The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm -- Jacob Grimm, Hardcover

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

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 Dezs .

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.

Author: Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 10/19/2014
Pages: 568
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.00lbs
Size: 8.30h x 6.20w x 1.80d
ISBN: 9780691160597

Review Citation(s):
Choice 04/01/2015 pg. 1316
New York Review of Books 07/09/2015 pg. 65

About the Author
Jack Zipes is the translator of The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (Bantam), the editor of The Great Fairy Tale Tradition (Norton), and the author of Grimm Legacies (Princeton). He is professor emeritus of German and comparative literature at the University of Minnesota. Andrea Dezsö is a visual artist who exhibits in museums and galleries worldwide and is associate professor of art at Hampshire College.