The Pancatantra (Penguin Classics)

Ascribed by legend to the celebrated half-mythical teacher Visnu Sarma, the fables of The Pancatantra were first recorded 1,500 years ago but date back to India’s robust oral tradition. Widely translated, they have influenced a vast number of works in India, the Arab world, and Europe, including the Arabian Nights, the Canterbury Tales, and the Fables of La Fontaine.