Mary Mapes Dodge

Mary Mapes Dodge (1831-1905). Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Mary Mapes Dodge (January 26, 1831 – August 21, 1905) was an American poet, children's writer, and editor, best known for her novel Hans Brinker; or, The silver skates.

Life

Dodge was born Mary Elizabeth Mapes in New York City, to Sophia (Furman) and professor James Jay Mapes. She acquired a good education under private tutors. In 1851 she married the lawyer William Dodge. Within the next four years she gave birth to two sons, James and Harrington. In 1857, William faced serious financial difficulties and left his family in 1858. A month after his disappearance his body was found dead from an apparent drowning, and Mary Mapes Dodge became a widow.

In 1859 she began writing and editing, working with her father to publish two magazines, the Working Farmer and the United States Journal. Within a few years she had great success with a collection of short stories, The Irvington Stories (1864), and a novel was solicited. Dodge then wrote Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates, which became an instant bestseller.

Later in life she was an associate editor of Hearth and Home, edited by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Dodge had charge of the household and children's departments of that paper for many years. She became an editor in her own right with the children's St. Nicholas Magazine, for she was able to solicit stories from a number of well-known writers including Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, and Robert Louis Stevenson. St. Nicholas became one of the most successful magazines for children during the second half of the 19th century, with a circulation of almost 70,000 children.

Dodge died at her summer cottage in Tannersville, New York, in 1905. She is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery, at 1137 North Broad Street, Hillside, New Jersey.

Publications

Poetry

• Along the Way. New York: Scribner, 1879;
• Poems and Verses. New York: Century, 1904.

Short fiction

• Theophilus and Others. New York: Century, 1876.

Juvenile

Poetry

• Rhymes and Jingles. New York: Scribner, 1875.
• When Life Is Young: A collection of verse for boys and girls. New York: Century, 1894.

Fiction

• The Irvington Stories. New York: J. O'Kane, 1865.
• Hans Brinker; or, The silver skates. 1865
  • London, Edinburgh, New York: Nelson, 1903
  • (ilustrated by Allen B. Doggett). New York: Scribner's, 1917.
  • (illustrated by Maginel Wright Enright). Philadelphia: David McKay, 1918.
  • (illustrated by Tom Taggart). New York & London: S. French, 1937
  • (illustrated by Dorothy L. Baker). Boston & Los Angeles, CA: Walter H. Baker, 1938
  • (illustrated by Hilda van Stockum). Cleveland, OH: World, 1946
• A Few Friends and How They Amused Themselves. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1869.
• Donald and Dorothy. New York: Century, 1883.
• The Land of Pluck: Stories and sketches for young folk. New York: Century, 1894.
• The Hermit of the Hills. Chicago: M.A. Donahue, 1902.
• Captain George; or, The drummer boy. Chicago: M.A. Donahue, 1903.
• Po-no-kah: An Indian tale of long ago. Chicago: M.A. Donahue, 1903.
• The Golden Gate. Chicago: M.A. Donahue, 1903.
• Mary Anne (illustrated by June Amos Grammer). New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepherd, 1983

Collections

• Baby Days: A selection of songs, stories, and pictures for very little folks. New York: Scribner, 1877.
• Baby World: Stories, rhymes, and pictures for little folks. New York: Century, 1884.
• A New Baby World: Stories, rhymes, and pictures for little folks. New York: Century, 1897.

Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.

See also

• List of U.S. poets

References

• "Dodge, Mary Elizabeth (Mapes)" American Authors 1600–1900 The H. W. Wilson Company, New York, 1938
• Howard Brown, John, The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, The Biographical Society, 1904. Google Books

External links

Poems

• 2 poems by Dodge: "March," "Two Summer Days"
• Mary Mapes Dodge at the Poetry Foundation
• Titles by Mary Mapes Dodge at Litscape (children's poems)

Books

• Works by Mary Mapes Dodge at Project Gutenberg
• Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates readable free online from the University of Florida Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature
• Other works by Mary Mapes Dodge readable free online from the University of Florida Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature
• Mary Mapes Dodge at Amazon.com

About

• Mary Mapes Dodge Dead, obituary in the New York Times
• Mary Mapes Dodge at NNDB
• Mary Mapes Dodge: Crafter of the Silver Skates and Godmother of Children's Literature at Kids LibraryPoint
• Mary Mapes Dodge at Find a Grave