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I first offer six comments on the series Classics Illustrated Junior:

(1) The series seems to comprise numbers 501 through 576. The tip that led me to look at CIJ, mentioned under #548 below, indicated that those before #509 and after #572 do not contain fables. The same tip mistakenly claimed that about 40 of these 64 magazines contained Aesopic fables. Actually the number is at least 56 and may be 57. (I cannot be sure until I find the last missing issue, namely #545. The seven that I know lack Aesopic fables are #515, #533, #561, #565, #569, #570, and #571.)

(2) This series is a good source for alternative versions of the fables, especially for versions that avoid violent endings. Thus the hawk that catches the frog and mouse in #568 does not eat either of them but only teaches the frog a lesson. So too the proud stag in #554 escapes, as he does seldom or never otherwise in the tradition.

(3) The magazine uses various editorial formulae at various points in the series. These are always to be found on the bottom of the back of the front cover. In my listings here, I have tried—even at the expense of my own consistency—to be faithful to the information and even format used by the magazines.

(4) Are some magazines reprints of earlier ones? I certainly think so. This would account for those numbers which give one copyright date and another publication date (e.g. #509). My duplicates of #511 seem to be a case in point, one printed by Famous Authors in 1954 and the other by Classics Illustrated in 1969.

(5) It is challenging to conceive of the phases through which the magazine went. One of the factors helpful in mapping out the history is ownership. As far as I can tell, Famous Authors, Ltd. was active until about April, 1961 (see #571). Then by June, 1961 (see #572), Gilberton was the publisher and remained until at least sometime in 1967. By Fall of 1968 (see #561), "Classics Illustrated" became the publisher, presumably to the end of the publication history. Another factor that goes through phases is the acknowledgement of editing work. The phases here include naming no editor; naming only Meyer Kaplan; naming five people, including Roberta Strauss Feuerlicht; naming only Roberta Strauss (did she divorce or marry?); and again naming no one. But my efforts to find a consistent pattern here have been fruitless. A third factor involved in various phases is the magazine's announced periodicity. At various times it announced monthly and quarterly publication, respectively, and at others there was no such indication. Similarly some issues are dated by month, some by season, some by year, and some none at all. Finally, the price seems to have gone up from $.15 to $.25 when the magazine began being published by "Classics Illustrated."

(6) Almost every fable ends on 30. (The only exception to this rule is in #566, in which the fable ends on 29). On 31 there is usually a limerick from Lear, and on 32 a page about the animal world. It seems a reasonable guess that particular fables were matched to a given issue on the basis of room left by the one or two large stories comprising the bulk of the particular magazine.

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Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 509. ©Famous Authors Ltd., 1954. Summer, '69. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

DS is told on one page (30) and in just four panels. This simple telling follows the options for "stole," "a bigger piece," and "I want it too." $.25.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 510. March, '67. NY: Gilberton Company, Inc. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

FG is told on one page (30) in five panels. The grapes are clearly ripe, and the fox jumps repeatedly. His comment is "I'm sure those grapes are sour, anyway!" $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 511. August, '54. NY: Famous Authors Ltd. $5 at Midway, St. Paul, Dec., '95.

Compare this edition with the 1954/69 edition I have. Here it is claimed that the magazine is published monthly, while there it is quarterly. This magazine cost only $.15 in 1954, while that cost $.25 in 1969. See my comments there.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 511. ©Famous Authors Ltd., 1954. Summer, '69. NY: Classics Illustrated. $5 Canadian at 1,000,000 Comix, Montreal, Oct., '95.

