Book Series Guide

Author guide

Wilhelm Grimm Books in Order

Wilhelm Carl Grimm (1786–1859) was a German philologist and literary scholar whose work focused on medieval German poetry, heroic legend, runology, folklore, and historical language study. With his brother Jacob Grimm, he compiled the Kinder- und Hausmärchen, Deutsche Sagen, and Deutsches Wörterbuch. Wilhelm made especially important contributions to the study and editing of medieval German literature.

German philologymedieval literaturefolklorelinguisticstextual scholarship

Catalog record updated .

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Kinder- und Hausmärchen

The best-known collaborative collection and the clearest entry point into Wilhelm Grimm’s folklore work.

Die deutsche Heldensage

Wilhelm’s principal original study of German heroic legend.

Altdänische Heldenlieder, Balladen und Märchen

His first major publication and an accessible introduction to his interest in traditional poetry and folklore.

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (3)
  1. Über deutsche Runen

    nonfiction · 1821

  2. Die deutsche Heldensage

    nonfiction · 1829

  3. Über Freidank

    nonfiction · 1850

Essays and speeches (2)
  1. Zur Literatur der Runen

    pamphlet · 1828

  2. Bruchstücke aus einem Gedichte von Assundin

    pamphlet · 1829

Other (20)
  1. Altdänische Heldenlieder, Balladen und Märchen

    collection · 1811

  2. Kinder- und Hausmärchen

    collection · 1812

  3. Die beiden ältesten deutschen Gedichte aus dem achten Jahrhundert

    scholarly-edition · 1812

  4. Drei altschottische Lieder in Original und Übersetzung aus den neuen Sammlungen

    collection · 1813

  5. Altdeutsche Wälder

    collection · 1813

  6. Der arme Heinrich

    scholarly-edition · 1815

  7. Lieder der alten Edda

    scholarly-edition · 1815

  8. Deutsche Sagen

    collection · 1816

  9. Die goldene Schmiede von Conrad von Würzburg

    scholarly-edition · 1816

  10. Irische Elfenmärchen

    collection · 1826

    Werk der Gebrüder Grimm über irische Elfenmärchen. Reproduktion des Originals in neuer Rechtschreibung.

  11. Grâve Ruodolf

    scholarly-edition · 1828

  12. De Hildebrando antiquissimi carminis teutonici fragmentum

    scholarly-edition · 1830

  13. Vrîdankes Bescheidenheit

    scholarly-edition · 1834

  14. Der Rosengarten

    scholarly-edition · 1836

  15. Ruolandes liet

    scholarly-edition · 1838

  16. Wernher vom Niederrhein

    scholarly-edition · 1839

  17. Konrads von Würzburg Silvester

    scholarly-edition · 1841

  18. Athis und Prophilias

    scholarly-edition · 1846

  19. Altdeutsche Gespräche

    collection · 1851

  20. Deutsches Wörterbuch

    dictionary · 1854

Frequently asked questions about Wilhelm Grimm

Who was Wilhelm Grimm, and when did he live?

Wilhelm Carl Grimm (1786–1859) was a German philologist, literary scholar, folklorist, and editor of medieval German texts. He was the younger brother and lifelong collaborator of Jacob Grimm.

Sources: dhm.de (opens in a new tab)deutsche-biographie.de (opens in a new tab)

What was Wilhelm Grimm best known for?

He is best known for working with Jacob on the Children’s and Household Tales, widely known in English as Grimms’ Fairy Tales. Wilhelm shaped the collection’s literary style through revisions across successive editions.

Sources: dhm.de (opens in a new tab)grimmwelt.de (opens in a new tab)

What influenced Wilhelm Grimm’s scholarship?

At the University of Marburg, the jurist Friedrich Carl von Savigny introduced Wilhelm to historical methods and to German language, literature, and history; through Savigny, he encountered leading figures of Romanticism. His research focused on medieval German poetry, heroic legend, runes, and folklore.

Sources: dhm.de (opens in a new tab)deutsche-biographie.de (opens in a new tab)

What honors and academic positions did Wilhelm Grimm receive?

The University of Marburg awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1819. He later became a professor of German philology at Göttingen and an ordinary member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin in 1841.

Sources: dhm.de (opens in a new tab)bbaw.de (opens in a new tab)

Why is Wilhelm Grimm still important today?

Wilhelm is remembered as a co-founder of German studies and for bringing medieval German literature, language history, and traditional tales into modern scholarship. The Grimm brothers’ annotated copies of the Children’s and Household Tales are preserved in Kassel and recognized by UNESCO’s Memory of the World program.

Sources: grimmwelt.de (opens in a new tab)media.unesco.org (opens in a new tab)