Pre-order
1
of
1
The Panchatantra
Series: Collins Classics
Brief Description
HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics. Better the sensible enemy than the foolish friend The greed of a lion outwitted by a fox; the mercy shown to an elephant by a group of mice; the quick wit of the monkey who...
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$1299
Unit price
/
Unavailable
Pre-order
Releases
30th
December 2026
(Approx. Date)
Pre-order "The Panchatantra" now to secure your copy from our first shipment
Found a better price? Request a price match
The Panchatantra
$1299
Unit price
/
Unavailable
Latest News
The Book Briefing: 2nd October
Get stuck in with all the latest from the literary world including book announcements, controversies...
The Book Hero Team's September Reads
September was an especially busy month for the Book Hero team as we did the...
Come Celebrate New Zealand Bookshop Day with Us!
Next Saturday, New Zealand celebrates Bookshop Day - a day to celebrate the special place...
Rating All Our Julia Donaldson Picture Books
With Gruffalo Granny coming out recently I couldn't not do a post celebrating the collection...
New Releases to add to your TBR this week (29th September)
From celebrity memoirs to a brand new follow up to The Whale Rider, here is...
See more
HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.
An essential, best-loved classic
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.
Better the sensible enemy than the foolish friend
The greed of a lion outwitted by a fox; the mercy shown to an elephant by a group of mice; the quick wit of the monkey who escapes a crocodile, the tragedy of the Brahmin and the mongoose… At once funny and wise, this celebrated collection of ancient Indian fables has instructed and entertained for centuries.
Sly jackals, gullible fish and clever crows abound in the Panchatantra, one of the world’s most translated and imitated texts. Inspiring storytellers from medieval Europe to Bollywood, these timeless stories supply practical counsel, satirical observation and enduring human truths.
Series: Collins Classics
View all-
Animal Farm
Animal Farm by George Orwell is a compelling and satirical allegory that delves into the dynamics of power, corruption, and politics within a seemingly utopian environment. Set on Manor Farm, the story begins with the animals growing increasingly dissatisfied with their neglectful and inebriated owner, Farmer Jones. Inspired by a visionary and idealistic boar named Old Major, the animals dream...Paperback$1200Elsewhere:$1299Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four
In the drab and oppressive world of 1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell introduces us to Winston Smith, a man haunted by the omnipresent surveillance and control exercised by the Party and its enigmatic leader, Big Brother. Winston works diligently at the Ministry of Truth, where his job is to alter historical records to fit the ever-changing narrative dictated by the...Paperback$1299Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Letters from a Stoic
Letters from a Stoic by Lucius Annaeus Seneca offers readers an intimate glimpse into the mind of one of Rome's eminent philosophers. The book comprises a series of letters that Seneca, an advisor to Emperor Nero, wrote to his friend Lucilius. These letters explore themes central to Stoic thought, such as the pursuit of wisdom, coping with adversity, and the...Paperback$900Elsewhere:$999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Confessions of Saint Augustine
HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. The Confessions of Saint Augustine is a profound autobiographical work that traces the remarkable journey of Augustine, from his youth spent in pursuit of worldly pleasures to his ultimate transformation into one of Christianity's most influential thinkers. This seminal work captures his internal struggles with sin, his profound...Paperback$900Elsewhere:$999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Meditations
HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. Our life is what our thoughts make it. The extraordinary writings of Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180), the only Roman emperor to have also been a stoic philosopher, have for centuries been praised for their wisdom, insight, and guidance by leaders and great thinkers alike. Never intended for publication,...Paperback$1099Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Teachings of a Stoic
HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. The discourses of the great Stoic philosopher Epictetus are regarded as some of the most influential teachings of the ancient world. Born into slavery and sent into exile before setting up a school of philosophy, Epictetus delivered a series of lectures where he argued that true happiness comes...Paperback$1200Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Republic
HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. Plato's Republic has influenced Western philosophers for centuries, with its main focus on what makes a well-balanced society and individual.Paperback$999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
A Tale of Two Cities
HarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics. A Tale of Two Cities begins with the famous line, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." Set in Paris and London against the backdrop of the French Revolution, A Tale of Two Cities tells the story of Lucie Manette and her father Alexandre,...Paperback$999Unit price /UnavailableBackorderShips early October -
Moby Dick
Few literary masterpieces cast quite as awesome a shadow as Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Captain Ahab’s quest for the white whale is a timeless epic – a thrilling tale of vengeance and obsession, and a searing parable about humanity lost in a universe of moral ambiguity. Inspired by true events, Moby Dick is a work of astonishing psychological depth. It...Paperback$999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Picture of Dorian Gray
HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. When Basil Hallward paints the portrait of young, handsome Dorian Gray, he falls prey to his dazzling beauty. Afraid that his youth and looks will waste away, Dorian expresses a wish that his portrait,...Paperback$1099Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Waves
HarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics. There was a star riding through clouds one night, and I said to the star, ‘Consume me’ Six friends traverse the uneven road of life together in Virginia Woolf’s most unconventional classic. Bernard, Jinny, Louis, Neville, Rhoda, and Susan first meet as children by the sea, and their lives...Paperback$1099Unit price /UnavailableBackorderShips early October -
Moby Dick
HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. ‘Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee…’ Few literary masterpieces cast quite as awesome a shadow as Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Captain...Paperback$1099Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780008742416
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 10 September 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: William Collins
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 32.0mm
Width: 111.0mm
Height: 178.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 480
About the Author
According to the introduction of Panchatantra, Vishnu Sharma was a wise old brahmin tasked with educating three wayward princes in the mysterious kingdom of Maiden's Delight. He compiles his teachings into this collection of fables with a guarantee to teach the princes the 'art of intelligent living'. The biographical detail of Vishnu Sharma's life is lost to history, with only Panchatantra to speak for him, whether historical figure or literary creation himself.