One of four numbers that I was able to find in a small store off of St. Catherine. I noticed the shop by chance as I wandered my way through Montreal. FS takes up two pages (29-30). This telling suggests a secondary approach to the animals' problems, in that visually each animal is hindered from eating by its size: the stork cannot get down to the "tasty surprise," and the fox cannot get up to the top of the urn. The stork hides from the fox the fact that he did not touch the food. $.25.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 512. ©Famous Authors Ltd., 1954. Autumn, '69. NY: Classics Illustrated. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

MSA takes up two pages (29-30). Unusually tight telling of the story in only eight panels. Here the donkey gets angry when people laugh. He apparently drowns. $.25.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 513. May, '67. NY: Gilberton Company, Inc. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

GA takes up two pages (29-30). This grasshopper in winter looks inside the window of the ant-hill and understands why the ant worked so hard. His "BRRRRR!" is the last word; there is nothing said about what happens to him. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 514. Jan., '55. NY: Famous Authors Ltd. $21.5 from Greg Williams, Feb., '99.

"The Actor and the Farmer" takes what may be a series maximum of eight pages (23-30). This unusual tale from Phaedrus (V 5, Perry #527) has extra phases not found in Phaedrus. The rich man suffers from boredom and so offers a reward for showing him a "new kind of entertainment." Again, the wife ridicules the farmer when he comes home between public appearances. Finally, the bored rich man finishes the tale here by rewarding the man with the one hundred gold pieces for amusing him. The lower corner of the front cover is missing a piece torn off. It took me a long time to find this comic, and I have two left to find now. $.15.

(Number 515 contains no fable—and nothing that seems like a fable. "Pecos Bill" is on 22-30.)

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 516. ©Famous Authors Ltd., 1955. Spring, '69. NY: Classics Illustrated. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

BW takes up three pages (28-30). The boy tries his trick twice, noting the second time that they said they would not come again but they have come anyway. (In fact, they did not say that, but rather "Do not do that again.") By the way, I have no idea what is going on with these dates from the fifties and sixties or with the numbering, which seems anything but logical or consecutive. Eventually, I should be able to peg a date at which they changed the price from $.15 to $.25. This issue cost $.25.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 517. Famous Authors Ltd., July, '55. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

TMCM takes up three pages (28-30). Elmer visits Otto in the country. The door bursts open, a huge dog comes in, and is followed by the master. The two mice escape inside the hole by which they entered the dining room. Otto's parting words are "It is better to have a crust of bread and be happy, than to hae a whole slice of cake and not be able to eat it!" $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 518. ©Nov., '65 by Gilberton Company, Inc., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

LM takes up three pages (28-30). The mouse is in a playful mood and slides down the lion's nose, saying "Whee! This is fun!" This lion laughs. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 519. ©Dec., '66 by Gilberton Company, Inc., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Donkey and the Little Dog" takes up two pages (29-30). In an unusual start, the donkey discusses his plight with the dog. The pictures of the donkey leaping onto and sitting on the master's lap are wonderful! $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 520. Nov., '55. NY: Famous Authors Ltd. $1.60 at The Yesteryear Shop, Nampa, Idaho, March, '96.

CP takes up two pages (29-30). An unusual addition is the dog who suggests pushing the pitcher over and to whom the crow can enunciate the moral. Poor condition. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 521. Editorial Director: Roberta Strauss Feuerlicht. Editor: Helene Lecar. Art Director: Sidney Miller. Dec., '55. NY: Famous Authors, Ltd. $5 Canadian at 1,000,000 Comix, Montreal, Oct., '95.

One of four numbers that I was able to find in a small store off of St. Catherine. I noticed the shop by chance as I wandered my way through Montreal. "The Unhappy Crow" (BF) is on 28-30. The crow is rejected by both the peacocks and his fellow crows. My 1958 copy of #548 does not add the "Feuerlicht" to Roberta Strauss' name: Was there a divorce between 1955 and 1958? $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 521. ©Nov., '65 by Gilberton Company. NY: Gilberton Company, Inc. $1.60 at The Yesteryear Shop, Nampa, Idaho, March, '96.

