Customer Reviews

The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Born in the late 1700s in Hanau, Germany, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were noted scholars celebrated for the documentation of German folklore--and most particularly for the documentation of folk tales that had been previously passed from generation to generation by oral tradition.

The Brothers Grimm began to publish these tales 1812 under the title Children's and Household Tales, a collection which went a then unheard of six editions during their lifetimes and a posthumous edition shortly after their deaths. In its final form, the collection contained two hundred folk tales and ten "Children's Legends," and they would have a tremendous impact on both European and American popular culture.

It is here that we find such figures as Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretle, Tom Thumb, Rapunzel, and the Bremen Town Musicians--to name but a few. But be forewarned: these are not the tales as presented in such venues as The Little Golden Book series or on the big screen by Walt Disney. True enough, there is magic, wonder, and a world in which good triumphs... but there is also savage retribution, revenge, brutality, torture, and the occasional flourish of anti-semetism as well.

"Cinderella" offers a good example of the violence one often finds in these stories. Modern versions typically punish the wicked step-sisters with comic humiliation, but in the original tale their eyes are picked out by birds--and this is actually one of the less extreme retributions offered. The evil queen in the classic "Snow White" is forced to dance at Snow White's wedding... in red-hot iron shoes until she dies. Perhaps most disconcerting is the fate of the wicked servant in "The Goose Girl," who is thrown naked into a barrel driven through with spikes that is dragged by horses through the town!

Although children typically adore such gruesome details, modern parents will likely be less enthusiastic--and I myself wouldn't recommend The Brothers Grimm as bedtime story material for the very young and impressionable. They are perhaps best left to older children, especially if their taste leans to the Gothic. That said, however, the Pantheon edition is quite good, for it offers both the original German texts and English translations; it would make an excellent gift for a young language student. And the stories themselves, so often dark and brooding, deserve to be read for the long shadow they have cast re literary tradition.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Even if your not a scholar, this tremendous read-aloud reaches all the way back to the voices of the oral tradition, whose rich language and images will transport you to a magical state of being. The Frog King begins "In olden times when wishing still helped one, there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful that the sun itself, which has seen so much, was astonished whenever it shone in her face." Try that at dusk or by candle light, and see if an awed hush doesn't fall over your listener(s)!

For those with a more serious bent, this is perhaps the most accurate English translation of the Grimm's recordings of the oral tales. The complete collection lets you compare the patterns and rhythms of language and story line. The introduction by Padraic Colum and end commentary by Joseph Campbell (some 30 pages) are an added treasure. This version is frequently used by Waldorf teachers, and is "must have" for all primary teachers and families with children.

Regarding the fairy tales: The Grimm brothers collected fairy tales from all over the Germanies and published the collected stories in 1812. Historically and culturally this is very important because we have a glimpse into an oral tradition back when oral tradition was alive and well. Many are surprised to find that the stories aren't Disney rated. They have gore and all.

Regarding this particular release of the Grimm Fairy Tales: The paper is bad quality. I have the 1981 edition and the pages are already very very yellow. The illustrations are in many different styles by four different artists. They aren't bad, but given the presentation and the fact that they are a mixed bag they come across that way. The translation by Margaret Hunt was originally published in 1884, and the language feels a little stale today.

This is an adequate copy of the text if you just want to read through it. It isn't durable, it isn't archival and it isn't good quality paper or presentation. These stories have been around long enough that they are now public domain and can be found for free in many locations online, if you just want to check out the original Grimm version of a story. (Paper is easier on the eyes, so there is a place for a poor quality widely available edition.) Libraries will want a more durable edition. Yep a better quality edition is a good idea for families too.

Not all the stories in this book are winners, and you can take a LONG time reading all of them. For the longest time I'd been hearing that Disney's version of these Grimm classics are much cleaner. No kidding. But being a hardcore fantasy reader, I like all the violence and dark senses of humor that the Grimm brothers have. Generally, for every 10 stories you read, you might find two that you like and one that you REALLY like. As for the actual book, the pages are apparently NOT acid-free, which means that it was cheaply made. It is still hardback, though. I'm not a HUGE Grimm fan, but there were enough illustrations for my taste. Along the same lines, I don't care if the works are out of order--what matters is that they're translated decently. I still hold that there is--somewhere--a better Grimm's book to be found--hence the 3 stars. Apart from all that, this is a good bargain bin book--which is where I found it. My favorite stories--so far--are The Frog Prince, Cinderella, The Three White Snakes, and The Youth Who Could Not Shiver and Shake.

Who published these weak translations? Yup, they are on newsprint and get smudged immediately. How about using real paper? B&N needs to stop thinking opportunistically and start thinking about quality.

These are the classic fairy tales that we heard as children, but they are not the original grim fairy tales written by the Grimm brothers. If you are looking to have a copy of the grim Grimm brothers then keep looking.

First of all, there is a problem with the product details: it says 210 pages. Question: how can you cram a complete Grimm into so few pages? However, when you click "view this book" and have a look at the table of contents, it turns out to be much longer. Question again: are the two the same book? You cannot be sure, as it also refers to a 1972 edition.

My main complaint, however, is the quality of the translation. I know that my present favourite "complete" edition is a reprint of the 1853 edition and is probably bowdlerised, but the present neutralised, or rather neutered, edition is even worse than the old Victorian one. As an example, the very first line has an absolutely unnecessary "one":

"In olden times when wishing still helped one..."

is plain awful style. Now, I won't quote my favourite old book, but a new translation (The Annotated Brothers Grimm):

"Once upon a time, when wishes still came true..."

or I can put here a more classical one (The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales, Deluxe Edition (Literary Classics (Gramercy Books)), which is a hardback edition for only 20 bucks):

"In olden times, when people could have what they wished for..."

both of which have much better style and--surprise, surprise--do not need an unnecessary gender reference that an overzealous translator feels the unstoppable desire to make politically correct and stylistically stilted.

What can you expect from a book that is so disappointing in its very first line? (Every writer and publisher has been fully aware since "olden times" that the first line sells or fails a book.) If I didn't have three different translations and would be out to find a good one, I would definitely try to find a more decent one.

I loved the old fashioned illustrations but it wasn't "genuine Grimms" in my opinion and the stories themselves had been rearranged from their original order. A common mistake, but I prefer the stories as they were meant to be arranged.

You don't need to trust me--you can look inside the book and get a load of the first translation of the "Frog King" which is unreadable. Someone just took an old translation and reprinted it on poor quality paper. This does not do justice to the tales.

I knew exactly what book I was getting when I ordered this. After reading some of the reviews, I was a little apprehensive. All in all, for the price, it's a good book. HOWEVER, the stories are more summaries of the stories than the actual full-length stories. If you're buying this book thinking you're going to be getting 8+ pages per story, you're wrong. Most stories average 2-3 pages in length and are VERY quick reads.

It's a good book to keep you entertained. It is an adults' fairy tale book though due to the graphic (and original) nature of the tales.