Grimms Fairy Stories

by Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm, Robert Emmett Owen (Illustrator)

Grimms’ Fairy Stories, as it is commonly known today, is originally the Children’s and Household tales which is a collection of German origin fairy tales first published in 1812 by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, the Brothers Grimm. The first volumes were much criticized because they were not regarded as suitable for children, both for the scholarly information included and the subject matter. Many changes through the editions – such as turning the wicked mother of the first edition in Snow White and Hansel and Gretel to a stepmother, were probably made with an eye to such suitability. They removed sexual references, such as Rapunzel’s innocently asking why her dress was getting tight around her belly, and thus naively revealing her pregnancy and the prince's visits to her step mother, but, in many respects, violence, particularly when punishing villains, was increased.

The book includes illustrations, active table of contents, and a free audiobook link for download (which can be downloaded separately using a PC/Mac) at the end of the book.

Genres: Fantasy, Classics

174 pages, Kindle Edition

About the author

German philologist and folklorist Jakob Ludwig Karl Grimm in 1822 formulated Grimm's Law, the basis for much of modern comparative linguistics. With his brother Wilhelm Karl Grimm (1786-1859), he collected Germanic folk tales and published them as Grimm's Fairy Tales (1812-1815).

Indo-European stop consonants, represented in Germanic, underwent the regular changes that Grimm's Law describes; this law essentially states that Indo-European p shifted to Germanic f, t shifted to th, and k shifted to h. Indo-European b shifted to Germanic p, d shifted to t, and g shifted to k. Indo-European bh shifted to Germanic b, dh shifted to d, and gh shifted to g.

This jurist and mythologist also authored the monumental German Dictionary and his Deutsche Mythologie .

Adapted from Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always wanted to read a collection of original fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, especially upon learning that a vast majority of Disney's source material comes from these tales. They are dark and twisted, revealing the side of human nature that Disney always fails to capture. At the same time, there is an element of humor to the harsh ways that villains often meet their ends. While some stories were a bit of a drag, I enjoyed every moment of reading this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for the truth behind the bedtime stories.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all kinds of fairytales but I love the ones that are a little dark and a lot nonsensical like the original (or closer anyway) tales here.

[Russ Painter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short stories, some of which were recognisable from the Disney versions I grew up with. I was surprised how formulaic many of the stories were: "a king needs to select a successor from one of his three sons, one of whom is a simpleton." I swear there were 5 stories that began that way. Good book to pick up when you only have time for a few pages.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short. The Grimms brothers must have had a horrible experience with their step mother. The step mother was always evil and trying to get rid of the kids. Also lots more subtle innuendo than I was expecting. Definitely creepier than Disney. Many stories were pretty recognizable though.

[caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't quite figure out which translation I'm reading on my Kindle app, but it isn't very good.

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been a fan of the "censored" Grimm's Fairy Tales, and it is only now I realized that the originals are better. Now to search for Hans Christian Andersen's