Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates was published in 1865 and received more reviews than any other children's book that year. Today it continues to delight countless readers with its story of a virtuous family who inspires us all to have the courage to pursue our dreams.

MARY MAPES DODGE (1831--1905) was the acknowledged leader in the field of juvenile fiction during her lifetime.From 1873 until her death she edited and contributed to the children"s magazine St.Nicholas.

Foreword

1   Hans and Gretel

2   Holland

3   The Silver Skates

4   Hans and Gretel Find a Friend

5   Shadows in the Home

6   Sunbeams

7   Hans Has His Way

8   Introducing Jacob Poot and His Cousin

9   The Festival of Saint Nicholas

10   What the Boys Saw and Did in Amsterdam

11   Big Manias and Little Oddities

12   On the Way to Haarlem

13   A Catastrophe

14   Hans

15   Homes

16   Haarlem--the Boys Hear Voices

17   The Man with Four Heads

18   Friends in Need

19   On the Canal

20   Jacob Poot Changes the Plan

21   Mynheer Kleef and His Bill of Fare

22   The Red Lion Becomes Dangerous

23   Before the Court

24   The Beleaguered Cities

25   Leyden

26   The Palace and the Wood

27   The Merchant Prince and the Sister-Princess

28   Through The Hague

29   A Day of Rest

30   Homeward Bound

31   Boys and Girls

32   The Crisis

33   Gretel and Hilda

34   The Awakening

35   Bones and Tongues

36   A New Alarm

37   The Father"s Return

38   The Thousand Guilders

39   Glimpses

40   Looking for Work

4l   The Fairy Godmother

42   The Mysterious Watch

43   A Discovery

44   The Race

45   Joy in the Cottage

46   Mysterious Disappearance of Thomas Higgs

47   Broad Sunshine

48   Conclusion