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| The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales | 
| Authors: Brothers Grimm, Josef Scharl
Creators: Padraic Colum, Joseph Campbell
Publisher: Pantheon
Category: Book
List Price: $18.00
Buy Used: $6.75
You Save: $11.25 (63%)
New (41) Collectible (3) from $9.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 11268
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 880
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.7
ISBN: 0394709306
Dewey Decimal Number: 398.210943
EAN: 9780394709307
ASIN: 0394709306
Publication Date: September 12, 1972
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 23 | | NEXT » |
 New translation, old is better October 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
 Looking for the real deal? This is for you September 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you are looking for the original Grimm's Fairy Tales in one volume, this is for you.
Reading fairy tales in their original form takes one back to a much earlier time, back before they were written, when lives of children were in constant danger of being eaten by the many hungry adults who roamed Europe of the middle ages.
I am a collector of Fairy Tales and folk myths. Many themes recur in folk myths around the world, a symbol of our collective unconscious.
You will find familiar favorites here, but you will find them in a form you may find surprising - a bit gritty.
Violence and death was the world of the middle ages.
Terrific for those who want the real deal or for those who study fairy tales and folk myths.
There are monsters in the dark woods December 31, 2007
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
This isn't a review, exactly, as it's been a long time since I read these, but I had a friend who believed that these gruesome tales were quite appropriate for children, becasue they were an allegorical way to teach children about the evils that lurk in the world. Witches are something that little boys and girls can understand (and rightly fear) while, perhaps, pedophiles are not.
The brothers Grimm November 8, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It was amazing for me to read these stories because as a child, there were so many that were not read to me and it was surprising to discover some of the harshness of the story. This does not reflect upon the enjoyment. It was just surprising how violent some of them were.
It didn't matter to me because I was still being transported away with the memories of the wonderful fairy tales from my childhood.
The book still serves its purpose, the tales are as wonderful and magical as I remember them, and I look forward to reading them out loud to my grandchildren. Better still, the format will still see them enjoying it in their adulthood as it does me.
It is good to see these stories have been kept alive and well preserved.
For the price, its been well worth it for me.
Grimm's Fairy Tales October 10, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales by The Grimm Brothers
The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales is a great book. The fairy tales are quite like the modern versions you read today although they don't seem as fictional. I really enjoyed reading the original version of Hansal and Gretel. For those of you who haven't read it (which probably isn't a lot!) is about two poor children who's mother wants to get rid of them so she can eat more and not have to worry about them. The father doesn't agree and tries to change her mind. Hansal overhears the conversation and collects white stones that "glow" in the moonlight. The next day when they are being led into the woods, he drops the stones and at night, they are able to come back home. Their mother gets mad and tries again the next day. Hansal uses bread this time but birds eat up all the crumbs. You can only guess what happens! This story kind of reminded me of birthday parties I used to have when I was five. My parents took different colored yarn balls and made "spider webs" around our living room. On the end of each color, there would be a small toy of some sort. Then the kids would each get a color and wind it back up and it would eventually lead them to a toy. I also read a story I had never heard about a man who does favors for people and animals and when he needs something, they all return the favor. I wish people did more things like that now. I don't recommend this book for younger children because some of the words are a bit complex and some of the stories have meanings that young children might not understand.
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