Termes Favole heroiche Bologna: Recaldini, 1681

Barrett, William Fables of Aesop emblematically illustrated with pictures

Behn, Aphra et alia Aesop's Fables lllustrated London: Henry Hills, Jr., for Francis Barlow, 1687

110 etchings from 1666 with 31 new plates by Barlow

Bidpai

----------------------Doni La Moral' Filosophia Tratta Da Gli Antichi Scrittori Venice: Francesco Marcolini, 1552

First Italian edition of the Bidpai fables.

----------------------North The Morall Philosophie of Doni London: Henry Denham, 1570 

Translation of Doni’s version of the Fables of Bidpai

----------------------Der alten Weisen Strasbourg: Frölich, 1539

Another edition Frankfurt: N. Basse, 1583

---------------------- Il Filosopho indiano Venice: Locatelli, 1786

Based on the ancient Sanskrit collection of the Panchatantra, a canonical collection of Hindu and Buddhist animal fables in verse and prose which may date to the third century B.C.E. The fables reached Western Europe in the 13th century through a Hebrew version of an Arabic text. Widely translated into most European vernacular languages by the end of the sixteenth century.

Boner, Ulrich Der Edelstein 1461.

The first book printed in German. Containing 101 woodcuts printed by hand. Only one copy remains. Another edition 1464.

de Capua, Johannes Directorium Humanae Vitae Strassburg: Joh. Prüss, 1498

Calder, Alexander (illustrator) Fables of Aesop According to Sir Roger L'Estrange Paris: Harrison of Paris, 1931

Corrozet, Gilles Les fables d’Esope Paris: D. Janet, 1542

(Fables of Aesop the Phrygian). 100 Fables, French Verse. 2nd edition 1583: 123 Fables.

Cyril Speculum sapientie Beati Cirilli epi[scopi] Cologne: Koelhoff, c1476/7

de Dene, Edward De warahtighe fabulen der dieren Bruges: Peter de Clerck for Marcus Gheeraerts, 1567

107 fables, Flemish verse
Amsterdam 1617, 1681, 1717, 1710, 1786. Joosc Vondel, Vorsttliicke Warande der Dieren
Dutch translation of de Dene

Deprez, P. Le theatre des animaux Paris: S. Douget, 1595

100 fables, French verse (later editions 1608 (?), 1613, 1644 pr. by J. le Clerc).

Dryden, John Fables Ancient and Modern 1699

de Dusa, Jacobus Aesopus Moalisatus Vicenza, 1482

The present set of sixty-five fables are unique to three 15th century text-only editions -- Toscolano 1479 (Cambridge, Rylands), that offered here and Vicenza 1485 (Innsbruck).

Faerno, Gabriel Fabulae Centum Rome: Vincentius Luchinus 1564

1563, 1564 and 1565 printings are identical first editions. Whitney used some of them in his A Choice of Emblemes.
Another edition Brussels: Foppens 1682
Another edition French & Latin, translated by Perrault, London: Darres et Du Bosc, 1743
Another edition Leiden: Christoffel Raphelengius, 1600

--------------------------Centum Fabulae ex Antiquis Auctoribus Delectae, et a Gabriele Faerno Cremonensi Carminibus Antwerp: Ex Officina Christoph. Plantini, M.D., 1573

16mo, old vellum; Occasional soiling and stains, a few marginal repairs causing slight loss to text or illustrations, several woodcuts ineptly accentuated with watercolors or ink, lacks last leaf (blank or with printer's device). First edition, Rome, 1563, with copperplate ill; these woodblocks are very worn.

La Fontaine, Jean de Fables Choisies Paris: Denys Thierry, March 31, 1668

Another edition Paris: Barbin, 1668
First illustrated edition outside France published Antwerp: H. van Dunewalt, 1688

Fossati, Giorgio Raccolta di Varie Favole Venice: Carlo Pecora, 1744

Freitag, Arnold Mythologia ethica Antwerp: Christopher Plantin for Philippe Galle, 1579

125 fables, Latin prose. Translated into English by Arthur Golding. See Golding.

-----------------------Viridiarum moralisphilosophiae Cologne: George Muting, 1594

Latin prose. Piracy of Freitag, 115 etchings, 3 new.

du Fresne, Raphael Trichet Fables diverses tirecs d'Esopc et d'autres Paris: Claude Cramoisy for Frederic Leonard, 1659

Etchings by Gilles Sadeler

------------------------Fables d'Esope avec les figures de Sadeler traduction nouvelle Paris: Laurent Rondet for Aubouyn, Emery and Clouzie, 1689

Sadeler's etchings. Another edition Paris: 1743

Garau, Francisco El Sabio Instuido de la naturaleza Barcelona: Figuero, 1702

Gay, John Fables by John Gay London: Darton & Harvey, 1739

First edition, 1727-1738. Another ed., Paris: Isadore Lisieux, 1793.

