1956? Alcoa Aluminum advertisement “The Goose that made an Asp of itself: A Pilferproof Fable.” 2.7” x 10.9”. No date. Unknown source.
This advertisement for Alcoa Pilferproof Closures features a fable about a goose attempting in vain to secretly open a bottle of Glenmore whiskey. The "Pilferproof Fable" illustrates the security of Alcoa's closures, which prevent tampering. The moral emphasizes that only a "silly goose" would try to secretly open a Pilferproof Closure, the slotted band holding the cap securely on a bottle. A quick search finds two other such Alcoa ads on the web.
1956 Alcoa advertisement: “If you remember, the moral of all these fables was the same.” 8.5” x 11.5”. Unknown source.
The message in all five “fables” is “You can’t open an Alcoa Pilferpoof Closure secretly.” Eight different liquor bottles are displayed to help make the point. The fables themselves are, I would say, intentionally ridiculous.
1930 9 trade cards produced by Alcide Picard or Alcide Picard & fils, Paris. 2¾" x 4⅛". $54 from Bertrand Cocq, Oct., '20. CJ for $6 from Bertrand at the same time.
Several of these designs appear on papers and cards listed under "Leopold Verger-Chicoree Haquet" and, among chocolate and chicoree cards, "Maison Salmon." And two listed there actually are identical cards with this set. Bertrand describes them as "Babotte," but I can see indications only of Picard. It is true that our collection includes several cards from "Alph. Babotte," and the images are those of this group. One of my favorite Paris used bookshops is Librairie Picard. I wonder if there might be some connection. The verso in each card is given only to the text of La Fontaine. There is no further advertising
1950? Series of 12 Aesop's Fables. Five blotters 3¾" x 7⅝" including the text "One of a Series of 12 Aesop's Fables." Albemarle Verigood Blotting. All five advertise the Seaman-Patrick Paper Company in Detroit.
Here is a curiosity: the designs on these blotters include the same images and texts as the parallel set from the same firm, but they have a different size and structure, as can be seen by comparing the two examples on the more general Albemarle page. These blotters predate the area-code era of telephone calling. Now I need to hunt for the other seven in this set! As I mentioned in regard to the other set, these blotters present good evidence that Aesop shows up anywhere and everywhere. Notice the effect of using two colors on blotters like BF and "The Fox and the Ass."
1950? Series of 12 Aesop's Fables. Two blotters 3½" x 5 7/8" including the text "One of a Series of 12 Aesop's Fables." TH, a sample of Albemarle Verigood Blotting, from Bermingham & Prosser Company, Paper Merchants, Kansas City, Missouri. $3 from Connie Burtis, Sedalia, MO, through Ebay, Feb., '01. CP, a sample of Albemarle Halftone Blotting, from John C. Streibich Company, Peoria 2, Illinois. $1 from Joel Cotton, West Monroe, LA, through Ebay, Dec., '00. Three blotters -- CP, "Horse and Stag," and "Bald Knight" -- from Shaugnessy-Kniep-Hawe Paper Company, St. Louis, for $4.95 each Roberta Bull, Murphy, NC, through eBay, Feb., 08.
Here is simply more evidence that Aesop shows up anywhere and everywhere. Of course, the fact that I have found four of the twelve blotters in this series means that I have to look for another ten!
1990? Set of eight menu jackets edited by Service Publicité d'Air France and used by Air France on dinner flights. Art by Willy Aractingi. Texts of La Fontaine as translated by Walter Thornbury. Gift of Nicole Dodier of Air France Publicité in answer to my request, Jan., '92. Extra copy first sent me by Terry Maguire from a Boston-Paris flight. Extras of MM, TMCM, and "The Pig, the Goat, and the Sheep" from teal1 through eBay, August, '02. Two more -- WL and LM -- found for €6 in Paris, June, '19. Three further menu jackets from Outremont, Canada. "The Heron" for $9.95 from Michael Burlew, Forked River, NJ, through Ebay, Dec., '07. TT for €10 from alexis13_123 through Ebay, Sept., '23.
Each jacket includes a cover picture of the fable and a back-cover featuring, in two columns, the French and the English text (Thornbury's translation) of a La Fontaine fable. The art is oil on canvas done by Willy Aractingi. Sent by Nicole Dodier of Air France Publicité in answer to my request. An extra copy of the first menu jacket was brought to me by Terry Maguire; it contains a specific menu used on a Boston-Paris flight. My favorite among them is "The Frog and the Rat." The fables presented include: FC; FM; TMCM; 2P; MM; "The Cock and the Fox"; "The Pig, the Goat, and the Sheep"; TT; and "The Eagle and the Owl."
Chocolaterie d'Aiguebelle
1890? 6 full-color portrait-formatted French cards featuring fables from Florian. 4½" x just over 3½". "Edition de la Chocolaterie d'Aiguebelle (Drôme)" on both sides of each card. Jacques Lehuard, Jonquieres St. Vincent, France, Feb., '08. Extras of "Le Grillon" and "Le Roi et les deux Bergers" for $6 each from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne-Ricouart, France, March, '01. Extra copy of "Les Deux Voyageurs" for €5 at St. Ouen, June, '19. Four further cards for €9 each from Albert van den Bosch, Antwerp, June, '23.
Very pleasing cards, with better illustration work than on many such cards. The framing of the picture is done well, with a flowing ribbon moving up from the Aiguebelle credit at the bottom alongside the illustration and fable title and past the "Fables de Florian" group title at the top of the card. The verso presents the full fable text. The coloration reminds one of the coloring of fine "holy cards" in one-time Catholic grade schools.
1918 Agenda advertising the Grand Bazaar de Lyon and displaying six of La Fontaine's fables with text. €6 from lesbouquinsdeflorensac through Ebay, July, '22.
GA; DW; MM; Heron; WL; and FC. The illustrations are exactly the same as some of those appearing on individual stock trade cards I have representing Au Camelia and also Chicorée Anlatte. For each three-month portion and then for the whole year there is space to write down the agenda for that time. The claim for the Grand Bazaar is "On y trouve de tout."
1803 Aesopische Fabeln für die Jugend Nach verschiedenen Dichtern gesammlet und bearbeitet. A.G. Meissner. Neue mit 150 Holzschnitten versehene Ausgabe. Hardbound. Prag and Leipzig: Martin Neureuter. €150 from Hatry, Heidelberg, July, ‘25.
Here is one of the loveliest and most curious finds from summer days in Europe in 2025. 3.75” x 6”. About 340 pages. It consists of five books of 30 numbered fables each, plus an appendix of three more fables. The title-page advertises 150 woodcuts. The page number “195” is inverted, and “299” comes out “929.” Each fable is illustrated with a framed rectangular woodcut. This book is not in Bodemann, and Neureuter does not appear there. Meissner on the other hand did various kinds of editions. Our book consists now of three sections. A portion as originally bound in boards is in correct page order but with many gaps. It stops at the title-page for the fifth book. Two other portions are made up of separated loose pages, all with woodcuts on their right-hand page. One group of these consists of 38 loose pages from various places in the book. The other group consists of 15 loose pages with beautiful hand-colored illustrations. I find these wonderfully done! I presume somebody took the time to illustrate these pages, and somehow they have lasted 220 years! I will list this book under both “books” and “separated pages.”
