The famous collection of fables of Indian origin, known under the title Kalilah and Dimnah or the Fables of Bidpai, has had a long history in the east. Originally in Sanskrit, the text was translated into Pahlavi and from there reached both Syriac (sixth century) and Arabic (by Abdullah ibn al-Muqaffa‘ in the mid-eighth century). The present volume, the work of an eminent Orientalist whose name is well known to both Syriac and Arabic scholars, presents yet another Syriac translation, this one translated from the Arabic version of ibn al-Muqaffa‘, perhaps in the tenth or eleventh century. Wright’s lengthy introduction discusses the manuscript containing the text, as well as the character of the translation; there is also a discussion of forms of proper names in this translation over against other versions. A select glossary (34 pages) “for the use of younger students” and an appendix of additions and corrections (compiled with the help of Noeldeke, Payne Smith, and I. Keith-Falconer, who later translated the text into English) round out the prefatory material. The text itself contains numerous annotations by Wright.

• Series Foreword (page 5)