The Complete Fairy Tales of Brothers Grimm

An excellent collection of the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Its good to find collections of their tales out there that are not just watered down versions. Jack Zipes, who has also translated wonderful editions of the thousand and one nights and a collection of French Fairy Tales(both highly recommended) does an excellent job with the Grimms and provides interesting commentary about the orgins of the tales. My favorite story in particalar was one about a tailor, I can't remember the name.(Yes, I know there are a million stories about tailors but this was the one where the tailor gets blinded and his traveling companion treats him horribly) This edition even includes all of the stories that were even too violent for the Grimm Brothers. One called "How Some Children Played at Slaughtering" is especially unappetizing. All in all I recommend this book to anyone who would like a little enchantment in their lives. By the way, the cover of this book is just gorgous, nice illustrations inside also.

Like most children, I grew up with the stories of Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretal, Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White and a host of other Grimms Fairy Tales. Now I am grown, my children are grown, and I just happened upon this book and decided to treat myself, to bring back memories of a past childhood maybe. Well, it didn't completely do that, as the stories are certainly not, for the most part, the stories that I knew as a child. They are not the glossed over, perfect happy endings that we think of when we think of 'Fairy Tales'. This book has the tales the way they were originally written, complete with enough violence, blood-shed and gore that would make even Freddie Kreuger cringe. But they are also full of humour, life lessons and morals that we could all learn from. The notes at the back of the book are also very informative. Each story title is given it's original German translation, with information on when it was first published and the source from whence it came. The section of Omitted Tales is particularly interesting. These tales were originally ommitted due to either their gruesomeness, similarity to other tales or for other reasons stated in the notes at the back. For those people who want the 'real stuff' and not the 'sugar coated variety' then this is for you. Highly recommended.

The brothers captured much about the German spirit in theircollection of fairly tales, including those aspects of it thatresonate with human nature in general. Most of the tales have German folk origins, some are remakes of French tales, and a few, well... may have been invented by the women who supplied the brothers with fairy tales. The Grimms were academics. Cultured and urban, they did not hang around the villages, pestering peasants for fairy tales. Rather they obtained their material from middle class and aristocratic women who visited their home and related the stories. The women themselves got their material from their mothers or nannies. Wilhelm and Jacob, however, produced an inspired collection of tales with their own distinctive character and flavor. Perhaps they were prodded by the erotic impulse to do that. The tales have certainly withstood the test of time.
There is a lot of good natured, blue-eyed German innocence in these tales; strange, dark, and grotesque imagery and symbolism can surely be found; and of course, anyone reflecting on these tales, cannot help by think of all the grusome violence. For some of the most graphic examples of violence check out "Fichter's Bird" and "The Robber Bridegroom" in the first volume. Strangely enough, children do not seem to be disturbed by the violence of these tales. I read this book for the first time when I was seven or eight, and I was fine--perhaps I wasn't old enough to realize what was really happening. Of course, my experience is typical of the way children respond to these tales. I am more disturbed by Grimm's tales as an adult. Their violence, combined with dark imagery and symbols of darkness (ubiquitous forests), irrational behavior (read "Clever Hans" or "Katy and Freddy"), strong pagan themes ("Gambling Hans"), all this combined with certain naivte and matter-of-factness makes you fear that culture and people a bit.
"The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm" is a masterpiece, as revealing of the times and culture, as they are imaginative and grim in their images and storylines.

Not quite as much a book I will reach for because type is fairly small-- wanted more of a richly presented illustrated (perhaps one per story) treasury. If you are looking for visually interesting text or illustrations-- better keep looking. If you want a record of stories for reference-- of for adult reading-- perhaps this will suit you.

I do like this book but I really didn't think they needed a third edition, when the second one is perfectly fine.
This is the book to get for these classic wonderful fairy tales that we all have grown up with.
There the few stories that many people know all over the world and something that we all can enjoy, no matter how old we get.

Although there are some stories in this book that I would not recommend for children, This is a great book for adults. I love the stories, and the Historical Commentary on the Grimm Brothers at the beginning of the book.This Book is much more exciting then the Disney Watered down tales!

These are actually quite hillarious! So many are quite random and seem to make no sense, and will provide hours of laughter for all you bored people out there.
Forget Disney--these are uncensored and not apologizing to anyone. And little kids will get used to them. It's not an especial problem to all you new-age "don't scare the children!" types. Besides...you can talk about them with the kids afterwards;)
Ah, German fairytales:>

A splendidly colorful book full of children's favorite stories. It can be, however, deceitful. Behind the familiar tales are the well developed plot twists, just as the Brothers Grim wrote them. The Frog Prince, for example, is a wonderful and familiar story of love. One might recall the famous kiss the frog pleads for for rescuing the princess's ball. Instead of a kiss, he is thrown against the wall of her room because she disgusts him so. In the enormous blow he becomes a prince. They ride away to the prince's kingdom in his carriage and they live happily ever after. Strange, no?
Many favorites with original twisted endings can be found in this classic book of fairy tales; a bedtime favorite.
I would recommend this book to any mature audience who would enjoy such strangely magnificent stories. 4 stars.

excellant service and exactly what i wanted , would highly reccomend this seller, been tryin gto obtain this title for some time so very pleased