More from Historical Fiction
View all-
The Parisian Chapter
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library and The Librarians of Rue de Picardie comes a charming and cinematic novel following a young woman from Montana who lands a job in the American Library in Paris, where she discovers the power of storytelling and writes her own Parisian chapter.'Stirring and rich with detail' New York Times...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Inferno
AD 60. Nero Claudius Caesar is Emperor. He is feared for his temper. He is known to be intoxicated by the power he wields. And why not? The Roman Empire stretches from the wilds of Britain to the deserts of Parthia. Nero is god of all he surveys. Yet dangerous traitors lie close at hand. Generals commanding legions. Senators whispering...Paperback$3100Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Circle of Days
From the master of epic fiction comes the deeply human story of one of the world's greatest mysteries: the building of Stonehenge. A FLINT MINER WITH A GIFT Seft, a talented flint miner, walks the Great Plain in the high summer heat, to witness the rituals that signal the start of a new year. He is there to trade his...Hardback$4499Elsewhere:$6000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Soldier's Daughter
The heart-stopping new blockbuster by the bestselling author of The Fallen Woman. Violet Nash has grown up in the shadows of her father Charlie's shattered dreams. It's been years since he walked away from the battlefields of France, a WWI hero but his heart in tatters, only to see it broken all over again in the worst way possible. In...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Girl with the Suitcase
The enthralling new novel from the 10-million-copy, No. 1 bestselling author. London 1941 When Mary meets a glamorous stranger named Elizabeth, she realises their lives couldn't be more different. But when an air raid forces them to take shelter underground, Mary's life is set to change forever. After waking up in hospital, injured but alive, the nurse mistakes her for...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Lost Bookshop
Evie Woods' stunning new novel The Story Collector is available now. The Echo of Old Books meets The Lost Apothecary in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets. ‘The thing about books,’ she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’ On a quiet street in...Paperback$2200Elsewhere:$2500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
All the Diamonds in Paris
Kristin Harmel is firmly in the top echelon of WW2 storytellers - HEATHER MORRIS A master storyteller - SANTA MONTEFIORE The best at sweeping historical drama - KELLY HARMS A dazzling diamond of a novel - HAZEL GAYNOR * Paris, 1942: Anabel Martinet is a jewel thief, descended from a family that has spent centuries stealing from the unkind and...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Listeners
‘By turns a beautiful love story, a fascinating glimpse into the horrors of history and a haunting tale of loyalty and courage. A marvel of storytelling’ CHRIS WHITAKER, bestselling author of All the Colours of the Dark The Avallon Hotel offers unrivalled luxury in the wild Appalachian Mountains, its curative sweetwater washing away the troubles of high society. June 'Hoss'...Paperback$3600Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Atmosphere
The new novel by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six. An epic novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle programme and the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits. In the summer of 1980, astrophysics professor Joan Goodwin begins...Paperback$3200Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Song of Achilles
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a brilliantly crafted retelling of the ancient Greek epic of Achilles and Patroclus, transforming the classical myth into a profoundly moving love story. Set against the richly depicted backdrop of Greece during the heroically tumultuous age, the narrative follows Patroclus, an awkward and exiled young prince, who is taken to the court...Paperback$2100Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Cardinal
Step into the thrill and intrigue of Tudor England in the rich, compelling new novel from Sunday Times bestseller Alison Weir. Alison Weir makes history come alive as no one else BARBARA ERSKINE AN EXTRAORDINARY RISE TO POWER. A TRAGIC FALL FROM GRACE. It begins with young Tom Wolsey, the bright and brilliant son of a Suffolk tradesman, sent to...Paperback$3300Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Mythos
Mythos by Stephen Fry is a compelling retelling of the classic Greek myths, reimagined with a wit and elegance that only Fry can deliver. This volume transports the reader to a world where mortals intertwine with the divine, and the timeless tales unfold in a spellbinding narrative that captures the imagination. From the cosmogony—the birth of the cosmos—to the exploits...Paperback$2200Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
Historical Fiction lists from the team
Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!
