The Brothers Grimm Publish Their First Collection of Tales

On 20 December 1812, the first volume of Kinder- und Hausmärchen, or Children's and Household Tales, appeared in print. Prepared by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, this initial installment contained eighty-six narratives gathered from printed texts and spoken accounts. The project grew out of an intellectual turn that began during their legal studies at the University of Marburg, where legal scholar Friedrich Carl von Savigny introduced them to his personal library and fostered their appreciation for German history, law, and folk tradition. Jacob accompanied Savigny to Paris as an assistant, while Wilhelm completed his law degree at Marburg. When Jacob returned to Kassel in 1806, he shifted his focus from law to German literature, a passion his brother already shared.

The direct impetus for collecting oral stories came from their writer friends Achim von Arnim and Clemens Brentano, who intended to publish folk tales. In response, the Grimms collected old books and invited local acquaintances in Kassel to recite traditional narratives. Beyond assisting their peers, the brothers viewed these efforts as a way to construct a comprehensive history of early German literature and preserve historical culture. Jacob interrupted these pursuits during the Napoleonic Wars to serve on the Hessian War Commission.