Woman of the Century/Mary Mapes Dodge

DODGE, Mrs. Mary Mapes. author and editor, born in New York City, 26th January, 1838. She is the daughter of Prof. James J. Mapes, the distinguished promoter of scientific fanning in the United States. She was educated by private tutors, and early showed talents for drawing, modeling and musical and literary composition. At an early age she became the wife of William Dodge, a lawyer of New York City. He died in his prime, leaving Mrs. Dodge with two sons to care for. She turned to literature as a means to earn the money to educate her sons. She began to write short sketches for children, and soon brought out a volume of them, entitled "Irvington Stories," (New MARY MAPES DODGE. York, 1864), which was very successful. She next published "Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates" (New York, 1865). With Donald G. Mitchell and Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mrs. Dodge was one of the earliest editors of "Hearth and Home," and for several years she conducted the household and childrens' department of that journal. In 1873, when "St. Nicholas" was started, she became its editor, which position she still holds. Her "Hans Brinker" has been translated into Dutch, French, German, Russian and Italian, and was awarded a prize of 1,500 francs by the French Academy. Her other published volumes are " A Few Friends, and How They Amused Themselves" (Philadelphia, i860), "Rhymes and Jingles" (New York, 1874), "Theophilus and Others" (New York, 1876) "Along the Way," poems (New York, 1879), and "Donald and Dorothy" (New York, 1883). She is the author of "Miss Maloney on the Chinese Question," published in "Scribner's Monthly" in 1870. She has a pleasant home in New York, which is a literary center. One of her sons died in 1X81, and the other, James Mapcs Dodge is a successful inventor and manufacturer, residing in Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. Dodge contributes to "Harper's Magazine," "Atlantic Monthly," the "Century" and other periodicals.