Zbornik Esopovih basana

The book brings together 426 fables translated directly from the Greek original, and was translated by the classical philologist and translator Milivoj Sironić, who added an extensive afterword and notes to the edition. This provides the reader with a reliable text and context: brief explanations of names, motifs, and historical and literary notes that follow the creation and development of Aesop's fables.

The special value of the edition is illustrations: early woodcuts created for the Renaissance printed edition of Aesop's Fables, printed in Brescia on March 7, 1487 by the Dubrovnik printer Boninus de Boninis (Dobruško Dobričević), are reproduced. A copy of these woodcuts is kept in the Franciscan monastery on Visovac, and similar copies are only found in the British Museum and the Bodleian in Oxford, which gives this Croatian edition a rare visual and bibliographical stamp.

Aesop's short allegorical fables – about the cunning fox, the wise owl, the proud oak or the hardworking ant – are collected here in a systematic, clear form. The concise style and clear moral point make them suitable for all ages: from school readers and teachers, to lovers of classical literature and collectors. Sironic's translation cultivates a readable, modern Croatian expression, while retaining the ancient simplicity and wit, so the fables seem fresh and reliable.

Thanks to the number of fables included (426), scientifically reliable commentaries and Renaissance illustrations according to the 1487 edition, this edition is a representative and aesthetically attractive classic book – equally suitable for reading, teaching and giving as a gift.