Grimms Fairy Tales

by Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm

The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm are known to children around the Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Rapunzel, and many other familiar stories that have been translated and published in many editions through the years. Stackpole published a hardcover edition in 1937 (list price $2.75!) The flap copy on that early edition describes it as "fuller in text than any available edition and more beautifully illustrated with 94 black-and-white illustrations and 8 full-page color plates by Fritz Kredel." This paperback edition, reproduced with Kredel’s charming illustrations in black-and-white, brings these timeless tales to a new generation.

Genres: Classics

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1961

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

[bubbleswrapherbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not for children.

Most of the tales are horrifyingly grim and grotesque. The stories feature elements of several themes, including brutality, torture, and cannibalism. For instance, the Queen repeatedly attempted to kill Snowdrop and consumed the heart and lungs under the mistaken belief that they were hers. In addition, Hansel and Gretel's parents lacked compassion when they abandoned their children in the middle of the forest. Moreover, in order for their feet to fit in the fancy pair of shoes, Ashenputtel's stepmother forced her stepsisters to have their heels cut.

Violent. Thrilling.
I did love and enjoy reading these tales.

It's incredible that I was able to read them in their original form. Knowing how well people have written or told stories in the past and how they have used those stories to teach their children morality and founding principles is fantastic. For instance, in Mother Holle's story, the diligent and respectful child receives blessings, while the lazy and rude one receives punishment. Children are also reminded to constantly listen to their parents in The Wolf and the Seven Kids. Last but not least, the tale Cat and Mouse in Partnership teaches us to use caution when choose who to call friends.

The supporting illustrations added to my enjoyment as well. They are gorgeous, awesome, and creative in my opinion. The work is also well-written. The book is of excellent quality. The font and text size are visually appealing.

I highly recommend this version. You must buy it!

[Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The little stories were cute and nice to read over a prolonged period. I’d give it a 3 and a half if I could.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

JUST FINISHED READING THE AUDIBLE BOOK "GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES" by THE BROTHERS GRIM AND NARRATED BY BRIAN KELLY. THESE CLASSIC FAIRY TALES ARE ACTUALLY IN MY LIST OF "THE 100 BOOKS EYERYONE SHOULD READ BEFORE THEY DIE.” ACTUALLY THEY ARE ENJOYABLE AND REALLY SEEM TO BE MORE FOR ADULTS ANYWAY. IF YOU GO BACK AND READ THESE STORIES, YOU QUICKLY REALIZE THAT THEY WERE VERY SCARY, MORE LIKE HORROR STORIES WITH VIOLENCE IN ALL OF THEM AND HARDLY ANY OF THEM "LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER™. THINK OF HANSEL AND GRETEL WHOSE PARENTS DID NOT WANT THEM ANYMORE SO THEY TOOK THEM INTO THE WOODS TO ABANDON THEM. THEN THE WITCH IS COOKING THEM SO SHE CAN EAT THEM. CINDERELLA WAS A VICTIM OF CHILD ABUSE, SLEEPING BEAUTY WAS ALSO, AND ON, AND ON. IT WAS KIND OF WARPED THAT THESE WERE THE STORIES WE READ TO CHILDREN TO SOOTHE THEM TO SLEEP. MANY STEPHEN KING STORIES ARE NOT AS TERRIFYING AS THESE FAIRY TALES.

[Victoria - Tori Simms (thevictorianstudy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed reading fairytales, especially in their original and translated forms. I read this book as a reference for a novel I'm writing based on one of the fairytales included in this volume. These were put together very well and translated wonderfully. It's an excellent volume of stories!