Literature

The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm: The Complete First Edition

    Edited and translated by
  • Jack Zipes
    Illustrated by
  • Andrea Dezsö

The original vision of Grimms' tales in English for the first time

Hardcover

Price:
$39.95/£35.00
ISBN:
Published:
Oct 19, 2014
2015
Pages:
568
Size:
6 x 8.25 in.
Illus:
20 halftones.
Buy This

When Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published their Children’s and Household Tales in 1812, followed by a second volume in 1815, they had no idea that such stories as “Rapunzel,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “Cinderella” would become the most celebrated in the world. Yet few people today are familiar with the majority of tales from the two early volumes, since in the next four decades the Grimms would publish six other editions, each extensively revised in content and style. For the very first time, The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm makes available in English all 156 stories from the 1812 and 1815 editions. These narrative gems, newly translated and brought together in one beautiful book, are accompanied by sumptuous new illustrations from award-winning artist Andrea Dezsö.

From “The Frog King” to “The Golden Key,” wondrous worlds unfold—heroes and heroines are rewarded, weaker animals triumph over the strong, and simple bumpkins prove themselves not so simple after all. Esteemed fairy tale scholar Jack Zipes offers accessible translations that retain the spare description and engaging storytelling style of the originals. Indeed, this is what makes the tales from the 1812 and 1815 editions unique—they reflect diverse voices, rooted in oral traditions, that are absent from the Grimms’ later, more embellished collections of tales. Zipes’s introduction gives important historical context, and the book includes the Grimms’ prefaces and notes.

A delight to read, The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm presents these peerless stories to a whole new generation of readers.


Awards and Recognition

  • One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2015
  • One of The Independent’s Best Books of 2014
  • One of South China Morning Post’s Best Books of 2014
  • One of The Globe and Mail 75 Book Ideas for Christmas 2014