Volksmärchen der Deutschen
Volksmärchen der Deutschen is an early collection of German folk stories retold in a satirical style by Johann Karl August Musäus, published in five volumes between 1782 and 1786.Stories
The first English translation, containing just five stories, was published anonymously in 1791. The translation has traditionally been attributed to William Beckford, though this now seems unlikely according to David Blamires due to the very few German books in Beckford's extensive library, as noted by G. P. Butler. However, Bartolomeu dos Santos says that author and poet Joseph Crabtree met Goethe in 1786, was asked by him to translate Musäus' Volksmärchen into English, and suggests that Beckford may have assisted him with this when they met in Lisbon.
