Mouthwateringly wonderful Aesop Fables illustrations by Japanese master Takeo Takei

My finely-honed sense of right and wrong is traceable back to a brilliant illustrated book of Aesop’s Fables I pored over as a youngster, when my malleable young mind learned morals through the adventures of various animals. But if the mid-1980s has hitherto been my yardstick for Aesop aesthetica, I have to concede that these stunning illustrations by Takeo Takei may have just swooped into top spot. There’s a pared back delicacy to these drawings, (produced for a 1925 edition of the work) but they retain the sinister edge which is an integral part of Aesop’s genius. I could literally look at these all day.