The Brothers Grimm: 101 Fairy Tales

by Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm

No home library is complete without the classics! This new collection of stories from Brothers 101 Fairy Tales is a keepsake to be read and treasured.

They are the stories of characters we’ve known since Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella. But the works originally collected by the Brothers Grimm in the early 1800s are not necessarily the versions told before bedtime. They’re darker and often don’t end very happily--but they're often far more interesting. This elegant edition of Brothers 101 Fairy Tales includes all our cherished favorites--“Sleeping Beauty,” “Rumpelstiltskin,” “Little Red Cap,” and many more--in their original versions. Now available as part of the Word Cloud Classics series, Brothers 101 Fairy Tales is a must-have addition to the libraries of all classic literature lovers. Many of these stories begin with the familiar refrain of “once upon a time”--but they end with something unexpected and fascinating!



About the Word Cloud Classics

Classic works of literature with a clean, modern aesthetic! Perfect for both old and new literature fans, the Word Cloud Classics series from Canterbury Classics provides a chic and inexpensive introduction to timeless tales. With a higher production value, including heat burnished covers and foil stamping, these eye-catching, easy-to-hold editions are the perfect gift for students and fans of literature everywhere.

Genres: Classics, Fantasy, Fiction, Short Stories, Fairy Tales, Mythology, Collections

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1812

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

[Karlyflower *The Vampire Ninja, Luminescent Monster & Wendigo Nerd Goddess of Canada (according to The Hulk)* · Rating 3 out of 5]

And my ponder is about the origins of the term "Grim". Does it come from the writer's name of the formulaic Grimm fairytales? Or did the brothers change their name for the purposes of writing such stories? Or is it just a happy coincidence?

Grimm fairytales are very bleak for anyone who is anything but perfect..... the punishment for greed, ambition and sheer stupidity are mainly the same: Death or torture? which will it be?

These aren't your Mother Goose variety fairytales, Ladies and Gents!

It kind of terrifies me that these stories were told to children... I wonder what children's sleep patterns were like back when these were more popular? Spotty, I'll guess, because these are not pleasant tales!!

I remember watching "Arachnophobia" back when I was a wee kitten (hidden with my brother behind the couch after bedtime) and although I slept like the proverbial "dead" afterwards, my brother DEFINITELY clawed my mom's door wailing in his sleep that same night.... This doesn't really seem like an unlikely reaction to even ONE of these stories.

[Yigal Zur · Rating 4 out of 5]

classic.

[Eden Koval · Rating 4 out of 5]

Men before therapy ammiright

[Tracey Allen at Carpe Librum · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did it! It took me 10 weeks, but I finally read The Brothers Grimm 101 Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. I read the original Snow White and Sleeping Beauty tales and more besides. How do I feel about it? I feel proud of my reading achievement, but the writing style was unfamiliar and it was a somewhat draining reading experience. I was only able to read a few fairytales at a time before needing a break from all of the kings, princesses, curses and forests.

I was shocked to discover just how short some of the fairytales were, namely Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Cap; or as we now know it, Little Red Riding Hood. The brevity of these tales and the way in which they've gone on to inspire untold spin offs and interpretations - one of which, The Archive of Alternate Endings by Lindsey Drager, I just read - is quite remarkable.

As expected, there were some terrific opening lines, like this one from The Hare's Bride:

"There was once a woman and her daughter who lived in a pretty garden with cabbages; and a little hare came into it, and during the wintertime ate all the cabbages." Page 282 The Hare's Bride

I'm instantly 'into' the story with this kind of opening line, and an intro like this reminds me of the stellar fable at the beginning of The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott.

Blessed with some stellar opening lines, some of the fairytales had quite sudden, dreadful or unexpected endings. How's this one from The Mouse, The Bird, and the Sausage:

"Owing to his carelessness the wood caught fire, so that a conflagration ensued, the bird hastened to fetch water, and then the bucket dropped from his claws into the well, and he fell down with it, and could not recover himself, but had to drown there." Page 104 The Mouse, The Bird, and the Sausage

Some of the tales end with a sentiment like 'and they haven't been heard from since" or "where they live to this day." How about these though:

"And the mouth of the man who last told this story is still warm." Page 116 The Bremen Town-Musicians

"Then the children went home together, and were heartily delighted, and if they are not dead, they are living still." Page 204 Fledgling

Isn't that charming? This happy ending describes a wedding party:

"I wish you and I had been there too." Page 208 King Thrushbeard

This isn't the only time the authors break the fourth wall and address the reader directly either. When describing a scene whereby everyone present is collecting as many gold pieces as they can physically carry, comes a comment in brackets direct to the reader:

"(I can see in your face that you also would like to be there.)" Page 151 The Wishing Table, The Gold Ass, and the Cudgel in the Sack

I wonder if the brothers could have imagined readers enjoying their stories 200 years after publication. Reading The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs was a highlight of this collection, along with the classic Hansel and Gretel.

