Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates

Mary Mapes Dodge

Published by Charles Scribner & Sons, 1926

About this Item

This is a beautiful rendering of the children's classic (which so enchanted me as a youngster). It will surely delight your children or grandchildren as well! It is beautifully illustrated, and quite unlike any of the other Hans Brinker versions available for sale on the web. The condition of the book, given its age, is very good/excellent. The spine is completely intact, though there is some fraying at the top, and the words are quite faded, but legible nevertheless. The cover art is stunning and perfectly preserved. The illustrations within are similarly beautiful. There is some miniscule discoloration and foxing on the fore edge and the spine shows a bit of wear from several readings, but the book's condition overall is very good for its age. The book does not have (and never had) a dustjacket There is an Ex Libris bookplate from a prior owner (Audrey Wertheim) on the front inside of the cloth. There is also a very small tear in the same place, right at the spine, but the tear does not manifest itself at the exterior of the cloth. This is a wonderful gift to be shared with young, imaginative minds! Buy with confidence! ABOUT THE BOOK: This story of ordinary people in a village in Holland has been a favorite for several generations. Along with Heidi it has the perennial appeal of a poor child making good on his own. In the original tale, The Hero of Haarlem, was a nameless Dutch boy who saved his country by putting his finger in a leaking dike and stayed there all night, in spite of the cold. In this novel by Mary Mapes Dodge, first published in 1865, a class reads out loud the tale. The lead protagonist of the novel is named Hans Brinker (Hansje Brinker in Dutch), which has since become the name associated with the hero of the original tale, though the novel's character participates with his sister in a skating competition and does not plug up a dike. In the novel, Hans also must deal with the problems of a sick father, a life of poverty and the local children treating him and his sister very poorly. Dodge wrote the book as a tribute to Holland, its history and culture. She refers to Holland as "the pluckiest little country on earth.". Seller Inventory # 000036

Bibliographic Details

Title: Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates

Publisher: Charles Scribner & Sons

Publication Date: 1926

Binding: Hardcover

Illustrator: George W. Edwards

Condition: Very Good

Edition: 5th or later Edition