This study explores the subject of the Pied Piper of Hamelin from varied angles. It focuses on the historical circumstances in which it arose and leads on to the question of its essential ingredients, its universal appeal to poets and writers. A large part of the book concerns Robert Browning's famous ditty that has popularized the story of the Pied Piper thoughout the English-speaking world and farther still. The nature and power of the Pied Piper were not recognized by the people of Hamelin until it was too late. Browning's poem, though popular, is not generally appreciated as one of the poet's great works. Like its subject, the poem conceals great power that awaits discovery.