Now that I've read them, would I recommend Grimm's Fairytales to other readers? I actually don't think I would. Viewed through today's lenses, the lessons from these fairytales feel simplistic and out of touch: beauty and virtue is good, greed and envy is bad, being ugly is bad and good will always triumph. The fairytales aren't suitable for young children, and there's a lot of violence for children over the age of ten as well, with drownings, curses, amputations, poisonings, beheadings, hangings and all sorts of terrible endings. I actually think storytellers and children's authors from the last 50 years do an excellent job of providing educational and entertaining stories for young children and adults alike.

This collection has been worth reading and while I'm satisfied to have now read the original source material, the experience was enriched by reading it alongside three other book reviewers. Ashleigh (The Book Muse), Veronica (The Burgeoning Bookshelf) and Claire (Claire's Reads and Reviews) joined me for this Grimm's buddy read and Ashleigh lead our conversation based on her study of the subject matter at university. What a great buddy read!

What's your favourite fairytale? I think mine is Hansel and Gretel.

[Mariana]

2. Cat and Mouse in partnership - (2.75) 3⭐ "And that is the way of the world", "Nothing ever seems so good as what one keeps to oneself".

3. Our Lady's Child - 2⭐ meh, it was okay. If you admit your wrongdoings and ask for forgiveness, you'll be forgiven. "He who repents his sin and acknowledges it, is forgiven."

5. The Wolf and The Seven Little Kids - 3⭐ moral of the story: karma is a bitch and it will catch you. You'll get what you deserve someday.

8. The Wonderful Musician - 1⭐ no, wtf was going on?

10. The Pack of Ragamuffin - didn't get the point of this one. Need to reread it or search for the meaning of it to make sure if it isn't just nonsense.

23. The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage - For now, I think it's a 3.5⭐ So this was kind of crazy and made me laugh because of it. Although I'm not entirely sure this would be suitable for a child. I'm not sure if there's a moral to it, but my guess would be: be careful to who you listen to.

[chloe the bookworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book put me in a reading funk i hated it im sorry the plot of each story was so whack and the way they wrote the stories was terrible, no descriptions, no names for characters. why does this have such high stars?????? my most controversial opinion is that I'd rather read shitty wattpad than this

[Emrys · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already had a copy of the Grimm fairy tales but I specifically bought this copy because of the gorgeous leather bound edition with the crisp and beautifully printed pages. For a collector such as myself, it was imperative that I snatch it up immediately!

[Jasmine Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a wild ride and can only be the consequence of consuming illicit substances. There were so many aspects of this book that shocked me, for example, the casual violence, the dramatic plot twists, the character’s lack of common sense and just the overall absurdness of it all. In many of the stories, the overarching message is unclear and left me really confused about what I had just read and why. However, other stories were quite funny and/or had a clear message that the reader could take with them. To put it all together, this collection of tales did not contain a lot of sense but proved a fun journey.

[H.D.A. Pratt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple yet classic stories that are perfect lessons for anyone to read

[C_amara_deriee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much of what I said in my review of Brothers Grimm Volume II still stands true for Volume I.

I'm not going to sugarcoat: most of these stories were 2–3 star reads. But every ninth story or so was a 5-star read, and every sixth or seventh were 4-stars. There were stories I never would have thought of and were fascinated by, and stories that were the basis or very early adaptations for tales and tropes I've heard redone, like in the original sleeping beauty (Briar Rose), the evil witch who cursed Aurora was not invited to her celebration originally because the King only had 12 plates of gold for the witches to eat off of and she was the 13th, and it would have been inappropriate to give the 13th something lesser. I'm glad to know weird things like that.

