Grimms' Fairy Tales.
Brothers Grimm · The German Reader
Ten Brothers Grimm tales in the original German of the final 1857 edition — Rotkäppchen, Hänsel und Gretel, Schneewittchen — glossed word-by-word in English.
164 pages · Paperback & Kindle · Beginner–intermediate
— the opening of “Rotkäppchen” (Little Red Riding Hood)
Ten unabridged tales.
The complete German text of ten famous tales, mapped word-by-word to English.
There is no better first German literature than the Grimms in their own words. The tales are short, the plots are already familiar, and the same core vocabulary returns again and again — wolf and forest, king and daughter — until it is simply yours.
This edition prints the complete, unabridged German of the Grimms' final 1857 edition with a literal English word beneath each German word. Aside from light spelling modernisation, the wording, voice and endings remain exactly as the brothers wrote them — you read the real thing, with help always one line away.
- 01Der FroschkönigThe Frog King
- 02Der Wolf und die sieben jungen GeißleinThe Wolf and the Seven Young Kids
- 03RotkäppchenLittle Red Riding Hood
- 04Die Bremer StadtmusikantenThe Bremen Town Musicians
- 05RapunzelRapunzel
- 06DornröschenSleeping Beauty
- 07RumpelstilzchenRumpelstiltskin
- 08Hänsel und GretelHansel and Gretel
- 09AschenputtelCinderella
- 10SchneewittchenSnow White
Why this edition.
Keep your momentum
Read straight through the stories. When you meet an unfamiliar word, its literal English meaning is right beneath it — no dictionary, no lost place.
See how German is built
The glosses keep the original German word order, so verb-final clauses and separable verbs stop being rules to memorise and become patterns you've seen a thousand times.
Current spelling, authentic voice
The 19th-century orthography is updated to modern standards (daß becomes dass, Thür becomes Tür) so you never learn outdated forms — while the Grimms' 1857 wording stays untouched.
Stories you already know
Because you know how Rotkäppchen ends, you can give all your attention to the German. Familiar plots are the gentlest on-ramp to authentic literature.
— the complete opening of “Rotkäppchen” (Little Red Riding Hood)
The details.
- Series
- The German Reader
- Language pair
- German–English interlinear
- Format
- Paperback & Kindle
- Print length
- 164 pages
- Source text
- Final 1857 edition, spelling modernised
- Level
- Beginner–intermediate (A2–B1)
- Published
- June 2026
- ASIN
- B0H72FQ8S3
More in German.
Every edition is glossed by hand, word by word, and printed on demand by Amazon.
Read Grimms' Fairy Tales with every word translated beneath the original.
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