The Original Folk & Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm: The Complete First Edition - Rilegato

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

"[A] faithful translation--accompanied by striking black-and-white illustrations, evocative of shadow theatre, by Andrea Dezsö. . . . [T]he Grimms are spare, spinning the tales into beautifully wrought short stories." --Francesca Wade, Times Literary Supplement

"This new translation . . . allows those without German expertise a chance to re-experience familiar stories in all their original Hemingwayesque terseness." --Michael Dirda, Washington Post

"[T]he new Zipes translation of the first edition, with all its notes and annotations, is a must, a treasure for anyone with a serious interest in fairy tales, the motifs of which linger perpetually in the collective mind." --Carmel Bird, Sydney Morning Herald

"Thoroughly engaging, Zipes' translations into colloquial American English breathe life into these stories. Award-winning artist Andrea Dezsö's cut-paper black and white illustrations capture the essence of this strange and enchanting world that will entice fans of mystical realms and those interested in better understanding the Grimms' enduring influence on literature." --Barbara Basbanes Richter, Fine Books & Collections

"[M]agnificent . . . what makes this newly released original volume especially enchanting are the breathtaking illustrations by Romanian-born artist Andrea Dezsö." --Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

"Zipes, who edited and translated the new collection, has done splendid work, first in arguing for the early tales' significance. . . . Zipes' most important achievement, though, is simply putting the complete, uncensored tales before readers to judge for themselves. . . . The Original Folk and Fairy Tales--beautifully illustrated by Andrea Dezsö, by the way--isn't the Disneyfied version of the Brothers Grimm that we all grew up with. But for readers whose tastes lean more to, say, Tim Burton, wading into the collection might feel like stumbling into an agreeably dark and Gothic forest." --Doug Childers, Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Never before published in English, the first edition of the Brothers Grimms' tales reveals an unsanitised version of the stories that have been told at bedtime for more than 200 years. . . . His version of the original 156 stories . . . shows a very different side to the well-known tales, as well as including some gruesome new additions." --Alison Flood, The Guardian

"[R]emarkable. . . . Zipes's introduction . . . is illuminating. . . . This is the uncut Brothers Grimm: shocking, funny, and at times downright weird." --Rebecca K. Morrison, Independent

"[B]eguiling collections that are both a showcase of the enduring fascination with tales of the marvelous and strange and a celebration of those scholars who continue to research the realm of folklore. They unearth gems, and further our understanding of the stories and storytellers' place in the cultural history of their respective countries and, more broadly, in the universal human need to tell and listen to stories. . . . The rewards of these collections are irresistible." --Rebecca K. Morrison, Independent

"The new book, published by Princeton University Press, offers a fascinating insight into how the collection has changed with the times." --Nick Enoch, Mail Online

"Think you know fairy tales? Be prepared for a nasty shock." --Andrew Donaldson, Rand Daily Mail

"Zipes has produced the inaugural English translation of the two original volumes in a gutsy, robust style--warts-and-all." --Marguerite Johnson, The Conversation

"A far more unsettling, exhilarating, oral and adult encounter than you might expect of 'fairy stories.'" --Arifa Akbar, Independent

"Who wouldn't want to read a story called The Singing Bone? 156 fables--their collected works--newly translated but easily just as creepy and weird." --Globe and Mail

"Zipes's translation of the first edition of the collection by the Brothers Grimm is a wonderful addition to the material available in English." --Rowan Williams, New Statesman

"As nature, admittedly sharp in tooth, claw and thorn, intended." --James Kidd, South China Morning Post

"With Disney's adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's fairy tale mash-up musical Into the Woods finding a wide, wide-smiling reception at the box office, it's the perfect time to consider the source: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm's dark and stormy tales. . . . Andrea Dezsö's illustrations--black-and-white, woodcut-like silhouettes--add the right note of eerie timelessness to these wondrous, wondrously strange yarns." --Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

"[T]hese unexpurgated Grimms' stories are really for older readers who want to delve into the strange stuff that is German folk tales. Deszö’s black and white cut-paper illustrations convey a world in which boundaries between the practical and improbable are as fluid and shifting as a dream. 'The miraculous makes self-evident what is wrong with the real world,' writes Zipes in his learned, accessible introduction, and that’s as good a key as any by which to enter this extraordinary territory." --Deirdre Baker, Toronto Star

"The venerable Jack Zipes, one of the shiniest scholars in fairy tale studies, has brought us a lovely treat, which is a new translation of the first edition of the Grimm Fairy Tales, decorated with wonderfully creepy illustrations by Andrea Dezsö. . . . It's an excellent little book. If not a replacement for whatever illustrated fairy tale collection you had as a child, it's certainly a valuable addition to the library of a fairytale-loving child or adult." --Reading the End

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.