Jakob Ludwig Grimm and Wilhelm Karl Grimm were born in Hanau, Germany, in 1785 and 1786, respectively. The brothers were part of a family of nine children who lived in the countryside. Their first volume of fairy tales (from which this book takes its content), Children's and Household Stories, was published in 1812. A collection of stories told to them by peasants and villagers, it was created as a collaborative effort: Jakob did the research behind the stories, and Wilhelm crafted these stories for children.