But then there would also be racist, or overly religious, or incestuous, or very sexist ones, or just straight up "everyone dies" that I could not condone. And I felt kind of jipped to find out all the tropes that would repeat in more than one story, like the three sons who the first two are mean and fail and the youngest is the goodhearted one, or shoes that teleported you where you wish, tableclothes that never ended, Hans the idiot, Thumbling the man who never grew bigger than a thumb—things that seemed like a cop-out to include cool tropes in the exact same way more than once. (Not the character continuing in their life, but more like the exact same character in multiverses.)

But, overall, not liking every story is the way of anthologies (and the publisher definitely can't alter the stories now!), and I still give it 4 stars. Something to read if you like original fairytales.

[T. Renee · Rating 1 out of 5]

No. That's all I can think of when it comes to this book, just... No. I was so pumped to read it and then wonk. wonk, wonk. These stories were so... so, I don't even know but I laughed at a lot of them. A lot of them were set up to be great and then just nothing, no point, no moral lesson-- let me tell you the cat not only eats all the food but he eats the mouse too. There's no underdog, no captivating fight. It was all this 'Once upon a time, there lived-- and then they died.' I've never given a one star rating, on a 'classic' no less! But this book literally drove me to Amazon to buy another book.

[Victoria Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first came across Brothers Grimm when I was 10 years old. Imagine my delight as Cinderella's glass slippers melted on her feet. I was never a girly girl and much prefered the wicked witch over the princess any day. I love the darkside and without the brothers Grimm we would not have the tales we have today. When I was a kid in the 80's kids TV and film was terrifying and you know what? Fun. Now everything is sugar coated and the pretty princess is perfect and so is the prince-bleurgh. The brothers Grimm keep it real by being unreal which is far more entertaining when wicked.

[Veraa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didnt finish the last few stories because it bored me. A lot of the stories i didnt get and were just weird. But the others i did enjoy. Im glad i have this fabulous copy but i expected it to be much more fun :/

[Nadia's Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll forever remain a Grimm-fan. The stories within them holds (to me) more truth than today's watered-down, nothing-can-go-wrong fairy tales. Stories for children should hold within them elements of truth, lessons to be learned, and in a way prepare them for the world. Rearing children with stories where everything always turns out well is not healthy and borne from it unrealistic expectations of what life is and inevitably will result. The results of it is clear enough today: adults moaning and tantruming like children that life is not fair - where do they get the idea that life is fair?

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't have too much to say about this book. It was really great getting to read a lot of the original fairytales that inspired some of the Disney movies we know and love today. It was also gruesome at times. Dark at other times. Aggravating too. But also interesting as well-liked some stories more than others but that's how it goes with these types of books.

I really don't have much more to say.

[Tanzeela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading these stories while commuting unintentionally made life feel like a series of fairytales. Some stories were delightfully poignant and others felt too silly. Overall, enjoyed more than expected.

[Patrixia Lansangan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Some of them were a little boring but the classics were really good 😊😊

[Sheila Ainsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book I particularly read "Fairy Gifts" by The Brothers Grimm. This story was clearly a fairy tale not only by telling from the title but what happens in the story as well. There is usually three problems or situations that the character has to go threw in order to find their happy ending. This is exactly what happened in "Fairy Gifts". The main character, Sylvia, was sent to three different castles where the princesses had earlier received gifts from the fairy. These gifts are something to improve themselves in the way that they think that they need. This was clearly a fairy tale because there are fairies, princesses, and gifts that would not be possible without magic. Another factor that made it clear that this was an old fairy tale was that the language was sometimes hard to understand. In today's world we have so much slang and new lingo that when we read older books we cannot get the full sense of what is going on unless we have a dictionary close by.
I liked this fairy tale because it shows that if you ask for something petty then it will never work out for you in the end. Instead if you ask for something that will help others then the gift will be a good one and last forever. One of the points this fairy tale touched on was vanity. The first princess that Sylvia went to stay with had asked for beauty, and then when she did not have it anymore everyone saw her for who she truly was. This is a great lesson for young students to learn. Instead of teaching them that image is everything. Teach them that people see what is on the inside and if you have an awful personality with a pretty face you will get nowhere in life. Instead they should be kind and loving no matter what they look like or what others look like and it will bring them happiness.
My favorite part of this story was the end when Sylvia finally decided on the gift she was going to ask the fairy for. The one thing that everyone should want in life is to be happy, because when you ask for happiness and then choose to fulfil that destiny then everything else in life will fall into place.

