Jacob Abbott

Antium was situated on the seacoast about thirty miles south of the Tiber. A bold promontory here projects into the sea, affording from its declivities the most extended and magnificent views on every side. On the north, looking from the promontory of Antium, the eye follows the line of the coast away to the mouth of the Tiber, while, on the south, the view is terminated, at about the same distance, by the promontory of Circe, which is the second...

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...

Richard II was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Born in 1367, Richard was the son of Edward the Black Prince and grandson of King Edward III. He ascended the throne at the young age of 10 after his grandfather's death. Richard's early reign was largely controlled by his uncles. He assumed full power in 1389 at age 22. Considered intelligent and cultured, Richard promoted architecture, the arts and education. He was also very...

A fascinating biography of Peter I of Russia, otherwise known as Peter the Great.

Be transported back to ancient Rome and the turbulent rule of Emperor Nero in this gripping biography by Jacob Abbott. Though now infamous for corruption and excess, Nero's life was complex-and shaped by fortune as much as vice. Follow Nero's path from powerless youth to the peak of unlimited authority as Rome's supreme leader. Abbott charts Nero's unlikely rise, culminating with the emperor's broken promises to the Roman people. Though best known...

From humble Caribbean roots to the pinnacle of imperial power, Josephine's life traced the arc of triumph and tragedy writ large across the canvas of history. As an innocent island girl, she witnessed the horrors of the slave trade before a tempestuous arranged marriage brought the young Creole beauty to Parisian high society. There her grace and charm catapulted Josephine to fame in the salons and court of Louis XVI. But as the guillotine's shadow...

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...

Queen Elizabeth I was the daughter of Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn. She was born on 7th September 1533, in Greenwich Palace and she is remembered as one of England's greatest monarchs. Queen Elizabeth I was declared Queen in 1553, following the death of her half-brother Edward VI and after resisting several attempts to depose her from her position as Queen. Queen Elizabeth I reigned for 45 years, successfully restoring the Church of England and...

Discover the gripping true story of King Charles I of England in this engaging historical biography for young readers. With vivid storytelling that brings the past to life, "History of King Charles the First of England" whisks you back to the tumultuous Stuart era, when the fate of a kingdom rested on the shoulders of one extraordinary monarch. Step inside the palace intrigues and royal drama as Charles navigates the tricky game of thrones. Witness...