The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales (Hardcover)

I bought this to read with my children. Don't do that unless your kids are teenagers at least. The original stories aren't meant for small children. At a minimum the kids get bored; at the worst, they'll be terrified.

I didn't care for the quality of the book myself; it looks like it was layed out by somebody that normally designs dictionaries or phone books. But you might like dense copy and inconsistent illustrations.

2. Ugly, crowed typesetting that would be more at home in a newspaper.

3. Jumbled illustrations by different artists with different styles, none of which are credited, and many are placed out of synch with the corresponding stories. Very few of the illustrations are worth a second glance.

4. Weakly bound. Will fall apart with regular reading.

5. The prose is dreadful. Or is that the stories sound better in their native German???

6. My copy arrived covered in inexplicable dark smudges.

7. Not for collectors, or those who like quality books.

8. Note: If you are buying for your children, they will probably be bored by the stories, or not understand them. As one reviewer pointed out, they were never complied for children in the first place.

I don't see the poor quality that many have discussed.The pages are thin of paper but thick with words and quality to captivate a Fairy Tale lover. Oral story telling has been a tradition for centuries, and this book keeps that alive. These stories are definately memorable and after you've read them you can tell them over and over.

I remember many of these stories from my childhood. They're rich with imagery. Maybe many of them were never intended for small children... but if you can look past the grim images of some stories you will find a deep lesson. I even see some religious symbolism in some of the tales which border on same idea lines as Biblical stories.

I disagree with the negativity and poor ratings this book has gotten. I think it is a must have for the Literature and Fairy Tale collectors (if not for the quality of the book, then definately the quality of the stories therein). Considering that early versions of the book were written in 1812 and its still sold widely today, there must be something about it that causes people to wonder about those brothers Grimm.

Give this book a second glance!!