Other editions of book Hans Brinker; Or, the Silver Skates

Gretel looked at her [mother] in troubled silence, wondering whether it were very wicked to care more for one parent than for the other-and sure, yes, quite sure, that she dreaded her father, while she clung to her mother with a love that was almost idolatry. -from Hans Brinker A beloved childhood favorite for a century and a half-and a book that readers continue to enjoy and appreciate long into adulthood-Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates went through more than 100 editions during the author's lifetime alone. First published in 1865, this replica of the 1917 edition features the exquisite illustrations by Alice Carsey, whose sensitive eye and delicate pen-and-ink lines enliven the tale of the poor but virtuous Dutch boy in a way that few other artists have achieved. This replica edition brings the enchanting work of Dodge and Carsey to a new generation of children. Author and editor Mary Mapes Dodge (1831-1905) was born in New York City. She served as editor of the children's magazine St. Nicholas, to which she attracted such writers as Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Rudyard Kipling. She also authored the short-fiction collection Irvington Stories (1864).

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This little work aims to combine the instructive features of a book of travels with the interest of a domestic tale. Throughout its pages the descriptions of Dutch localities, customs, and general characteristics have been given with scrupulous care. Many of its incidents are drawn from life, and the story of Raff Brinker is founded strictly upon fact.While acknowledging my obligations to many well-known writers on Dutch history, literature, and art, I turn with especial gratitude to those kind Holland friends who, with generous zeal, have taken many a backward glance at their country for my sake, seeing it as it looked twenty years ago, when the Brinker home stood unnoticed in sunlight and shadow.Should this simple narrative serve to give my young readers a just idea of Holland and its resources, or present true pictures of its inhabitants and their every-day life, or free them from certain current prejudices concerning that noble and enterprising people, the leading desire in writing it will have been satisfied.Should it cause even one heart to feel a deeper trust in God’s goodness and love, or aid any in weaving a life, wherein, through knots and entanglements, the golden thread shall never be tarnished or broken, the prayer with which it was begun and ended will have been answered. - Taken from "Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates" written by Mary Mapes Dodge

Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates is a novel by American author Mary Mapes Dodge, first published in 1865. The novel takes place in the Netherlands, and is a colorful fictional portrait of early nineteenth-century Dutch life, as well as a tale of youthful honor. The title of the book refers to the beautiful silver skates to be awarded to winner of the ice-skating race Hans Brinker hopes to enter. The novel introduced the sport of Dutch speed skating to Americans, and in U.S. media Hans Brinker is still considered the prototypical speed skater. The book is also notable for popularizing the story of the little Dutch boy who plugs a dike with his finger.

First published in 1865, Mary Mapes Dodge’s “Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates” is an endearing children’s story about a hard-working, honorable Dutch boy and the challenges he faces as a result of his family’s poverty. Hans dreams of entering a big ice-skating race with his sister Gretel so that he may win the beautiful silver skates he desires. Yet, he is also very concerned for his father, who has been injured from a fall off of a dike and in need of surgery. When Hans learns of an expensive doctor who may be able to treat his father, he offers his money, saved for the race skates he would need to win the competition, to the doctor for the surgery. This heartwarming tale with its surprising ending was an instant commercial success and has remained in print ever since its publication. Dodge’s story, full of authentic detail of Dutch life in the early nineteenth century, has provided readers with a charming tale of youthful honor that has stood the test of time. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

"Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates" is a novel by the American author Mary Mapes Dodge, first published in 1865. The novel takes place in the Netherlands, and is a colourful fictional portrait of early nineteenth-century Dutch life, as well as a tale of youthful honor. The title of the book refers to the beautiful silver skates to be awarded to the winner of the ice-skating race Hans Brinker hopes to enter. The novel introduced the sport of speed skating to Americans.The book is also notable for popularising the story of the little Dutch boy who plugs a dike with his finger. (Excerpt from Wikipedia)

- With over 100 illustrations.Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates (full title: Hans Brinker; or, the Silver Skates: A Story of Life in Holland) is a novel by American author Mary Mapes Dodge, first published in 1865. The novel takes place in the Netherlands, and is a colorful fictional portrait of early nineteenth-century Dutch life, as well as a tale of youthful honor.The title of the book refers to the beautiful silver skates to be awarded to winner of the ice-skating race Hans Brinker hopes to enter. The novel introduced the sport of Dutch speed skating to Americans, and in U.S. media Hans Brinker is still considered the prototypical speed skater.The book is also notable for popularizing the story of the little Dutch boy who plugs a dike with his finger.A small fictional story within the novel has become well known in its own right in American popular culture. The story, read aloud in a schoolroom in England, is about a Dutch boy who saves his country by putting his finger in a leaking dike. The boy stays there all night, in spite of the cold, until the adults of the village find him and make the necessary repairs.

A Dutch brother and sister work toward two goals--finding the doctor who can restore their father's memory and winning the competition for the silver skates. For more than a century Mary Mapes Dodge's delightful children's story has been read and reread, holding its place as a genuine American classic. "A charming domestic story, which is address, indeed, to young people, but which may be read with pleasure and profit by their elders....Mrs. Dodge's humor is delightful." -Atlantic Monthly "Mrs. Mary Mapes Dodge...was in a very true and intimate sense a friend of many thousands of children. More than the grown person, the child is instinctively aware of real sympathy and friendliness; and it was because these were at the heart of everything that Mrs. Dodge wrote, and of all her work as an editor, that she was so beloved by her young readers. In all she did thoroughness was a notable element, and it was for this reason that, from her very first attempt, Mrs. Dodge had complete success. Thus, her most famous tale,' 'Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates,' was not only a charming story of child life, but a perfect and exact picture of Holland and its people. It is said that in writing 'Hans Brinker' Mrs. Dodge had every chapter read critically by two Dutch friends, and that before beginning the work she made an exhaustive study in libraries and literature of everything that could help her to make the picture correct. This book has been translated into many languages, and has been especially popular in Holland itself. It maintains its place with the child readers of today, despite the lapse of years." -New Outlook "Abounding in descriptions of life rarely touched by novelists, and animated by an excellent spirit." -Boston Evening Transcript "The authoress has shown in her former works for the young a very rare ability to meet their wants, but she has produced nothing better than this charming tale, alive with incident and action, adorned rather than freighted with useful facts, and moral without moralization." -The Nation "The characters are pictured with almost photographic distinctness and power." -New York Christian Inquirer "One of the best works of the kind the young folks were ever permitted to lay hands upon." -New York Evening Express "A very charming story." -New York Evening Post "A pleasant story, wrought out in all its details with the minuteness of a Dutch painting, of life in Holland in the olden time." -Harper's Monthly "There have been few pleasanter books than Mrs. Dodge's." -Philadelphia Evening Gazette "Deserves a place on the library shelves and in the hearts of the children of the present day." -New York Evening Post