Compare this copy with my 1955 copy. Gilberton has bought out Famous Authors but still is at the same address. The price of the issue is still $.15. The names of the contributing personnel have been dropped. The "What Is It?" connect-the-dots game on the inside front cover has changed. Only two more numbers seem to have been added to the list in the advertisement for this series on the back cover. The fable is of course still "The Unhappy Crow" (BF) on 28-30. As I comment there, the crow is rejected by both the peacocks and his fellow crows. As I did not mention there, the recognition by the peacocks is immediate. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 522. ©Oct., '65 by Gilberton Company. NY: Gilberton Company, Inc. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

TH takes up three pages (28-30). A wolf at the finish line provides the moral "Hurrah for the tortoise! He proved that you should never be too sure of yourself!" $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 523. ©Sept., '64 by Gilberton Company. NY: Gilberton Company, Inc. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

FC takes up two pages (29-30). The fox announcing the moral ("You should not listen to people who tell you things you know are not true") winks wonderfully. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 524 ©Sept., '64 by Gilberton Company. NY: Gilberton Company, Inc. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Raven and the Swan" takes up two pages (29-30). The raven spends a week in the lake and is starving, when he returns back to his raven friend. I do not know how often I have seen a good picture of a skinny raven, but this artist succeeds! $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 525 April, '56. ©Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

MM takes up two pages (29-30). She has a hand on the pail until the fateful panel where she tosses her head. A cat lapping up the milk tells her that that should teach her not to count her chickens before they are hatched. The chain here seems shorter than in most tellings: milk to money to hens to eggs to money to dress. This may be one of my earliest CIJ issues, since it was done by Famous Authors. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 526 ©Feb., '67 by Gilberton Company. NY: Gilberton Company, Inc. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Hares and the Frogs" takes up three pages (28-30). There is no thought of suicide here; the hares run to the lake for safety. Might it be paradoxical to have a frog in the pond announce that there is always someone worse off than yourself? Who, from what we know in this story, is worse off than the frog? $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 527. ©March, '67 by Gilberton Company. NY: Gilberton Company, Inc. 1967. $1.60 at The Yesteryear Shop, Nampa, Idaho, March, '96.

"The Fox and the Goat" is on 28-30. This fox surprisingly admits to the goat that he has been wondering for an hour how to get out. The fox announces the "Next time look before you leap" moral to the goat in the last panel. The magazine itself is in poor condition. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 528 July, '56. ©Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. $12.50 from Skyline Books & Records, NY, May, '97.

"The Two Goats " takes up two pages (29-30). To my surprise, fishermen rescued them from the river into which they fell. I do not think I have ever before seen the goats come out of this fable alive. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 529 Feb., '64. Published and copyrighted by Gilberton Company, Inc., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" takes up two pages (29-30). The wolf was leading one of the lambs away in his first disguised effort when the shepherd saw what was happening and threw a rock at his head and hit him. What happened to the wolf from there is not clear. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 530. No date given ("1962" is written on the cover and the first page). Published and copyrighted by Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

WS takes up two pages (29-30). I believe this represents the first time that I have seen the sun initiate the bet. Before this point the wind has said that he is stronger, and the sun answered "Perhaps. But I can do things you cannot do." The sun then says "See that man? I can make him take his cloak off. Can you do that?" The wind—absurdly, I believe—answers "Of cousre! I can blow it off with my great strength." Would the wind not know that blowing it off and making him take it off are two different things? This version thus makes more sense and less than the usual incorrect version. Might this be the earliest CIJ that I have? It is by Famous Authors and is not tied to a month, season, or year. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 531. ©Feb, '67 by Gilberton Company. NY: Gilberton Company, Inc. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

BC takes up three pages (28-30). The chair of the meeting asks three individuals if they will hang the bell around the cat's neck, and each says "no." The basic situation supposed here seems to be a meeting of a board, with members in business suits and ties. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 532 Nov., '56. ©Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Lark and her Young Ones" takes up two pages (29-30), with just four panels on each page. The editor does concise work here! $.15.

(Number 533 contains no fable. From 26-30, there is the story "The Straw, the Coal and the Bean.")

