Now you can enjoy the original, unabridged tales in this new third expanded edition of The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, which includes the famous original 210 tales plus 29 rare tales omitted from the final edition, fascinating stories from the annotations of 1856, six highly unusual texts from a letter written by Jacob Grimm, and startling narratives from the brothers' posthumous papers. Unlike translations that tend to strip these stories of their candid language and tone, Jack Zipes' translation communicates the flavor of 19th-century German society and culture, where high ideals often mingled with brutality, superstition, and prejudice. Here, then, are the classic fairy tales we all grew up with, but told as the Brothers Grimm intended them to be: vibrant, stark, spiced with humor and violence, and resonant with the rhythms of folklore and song. For example, in this edition, there are two Snow White and Rumpelstiltskin versions, that contradict each other, and we learn that it was really Snow White's mother who sought to murder her daughter, and we learn that Rumpelstiltskin's real name was Rumpenstunzchen and that he flew off on a ladle when his name was discovered. We also read how Cinderella's sisters are ready to mutilate themselves to win a prince. The gruesome is mixed with the sentimental throughout the collection.

Among the tales never translated before there are humoroustales of bumbling fools, shrewd and cunning young women, and tragic love. Illustrated with 40 charming and evocative ink drawings by Johny Gruelle (the creator of Raggedy Ann and Andy), The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm reaffirms the place of these classic tales in world literature. Complete with a historical introduction by Jack Zipes, important notes, and an index, this definitive collection of the Grimms' tales is a hugely entertaining -- and sometimes provocative -- book for those of us who want to explore th richer, and at times, darker side of the Brothers Grimm.