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Books

Grimms’ fairy tales: the hardcore version

A review of Grimms’ Original Folk and Fairy Tales suggests that the first version lacked the best bits

13 December 2014

9:00 AM

13 December 2014

9:00 AM

The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm: The Complete First Edition by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, translated by Jack Zipes

Princeton, pp.568, £24.95, ISBN: 9780691160597

Child murder, domestic slavery, abusive families, cannibalism and intergenerational hatred — what could be better for the festive fireside than a new edition of Grimms’ fairy stories? There hasn’t been a straight translation in English of the original 1812 edition; most retellers in English relied on revised versions by Wilhelm Grimm.

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