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 534. No date given. Published and copyrighted by Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"Stone Soup" takes up four pages (27-30), making it the longest yet in this series. This clever man gets all his help from one maid, who gives him first salt and then pepper, beans, potatoes, carrots, celery, soup bones, and some meat. She comments at the end "And to think, he made it out of just a stone!" $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 535. ©Oct, '66 by Gilberton Company. NY: Gilberton Company, Inc. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Fox and the Lion" takes up just one page (30) in four panels. This fox is downright saucy in the third encounter, saying "What are you roaring at, you silly old thing?" Its mother says "When you get used to someone, you no longer are afraid of him." There has not been a one-pager since the first two in the series, #509 and #510. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 536 March, '57. Published and copyrighted by Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Fisherman and the Little Fish" takes up two pages (29-30). This fisherman actually throws back the small fish, which he catches as soon as he starts on the first day. He catches nothing the rest of the day. The next day he catches a fish the same size early, and it also asks for mercy, suggesting that there are bigger fish in the stream. By now the fisherman has learned his lesson. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 537 April, '57. Published and copyrighted (1957) by Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

AD takes up two pages (29-30). The dove can hear the ant's cries for help. The magazine is very fragile; the cover has separated from the magazine and lost a corner in the back. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 538. Editorial Director: Roberta Strauss Feuerlicht. Editor: Helene Lecar. Art Director: Sidney Miller. May, '57. ©Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Lion and the Dolphin" takes up two pages (29-30) and only seven panels. I think it unusual in this fable that the dolphin actually tries to help the lion in his fight, "but he could not get out of the sea." The moral, announced by the dolphin: "Even if a friend wants to help, he isn't always able to." Some bibliographer may have fun sometime lining up all the factors that bear on fixing the succession of phases through which this magazine went, from "Famous Authors" without reference to time (month, season, or year) to Famous Authors with those references, to naming the workers listed above (one of whom loses her third name subsequently), to Gilberton, to Classics Illustrated, to $.25 per issue. That at least is how I see the overview now. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 539. ©August, '65 by Gilberton Company. NY: Gilberton Company, Inc. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Four Oxen and the Lion" takes up two pages (29-30). Three things are remarkable in the telling of this short fable. First, the oxen literally gather with their tails together, pointing to the four directions on a compass, as both text and illustration show. Secondly, they quarrel on their own, without the lion provoking them. Thirdly, the lion falls as he attacks them isolated from one another, and they quickly gather and reconfigure with their tails together. This fable series regularly avoids bloody or drastic endings. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 540 July, '57. Published and copyrighted (1957) by Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. $12.50 from Skyline Books & Records, NY, May, '97.

"The Lioness and her Family" takes up two pages (29-30). The mouse, the rabbit, and the frog all announce their ever-increasing totals first. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 541. No date given. Published and copyrighted by Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Rich Man's Guest " takes up seven pages (24-30), making it the longest yet in this series. A magician feeds his coat at a banquet given for him by a host that had turned him away in poorer clothes. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 542. Sept., '57. Roberta Strauss, editor. Published and copyrighted by Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. $12.50 from Skyline Books & Records, NY, May, '97.

OR takes up two pages (29-30). This telling takes an unusual perspective by giving unusual attention to the reed's perspective. Thus the reed "admired the oak greatly." After the oak had broken in half, the reed said "Poor oak" and realized that it is sometimes better to bend. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 543. Oct., '57. Roberta Strauss, editor. Published and copyrighted by Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. $12.50 from Skyline Books & Records, NY, May, '97.