[Mara Miniaci · Rating 3 out of 5]

So great to read all these amazing fairy tales once again, a very nostalgic read! 🤍✨

[Lindsay Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The longest 400+ pages everrr...

[Camila · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some stories in this book that I enjoyed reading, others that I skimmed over or didn't read. Overall, I really loved how dark and twisted a majority of these stories were <3

[Pria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love is like death, it must come to us all, but to each his own unique way and time, sometimes it will be avoided, but never can it be cheated, and never will it be forgotten.

These stories are so bad, that, in a roundabout way, they’re actually very good.

I started reading this about 4 years ago. That’s quite a long time to be reading a book. But it’s 101 separate stories, so I didn’t really hasten to finish it. I’m fairly sure I went over a full 2 years between without reading anything at all.

Now, to elaborate on my opening statement, I mean to say that I wouldn’t recommend the Brothers Grimm to someone looking for the best example of classic literature. The writing itself is far from beautiful—in fact, everything that happens is so... absolute and without elaboration. The characters don’t often commentate on what’s going within them, nor will the author(s) offer explanation. The author(s) is just stating what’s happening, as if to emphasize the absurdity of the story he’s dragging you through. He wants you focused on the story and its moral, not on his prose or world or character psychology. That may seem obvious and/or usual to someone better versed in old European fairytales, but I think it’s interesting.

When I grabbed this book four years ago and put it on the Costco conveyer belt, the cashier looked at my sister and asked if she knew that these stories were dark. I laughed as I raised my hand and said “I know”, because I was a weird middle schooler, and the surprise on her face gave me an unreasonable amount of joy. But as I’ve continued to read this over the years, I have not found it as horrifying as I expected. There are no detailed descriptions of blood or gore or rape or abuse or anything terribly dark. There is murder, there is some blood, there is painful death, but they are not detailed or extensive. And in fact I find them hilarious because the author will all of the sudden make some statement like “And they were all executed” or “so she cut off the heel of her foot” like it’s nothing and move on. So yeah, I find them a little funny. Sue me.

What’s satisfying is that everyone receives their comeuppance. The endings are always so unexpected, and that also makes me laugh, but, everyone definitely deserves what they got. It’s a simple concept. The very last story, which I just read, “Bearskin”, is a good example of every reward reflecting that of everyone’s personal actions and their character.
But, yes, there are a lot of Christian themes, so many marriages wherein the lady must be oh-so-grateful, and just all around weird choices that may seem annoying after a while. But overall it’s reflective of the times.

’You are mine, and I am your’s, and no one in the world can alter that.’

*One more thing I have to slip in, because I love to be angry and argue. All the pretentious nerds complaining that Disney stole the Grimms’ ideas and just watered them down for children... so what? Yeah, dumbass, they’re folktales. I don’t like Disney either. I think they’re a terrible company. But the Grimms wrote these stories to be passed around and be a cultural inspiration—that much is a given when you’re reading allegorical fairytales like these. As soon as Walt Disney poured money into “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937, the brothers, though long dead, achieved true fame for a writer—the immortality of their stories. You can’t even say they were “stolen” anyway. They were written over two centuries ago, get over it. There are much more meaningful things to complain about when it comes to The Walt Disney Company. And making archaic, gory fairytales kid-friendly isn’t one of them.

He who is too well off is always longing for something new.

[melhara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of 101 of short stories/fairytales which are about 4 pages in length. Although the classics were quite enjoyable to read (such as #12. Rapunzel, #15. Hansel and Gretal, #21. Cinderella, #26. Little Red Cap, #50. The Sleeping Beauty (Briar Rose), #53. The Sleeping Beauty, and #55. Rumpelstiltskin), I found many of stories to be quite repetitive (variations of the same tale). Even so, there were a few obscure (and kind of dark) fairytales in here that I really enjoyed, such as:

#6. Faithful John - a story about an incredibly faithful servant
#9. The Twelve Brother - a story about a king and a queen who had to sacrifice their 12 sons so that the kingdom can be gifted to their 13th child, their daughter.
#19. The Fisherman and His Wife - a tale about a fisherman, his greedy wife, and a magic wish-granting fish.
#29. The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs - a tale about the crazy demands of a King who is trying to prevent an 'unworthy' suitor from marrying his daughter.
#32. Clever Hans - a pretty funny story about the not-so-clever Hans.
#36. The Wishing Table, The Gold Ass, and the Cudgel in the Sack - a pretty weird story about three sons who acquired three magical objects (a table, donkey, and cudgel in a bag)
#54. The Knapsack, The Hat, and The Horn - another story about three magical objects.
#77. Clever Gretel - about a clever cook named Gretel.
#101. Bearskin - about a soldier who made a deal with the devil to live like a beast for seven years in return for all the riches in the world.

