“The Shreds.” A Selection from Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Gilbert James, London: Siegle, Hill and Co., [c. 1900], pp. 29-30.
Tale Summary
There was once a maiden who was very pretty, but also very lazy. Whenever she tried to spin she would become inpatient, and whenever there was a knot she would rip it out and throw the thread on the ground. Whenever this happened, her servant-girl would gather up the scraps and was eventually able to weave a beautiful dress for herself out of them. A man fell in love with the lazy maiden, but on the evening before the wedding, the servant-girl was twirling in the pretty dress and the bride-to-be let it slip that she had woven it from her scraps. The bridegroom realized that he did not want to be with the lazy maiden, and married the industrious maid instead.
Fairy Tale Title
The Shreds
Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)
Brothers Grimm
Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)
Gilbert James
Common Tale Type
Tale Classification
Page Range of Tale
pp. 29-30
Full Citation of Tale
“The Shreds.” A Selection from Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Gilbert James, London: Siegle, Hill and Co., [c. 1900], pp. 29-30.
Original Source of the Tale
Brothers Grimm
Tale Notes
Research and Curation
Kaeli Waggener 2024
Book Title
A Selection from Grimm’s Fairy Tales
Book Author/Editor(s)
Brothers Grimm
Illustrator(s)
Gilbert James
Publisher
Siegle Hill & Co; The H.B. Claflin Company
Date Published
1900
Decade Published
1900-1909
Publisher City
London
New York
Publisher Country
United Kingdom
United States
Language
English
Rights
Public Domain
Digital Copy
Available at the CU Digital Library
Book Notes
This book includes six tales, most of which are the Grimm Brothers' best-known tales including Sleeping Beauty, The Frog Prince, Rumplestilskin, Hansel and Grethel, The Rabbit’s Bride, and The Shreds. The illustrations are simple but beautiful and a few pages are decorated with floral motifs. It is a very small book that appears adapted for children.