"The Treasure in the Vineyard" takes up two pages (29-30). This telling has only two sons. The father is going on a voyage, not dying. He mentions the treasure in answer to one son's request for money to live on until his return. When they do not find treasure on the first dig, they dig it over again deeper! The illustrations show the boys slimming down in the process. One comments at the end "Now we know there are many ways to find a treasure." There is a tear in the lower part of the page containing the fable. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 544. Roberta Strauss, Editor. Nov., '57. Published and copyrighted by Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. $5 Canadian at 1,000,000 Comix, Montreal, Oct., '95. Extra copy for $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

One of four numbers that I was able to find in a small store off of St. Catherine. I noticed the shop by chance as I wandered my way through Montreal. "The Donkey and the Cricket" takes two pages here (29-30). This donkey does not die but gets a clear lesson from the cricket. The extra copy shows curious variations on the inside cover and the back cover. The former mentions no number, date, or editor. The latter lists CIJ numbers through 556, whereas the good copy went only through 545. Did the series go through a phase where they offered less editorial information than earlier and did not peg issues to months or seasons as they had done earlier? $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 545. Dec., '57. Roberta Strauss, editor. Published and copyrighted by Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. £ 3.99 from Nick Hayes, Bristol, England, Feb., '02.

"The Donkey and the Salt" takes up three pages (28-30). In this version of the story, the owner returns with the donkey three times in one day to the same place. The owner is happy in the end that he has taught the beast a lesson. This copy is in only fair condition. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 546. No date given. Published and copyrighted by Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Greedy Lion" takes up two pages (29-30). $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 547. Editorial Director: Roberta Strauss Feuerlicht. Editor: Helene Lecar. Art Director: Sidney Miller. Feb., '58. Copyrighted by Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Two Frogs " takes up two pages (29-30). The frogs are a married couple. She is the one ready to jump in without thinking. Cute human dress on the splotchy frogs. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 548. March, '58. Roberta Strauss, Editor. Published and copyrighted by Famous Authors, Ltd. $2 at Venice Antiques, March, '95. Extra copy for $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

Charles Santino reported in Aesop's Fables #3 (1991) that he had heard from John Haufe that an Aesopic fable appeared as back-up story in about forty Classics Junior Illustrated issues between #509 and #572. I followed the tip when I came across a group of these comics in Venice, and it paid off! "The Arab and His Camel" takes up four pages (27-30) and is labelled "Aesop's Fables." The only problem is that this story, "The Camel's Nose," is not an Aesopic fable! (Two years and many fables later, I still have never otherwise seen this story as an Aesopic fable.) The closest Aesopic story I know is of a porcupine and a snake. The camel asks to put his head, then his neck, then his forepaws, and finally his whole self into the Arab's tent. Finally he suggests that the Arab leave. "A greedy person is never satisfied." I hope this find is the first of many CIJ's! (The hope has been fulfilled!) The extra copy shows curious variations on the inside cover and the back cover. The former mentions no number, date, or editor. The latter lists CIJ numbers through 556, whereas the good copy went only through 545. Did the series go through a phase where they offered less editorial information than earlier and did not peg issues to months or seasons as they had done earlier? $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 549. Editorial Director: Roberta Strauss Feuerlicht. Editor: Helene Lecar. Art Director: Sidney Miller. April., '58. Copyrighted by Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Spendthrift and the Swallow " takes up two pages (29-30). Restricted space makes some demands on this traditional story! This version adds a used-clothing shopkeeper who asks the man if he will not be needing the coat in the cold days ahead. And in a very unusual turn, it is snowing as the man emerges from the store! He goes right back in and exchanges the money for the coat. The dead swallow is one of the "casualties" of this version's need to be brief. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 550. May, '58. Roberta Strauss, Editor. Published and copyrighted by Famous Authors, Ltd. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Fortune Teller" takes up two pages (29-30). The story is pictured in China, though the text makes no reference to a place. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 551. ©Famous Authors Ltd., 1958. Winter, '69. NY: Classics Illustrated. $2 at Books Do Furnish A Room, Durham, NC, June., '97.

