Jacob Abbott

ALEXANDER THE GREAT died when he was quite young. He was but thirty-two years of age, when he ended his career, and as he was about twenty, when he commenced it, it was only for a period of twelve-years that he was actually engaged in performing the work of his life. Napoleon was nearly three times as long on the great field of human action. Notwithstanding the briefness of Alexander's career, he ran through, during that short period, a very brilliant...

Abbott was born at Hallowell, Maine to Jacob and Betsey Abbott. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1820; He was a prolific author, writing juvenile fiction, brief histories, biographies, religious books for the general reader, and a few works in popular science. He died in Farmington, Maine, where he had spent part of his time after 1839, and where his brother, Samuel Phillips Abbott, founded the Abbott School. This book serves as an excellent introduction...

Follow the life and rule of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex circa 871 to 899. Before he was king, Alfred fought in battle against the invading Danes. When his older brother, and current king, was killed during battle, the throne went to Alfred. Coronated at the young age of twenty-one, Alfred the Great inherited the Anglo-Saxon throne in a time of ongoing war. By the time he assumed the throne, the Danes had been actively invading and overthrowing...

Cleopatra is probably one of the most well-known women in history, right alongside Joan of Arc and many other prominent ladies who have changed the face of history as we know it. The lesser known details of her reign, as well as her methods of seduction, philosophies and involvement in world politics, however, are seldom discussed at length. Jacob Abbott's Cleopatra is probably one of the few books that truly discusses these matters in great detail,...

Margaret of Anjou was a formidable 15th century queen who played a pivotal role in the War of the Roses, the decades-long power struggle between the houses of Lancaster and York for the English crown. Born in Lorraine in 1430, Margaret married King Henry VI of England at the age of 15. The match was politically arranged by the English, who hoped Margaret would provide strong leadership that the mentally fragile Henry VI lacked. As queen, Margaret...

PYRRHUS, King of Epirus, entered at the very beginning of his life upon the extraordinary series of romantic adventures, which so strikingly marked his career. He became an exile and a fugitive from his father's house when he was only two years old, having been suddenly borne away at that period by the attendants of the household, to avoid a most imminent personal danger that threatened him. The circumstances which gave occasion for this extraordinary...

Three thousand years is a period of time long enough to produce great changes, and in the course of that time a great many different nations and congeries of nations were formed in the regions of Central Asia. The term Tartars has been employed generically to denote almost the whole race. The Monguls are a portion of this people, who are said to derive their name from Mongol Khan, one of their earliest and most powerful chieftains. The descendants...

Step into the riveting world of medieval England through the pages of "The Story of Richard III" by Jacob Abbott. This enthralling juvenile biography offers an illuminating journey into the life and legacy of one of history's most intriguing figures-Richard III, a monarch whose story is woven with controversy, ambition, and enduring mystery. From the gripping opening chapters detailing Richard's ascent to the throne amidst the tumultuous War of the...

Hannibal, an ancient warrior who almost conquered Rome, was one of the greatest generals in history. His story of adventure, courage, and cunning began in Carthage, a powerful city-state in North Africa, around 247 BC. Hannibal's father, Hamilcar, was also a famous general who fought against Rome in the First Punic War. Hannibal inherited his father's hatred of Rome, and swore to never be its friend or ally. When he was only nine years old, he accompanied...

Jacob Abbott was one of the most prolific American writers of history in the nineteenth century, writing many biographies on the world's most influential leaders in a clear and exciting style. This comprehensive volume, first published in 1849 and part of Abbott's Illustrated Histories series, details the remarkable and fascinating life of William the Conqueror, the first Norman King of England. The king's life is researched and recorded thoroughly,...