The Annotated Brothers Grimm by Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm, Wilhelm Carl Grimm, Maria Tatar (Editor), A. S. Byatt (Introduction)

From the Publisher

The Annotated Brothers Grimm celebrates the richness and dramatic power of the legendary fables in the most spectacular and unusual Grimm volume in decades. Containing forty stories in new translations by Maria Tatar-including "Little Red Riding Hood," "Cinderella," "Snow White," and "Rapunzel"-the book also features 150 illustrations, many of them in color, by legendary painters such as George Cruikshank and Arthur Rackham; hundreds of annotations that explore the historical origins, cultural complexities, and psychological effects of these tales; and a biographical essay on the lives of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Perhaps most noteworthy is Tatar's decision to include tales that were previously excised, including a few bawdy stories and others that were removed after the Grimms learned that parents were reading the book to their children-stories about cannibalism in times of famine and stories in which children die at the end. Enchanting and magical, The Annotated Brothers Grimm will cast its spell on children and adults alike for decades to come.

The New York Times - Neil Gaiman

The Annotated Brothers Grimm treats the stories as something important -- not, in the end, because of what they tell us of the buried roots of Germanic myth, or because of the often contradictory and intermittently fashionable psychoanalytic interpretations, or for any other reason than that they are part of the way we see the world, because they should be told. That's what I took from it, anyway. But fairy tales are magic mirrors: they show you what you wish to see.

Library Journal

Tatar (languages & literature, Harvard) presents her translations of 40 folktales collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, taking care to balance male and female protagonists. modern favorites like "Cinderella" and "Rapunzel" stand side by side with more obscure stories, such as "How the Children Played Butcher with Each Other" (which is as gruesome as the title implies). The multiple versions/variations given for each story include those that date back long before the Grimm Brothers time. While Jack Zipes's The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm includes many more stories, Tatar's clear and informative commentary on the many theories regarding the origins, meaning, and detail of the selected stories makes this an important addition to the canon. Adding extra interest and depth are 150 illustrations (many in color) by L. Leslie Brooke, Arthur Rackham, Wanda G g, and others. An outstanding addition to folklore, children's literature, and Germanic studies collections; also recommended for any collection of traditional folk and fairy tales. Mary Morgan Smith, Northland P.L., Pittsburgh Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

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Table of Contents