A real surprise find in a store that I was saying to myself I never should have wandered into! "The Plane Tree" takes up two pages (29-30). The tree not only gives shade but has allowed cool grass to grow beneath its branches. Oh, the ingratitude! By '69, the price of CIJ is at the higher level, namely $.25.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 552. ©Sept., '66 by Gilberton Company, Inc., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Woodcutters and the Ax" takes up two pages (29-30). Is it some coincidence that two woodcutters are out walking and find a lost axe? Their names here are Fritz and Hans. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 553. August, '58. Published and copyrighted by Famous Authors, Ltd. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Man and the Satyr " takes up two pages (29-30). The ending is unusual. Instead of ejecting the man from his dwelling, the satyr simply says "What a strange creature is man! He can blow hot and cold with the same breath!" $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 554. ©August, '66. by Gilberton Company, Inc., NY. $1.60 at The Yesteryear Shop, Nampa, Idaho, March, '96.

"The Deer and the Hunters" is on 29-30. This version adds a mother. The young deer "barely managed to free himself" in a development I have very seldom seen in this fable. The young deer himself admitted his mistake to her, and she mother announced "We often admire what is useless and fail to appreciate what can help us most." $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 555. ©Sept., '66. by Gilberton Company, Inc., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Boy and the Filberts" is on 29-30. This is one of those comic books in which the ink creates its own effects, sometmes by being placed outside the lines and sometimes by bleeding over from the adjoining page. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 556. ©March, '65 by Gilberton Company, Inc., NY. $1.60 at The Yesteryear Shop, Nampa, Idaho, March, '96.

"The Shepherd Goes to Sea" is on 28-30. This version has a nice line repeated to the shepherd: "There is more to the sea than meets the eye." The shepherd returns to work for the man to whom he sold his sheep and says to him "Things are not always what they seem." Someone did some calculations on the front cover of this magazine! $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 557. ©Oct., '64 by Gilberton Company, Inc., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Donkey's Shadow" is on 29-30. As so often in CIJ, the version is milder than most in the tradition. Here the driver asks the merchant (who has surprisingly usurped the shade) to move over so that they can both sit in the donkey's shade. The result is the same as ever: the donkey runs away while they argue. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 558. ©Sept., '66 by Gilberton Company, Inc., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Wolf and the Kid" is on 29-30. As usual, the rooftop makes the kid bold. The farmer put him there for safety while he would be away. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 559. ©Dec., '64 by Gilberton Company, Inc., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"Hercules and the Wagon Driver" is on 29-30. Here Hercules appears amid thunder and lightning…. Hercules helps to get the cart out of the rut when the man puts his shoulder to the wheel. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 560. ©April, '67 by Gilberton Company, Inc., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

2W is on 29-30. Here the young wife picks out the gray hairs at night, and the older wife picks out the dark hairs in the morning. The older wife comments correctly at the end that he looks dreadful. He gives the moral: "Try to please everyone, and you end by pleasing no one at all!" $.15.

(Number 561 contains, on 29-30, "The Camel and the Pig," which is certainly fable-like, though I have not seen it presented as an Aesop's fable. Here it is offered without an introductory title or category. The two animals both learn that there are times when it is better to be one way (e.g., tall) and times when it is better to be another (e.g., short).

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 562. ©April, '67 by Gilberton Company, Inc., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Two Maids and the Cock" is on 29-30. These maids are not pretty young things! Uniquely in the tradition, they give the cock away and then claim that he was stolen. The mistress then fears that they will all oversleep and so wakes them at midnight. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 563. Editorial Director: Roberta Strauss Feuerlicht. Editor: Helene Lecar. Art Director: Sidney Miller. Dec., '55. NY: Famous Authors, Ltd. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Boy Bathing" is on 29-30. It is not a schoolteacher that helps him in this version, but a man with a horse and cart. He helps, but gets into scolding while he is preparing to throw a rope. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 564. ©March, '67 by Gilberton Company, Inc., NY. $1.60 at The Yesteryear Shop, Nampa, Idaho, March, '96.

"The Father and His Two Daughters" is told in six panels on 29-30. Panels two and three contrast nicelywith each other, as do four and five. I understand the father's question in the last panel ("What is a father to wish for?"), but do the second daughter's two morals fit well? She says "We will learn to take what comes. You can't please everyone." $.15.