[Milica Milosevic · Rating 5 out of 5]

So what can I say that wil be something new about this book (or any other book that have 'Brothers Grimm' in tittle)? This is book you need to read. Not because it is classic, nor to learn how message of story is different than Disney version. This book will show you whole power of human imagination, it will show you what were important lessons and how, warped cleverly in magic and fairy dust, thoes lessons are spread through generations.
Brothers Grimm spent their lives collecting tales, myths and than putting them in more romantic and appealing form. By doing that, they captivate readers and start trend of romanticize folklor.
Every popular story you will find here, also you will discover new ones which, I am sure, you will like better.
In the end, if you like fairy tales, want to find new one to be your favorite or just want to explore world that Brothers Grimm wanted to show us, this book is one you just don't want to miss.

[Emily Gagliardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've really enjoyed this book. Some of the stories i already knew due to the fact of taking a fairy tale class in college. i loved them then and i do now too. However, i was having hard time finishing the book. I'm not sure why.

I started reading this book because it was something that i was reading to my mother who is blind but since everything is on lockdown i'm not allowed to leave my house (due to the COVID-19) to go visit my mom since she lives in an old folks home. So i have a couple of stories left to be read and will put the book on hold and will pick it up again when we're allowed to leave the house.

however, i do suggest people to pick this book up and read it some of the stores are great, and some absolutely ridiculous which makes that even better, you may even laugh at some. overall, i truly did enjoy it.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: my version of this book is not paperback (though the cover is flexible.)

I bought this book several years ago (because I have always liked fairly tales) and have read a tale or two at night before sleep. These tales are decidedly NOT Disney-esque in nature, as have been many of the fairy tales of my past. When the Virgin Mary showed up in an early tale, I was pretty astonished. Subsequently, the Lord and the Devil have made many appearances also.

There were times when I stopped and looked up the Brothers Grimm to get a background of them, of how they gathered their tales, of what or whom their tales were intended. They are pretty dark!! Nevertheless, I appreciate the tales and feel I've added to my background as a reader as a result of experiencing them.

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and lovely, like the sinister forests in which so many of these stories take place. These are classic tales, though so many of them in a row felt kind of repetitive. There are a lot of castles, forests, witches, princes, kings, queens, princesses, and a lot of deals with the Devil. Usually though, they come to a more or less peaceful (if not happy) end, though often by grim means. It can’t be reviewed so much because it’s a collection, and the stories were written to be read separately. It’s only repetitive because they’re all compiled. However, some stories deviate entirely from these norms, which is quite refreshing. Prepare yourself for curses, blood, and beautiful wickedness.

[Clarissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a long read but I did it and I got through. Some of the stories you know like Snow White and Rapunzel. They are a little different from the Disney versions of course but mostly with the happy endings still. There is a theme with the stories, usually a beautiful princess and a happily ever after, and a lot of death lol. There is also a lot of religion in the stories which I didn't know before.
They were interesting but some I was like "wtf?" and didn't understand the meaning. Worth the read thou despite being long.

[Timothy Burbage · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I read this wrong.

I think if you pick this up occasionally and read a story or two, then you will enjoy this more than I did. I read it in bulk and it highlighted how repetitive a lot of the tales are.

I ended up skimming a lot of this, as it was so repetitive. Both each story being so similar, but also within the stories themselves.

Probably my favourite one (outside of the well known ones that have been turned into Disney films) is The Twelve Brothers, but the one that made me laugh out loud is The Mouse, The Bird and The Sausage.

[Annabelle Cooke]

People who like short stories should read this book, The Brothers Grimm, which is full of 101 fairy tales. Some of them include The Three Little Men in the Wood, Hansel and Gretel and The Twelve Brothers. Some of the stories are different than the ones that we heard as kids and it was fun to read them. This book is full of classic stories and everyone should read them, not only kids but adults as well. If you ever feel bored, you should pick up this book and read a story that seems interesting to you at the time.