Brothers Grimm collection features stunning illustrations

“THE FAIRY TALES OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM,” by Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm, Noel Daniel and Matthew R. Price, Taschen, Oct. 4, 2011, $39.99 (all ages)

Growing up, my family had certain traditions on holidays, and most of them involved giving books instead of candy. It turns out books last a lot longer and are more satisfying overall. As Valentine’s Day approaches, I’d like to suggest a book that will delight children and adults alike.

“The Fairy Tales of the Brother’s Grimm” compiled by Noel Daniel and translated by Mathew Rice and published by Taschen is a beautifully illustrated collection of the Grimm brothers’ most treasured works.

The book contains all-new translations of 27 fairy tales with vintage illustrations by the original artists of the various tales, dating from the 1820s to the 1950s. Silhouettes from original 1920s publications also accompany each tale, adding a cohesive feel to the volume.

An introduction by editor Noel Daniel, “More Than Words Can Say: The Grimms’ Enduring Legacy and the Art It Inspired,” discusses the history of fairy tales and their impact on culture. His thoughts are interesting, concise and well-organized, though children will most likely skip that section for the book’s real meat. Artist biographies and a translator’s note are great additions near the end of the volume, as is an easy-to-use index.

Once you have a copy of “The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm,” you won’t want to put it down. It’s great for bedtime stories — both short and long — or as a conversation piece on your coffee table. It’s a book to treasure and return to time and time again.

Below is a list of the included fairy tales with the names of their corresponding illustrators in parenthesis.

The Frog Prince (Walter Crane)
The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats (Heinrich Leutemann)
Little Brother and Little Sister (Fedor Flinzer)
Rapunzel (Otto Speckter)
Hansel and Gretel (Heinrich Merté)
The Fisherman and His Wife (Wanda Gág)
The Brave Little Tailor (Franz Wacik)
Cinderella (Hanns Anker)
Mother Holle (Herbert Leupin)
Little Red Riding Hood (Divica Landrová)
The Bremen Town Musicians (Rudolf Geifsler)
The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs (Gustaf Tenggren)
The Shoemaker and the Elves (George Cruikshank)
Tom Thumb’s Travels (Oswald Sickert)
Sleeping Beauty (Herbert Leupin)
Snow White (Wanda Zeigner-Ebel)
Rumpelstiltskin (Kay Nielsen)
The Three Feathers (Kay Nielsen)
The Golden Goose (L. Leslie Brooke)
Jorinda and Joringel (Arthur Rackham)
The Goose Girl (Jessie Willcox Smith)
The Twelve Dancing Princesses (Kay Nielsen)
The Star Coins (Viktor P. Mohn)
Snow White and Rose Red (Gustaf Tenggren)
The Hare and the Hedgehog (Gustav Süs)
Puss in Boots (Herbert Leupin)
The Golden Key