Once upon a time, two brothers wished to preserve their German folklore in a collection of tales that they believed had been handed down for generations. When they began in 1812 they had just 86 stories that rather harshly reflected the difficult life of the European peasantry. Subsequent editions would grow to hold over 200 tales. As time passed, the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, with all of its royalty, magical creatures, and brave adventures, were destined to become one of the most famous examples of European folklore ever written. This compilation includes sixty-four of their most famous tales including "The Frog Prince", "Rapunzel", "Hansel and Gretel", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Tom Thumb", "Rumpelstiltskin", "Cinderella", and "Snow White". The stories of this compilation are drawn from the translations of Edgar Taylor, Marian Edwardes, Lucy Crane, and Margaret Hunt. This edition is beautifully illustrated by Arthur Rackham and includes a biographical afterword.