The first volume of Grimm’s Fairy Tales was published in 1812. Its original German title was Kinder- und Hausmärchen, meaning “Children’s and Household Tales,” and it was compiled by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.
The first volume contained 86 stories. A second volume followed in 1815 with 70 additional tales, so the collection expanded over several editions rather than appearing all at once in its familiar final form.
The Grimms collected stories from oral storytellers, books, and acquaintances in Hesse and nearby regions. Their goal was initially scholarly: they wanted to preserve German-language folklore and study older traditions. The tales were later revised repeatedly, often becoming more polished and more suitable for children.
A common mix-up is confusing 1812 with 1815, the publication year of the second volume. Another is treating the 1857 seventh edition as the original collection; that later edition contained about 200 tales and differed substantially from the first edition.