(Number 565 contains, on 29-30, "Fortune and the Beggar." This is the familiar story of an offer to fill a hat with gold, provided not one coin falls out—in which case, the gold will turn to dust. The beggar cannot stop, and a seam finally bursts. "Dame Fortune" looks more like a lively fortune-teller! It is not labelled as from Aesop, nor have I found it among Aesopic fables.)

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 566. Editor: Roberta Strauss. June, '60. Copyright by Famous Authors, Ltd., 1960. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

The insides of this magazine are identical with the Number 566 by Gilberton that I found in Montreal. But the back of the cover page differs in adding names, changing the publishing company, and giving a different date for release. The back cover of this magazine lists 566 issues of CIJ, whereas the other copy lists 576. See my comments on the fable there. $.15.

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 566. ©Jan., '65 by Gilberton Company, Inc., NY. $5 Canadian at 1,000,000 Comix, Montreal, Oct., '95.

One of four numbers that I was able to find in a small store off of St. Catherine. I noticed the shop by chance as I wandered my way through Montreal. "The Mouse, the Cat and the Rooster" appears on 27-29; it may be the only Aesopic piece in the series not to end on 30! When the mother mouse appears, she is wearing an apron. She delivers the moral: "Remember, my dear, things are not always what they seem." $.15.

(Number 567 contains, on 29-30, "The Red-Bud Tree." This is a fable not unlike the chameleon fable. Four brothers see the same tree in different seasons, with only the youngest seeing it in summer with its red buds. He ends by saying "We have all seen the red-bud tree, but at different times of the year. "Remember, my brothers, things are not always what they seem." It is not labelled as from Aesop, nor have I found it among Aesopic fables.)

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 568. Editorial Director: Roberta Strauss Feuerlicht. Editor: Helene Lecar. Art Director: Sidney Miller. Oct., '60. Copyrighted by Famous Authors, Ltd., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

FM takes up three pages (28-30). The frog seems only to go too fast for the mouse by rushing faster and faster through the water. The hawk assures the mouse that he wants only to teach the frog a lesson. In this version, the hawk, by flying faster and faster through the air, does to the frog exactly what the frog had done to the mouse. In the end, the hawk brings them back to earth and tells the frog that he hopes he has learned his lesson. Thus neither small animal dies. $.15.

(Number 569 contains, on 28-30, "The String of Carts." This is a fable in which a pottery merchant takes a first cart down a steep hill by leading an old horse slowly. The second cart's young horse starts off at a gallop, cannot slow down when he wants to, and finally overturns the cart and breaks all the pottery. "Haste makes waste." It is not labelled as from Aesop, nor have I found it among Aesopic fables.)

(Number 570 contains, on 28-30, "The Three Fish." This is a fable in which two little fish neglect the advice of an older larger fish and swim up the stream to the river. When they are about to be caught, the big fish distracts the fisherman. All three escape. The story is not labelled as a fable or as from Aesop, nor have I found it among Aesopic fables.)

(Number 571 contains, on 29-30, "The Good King." This is a story of a king in Mexico who disguised himself to learn what people really thought of his kingdom.   After hearing people's resentment that the king reserved woods and forests to himself and would not let people chop wood or hunt in them, he returned to his palace and turned over these lands for people's use.  He continued to go among his people to hear their troubles.  "The ills of his people are a King's first concern."   The story is not labelled as a fable or as from Aesop, nor have I found it among Aesopic fables.)

Classics Illustrated Junior. Number 572. June, '61. Published and copyrighted by Gilberton Company, Inc., NY. $3 from Craig Barnett, Portland, July, '96.

"The Hare and the Hound" takes up two pages (29-30). The art here sketchier, more angular, and less mature, I believe, than the typical art in CIJ. There is one good subtle twist here. The master, when he sees a hare, says to the dog "Catch him! He will be my dinner!" When the dog comes back, he points out that the difference between the two animals is that the rabbit was running for his life, whereas the dog was running only for the master's dinner (italics mine). $.15.

 

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