Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Karl Grimm (1786–1859) were born at Hanau, in Hesse-Cassel, Germany. They grew up in a family with four other children and were educated at the University of Marburg. At first studying law, they became fascinated by the medieval history and language of Germany and gradually turned their focus to in-depth research and study of the German language, its history, and its structure. During this time they uncovered stories that country people knew by heart, and they began collecting these old German folk tales from many sources. They first published their collection in two volumes, entitled Household Tales (1812–1815). In the early 1830s, each brother became a professor of old German literature, and they were considered gifted teachers. The brothers also steadily published an astonishing number of scholarly works. Jacob wrote on topics including German mythology and the history of the German language. His most highly acclaimed scientific work was a German grammar. Wilhelm's published works focused on medieval German literature and folklore. In 1854 they published the first volume (through the letter F) of the monumental standard German dictionary (other scholars completed the work in the 1900s). Then, in 1857, they published an expanded version of their collection, Grimm's Fairy Tales. Wilhelm died two years later, and Jacob, six years later.