"Fables de la Fontaine" illustrated by Gustave Dore - Librairie, Paris, Hachette - 1868 first French Dore edition - 30cmx20cm (heavy book) - contains 84 illustrations and 284 vignette illustrations by Gustave Dore - condition: good, in half leather binding with some rubbing, some staining on the first few leaves, name to ffep, minor foxing, all plates present Jean de La Fontaine collected fables from a wide variety of sources, both Western and Eastern, and adapted them into French free verse. They were issued under the general title of Fables in several volumes from 1668 to 1694 and are considered classics of French literature. Humorous, nuanced and ironical, they were originally aimed at adults but then entered the educational system and were required learning for school children.