Haudent, Guillaume Trois cent soixante et six apologues Rouen: R. & J.de Gord, 1547

366 fables, French verse.

Henryson, Robert The moral tales of Aesop 1570 

Heyns, Peeter Esbatiment Moral, Des Animavx Antwerp: Gerard Smits for Philippe Galle, 1578

125 fables, French sonnets

-----------------------Tresor de fables Brussels: G. Jacobs for Jan Lauwrijn Krafft, 1734

Reversed copies of Antwerp 1578 Heyns edition.

Hyginus, Gaius Julius (2nd century AD) Fabularum Liber Bask: Hervagiana, 1570

Second edition Hervagiana, 1549
Another edition Paris: Parant, 1578
Another edition Lyons: Degabiano, 1608

L'Estrange, Sir Roger, Kt. Fables of Aesop London: 1692

First L'Estrange edition

Mainardo, Arlotto (1396-1483) Facetie: Fabule: Motti Venice 1532

la Motte, Houdart de Fables Nouvelles Paris: Dupois, 1719

------------------------Asinus ad liram s.d.

Nevelet, Isaac Nicholas Mythologica Aesopica 1610 Frankfurt: 1610

2nd Edition Beckenstein: Frankfurt, 1660 Much enlarged and richly illustrated. 

Northcote, James Northcote's Fables London: Lawford, 1828

Ogilvy, John The fables of Aesop paraphrased in verse and adorned with sculpturt and illustrated with annotations London: Thomas Warrcn for Andrew Crook, 1651

80 etchings by F. Cleyn.
Another edition London: Thomas Roycroft for John Ogilby, 1665.
2nd edition 1668. 81 etchings: 57 by Wenceslaus Hollar.
Another edition London: Thomas Roycroft for John Ogilby, 1668 as Aesopics; or a second colhction of fables paraphrased in verse 40 etchings: 3 of Hollar's from 1665

Oudry, Jean-Baptiste Fables Choisies, mis en vers par J. de la Fontaine Paris: Desaint, Saillant, and Durand de l'imprimerie de Jombert, 1755-1759

Palaephatus, ed. by Fasarini Opusculum de non credendis fabulosis narrationibus Bologna: Benedetto Faelli, 1515

Pasqualigo, Nicolo Favole Esopiane Milan: Destefanis, 1811

Seven Aesopic fables, each in a different metrical form. Only edition. 

Perret, Estienne (Steven) XXV Fables des animaux Delft: Adrien Gerards, 1618

Plates from Delft 1617. Another edition Antwerp: Plantin for Perret, 1578. French verse after Gheeraerts's 1567 etchings by Gilles Sadeler

------------------------Woudt van wondcrlicke sinne-fabulen der dieren Rotterdam: Isaac van Waesberge, 1632

Perret's version with Flemish translation by Adriaen van de Venne. Plates from Delft 1617.

Phaedrus Fabularum Aesopiarum Amsterdam: Weyerstraet, 1667

1st illustrated Dutch edition
Another edition Paris: Barbou, 1754
Another edition Paris: Frederic Leonard, 1675; Another edition, Paris: Cramoisy, 1630

Philpott, Thomas and Robert Codrington Aesop's Fables: with his life: in English, French and Latin London: William Godbid for Francis Barlow, 1666

Sala, Pierre Fables et emblemes en vers

(Fables and Emblems in verse) In this latter work, most of the poems are summarized by a commonplace proverb . It is known that Sala used versions of the Fables of Romulus, the medieval version of Aesop as inspiration. 

Smyters, Anthony Esopus fabelen in rijm Rotterdam: J. van Waesberghe, 1612

122 fables, Dutch verse.

der Thier, Gespracb Theatrum morum Prague: Paul Sesse, 1608

German verse. 139 etchings, 114 exact copies of Gheeraerts.

Valla, Gellius, Erasmus et alia Aesopus Phrygian vita et fabulae Paris: H. Estienne, 1535

445 fables Latin prose

Verdizotti, Cento Favole Morali 1671

-----------------------Cento Favole Bellissime Venice: Franceso Ginammi, 1661

Vondel, Joost van den Vorstelijcke warande der dieren Amsterdam: S. Wybrantsz, 1682

Another edition Amsterdam: P. Pers. Joost Vondel, 1617. 115 fables, Dutch verse (later editions 1681, 1717, 1720, 1786)

Links: http://wolfram.schneider.org/lib/all/f/a/fab.html