99 Fables
226 pages, 6 x 9
26 illustrations
Paperback
Release Date:25 Apr 2011
ISBN:9780817356859
Superb stories, meaningful themes, and powerful effects
At the time of his death, the longest manuscript still in William March's possession was a collection of fables, which he had completed for the first time in 1938. While Company K, The Tallons, The Bad Seed, and all the rest were in progress, March culled and rewrote, polished and revised these fables, always finding them “too good to destroy,” yet never finding them a good venture for a commercial publisher. Now, posthumously, the collection appears in this book, and readers can enjoy the fabulous world of William March.
This is not to imply that it is a “pretty world.” The fables themselves are an immediate delight, and everyone will find many favorites among the 99. But in the end, March's view of the world is a hard one, and the morals, however charmingly expressed are bitter enough to rival the themes of his novels.
At the time of his death, the longest manuscript still in William March's possession was a collection of fables, which he had completed for the first time in 1938. While Company K, The Tallons, The Bad Seed, and all the rest were in progress, March culled and rewrote, polished and revised these fables, always finding them “too good to destroy,” yet never finding them a good venture for a commercial publisher. Now, posthumously, the collection appears in this book, and readers can enjoy the fabulous world of William March.
This is not to imply that it is a “pretty world.” The fables themselves are an immediate delight, and everyone will find many favorites among the 99. But in the end, March's view of the world is a hard one, and the morals, however charmingly expressed are bitter enough to rival the themes of his novels.
‘March has picked up where Aesop and Don Marquis left off, pricking vanities and exposing antics of chronic phonies. . . . Here are damning truths about the Noblest Animal, here is vitriol without venom. Richard Brough catches the full flavor in his illustrations.’
—New York Times Book Review
March’s fables have much in common with the ancient Aesop tales. But on close examination they are almost completely original. They have that bitter, biting March quality that The Bad Seed readers will remember.’
—Montgomery Advertiser-Journal
William March (September 18, 1893–May 15, 1954) was an American author and a highly decorated US Marine.
Related Titles
Trial Balance
The Collected Short Stories of William March
By William March; Commentaries by International Creative Management (ICM)
