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XERXES King of Persia: Greek-Persian Wars (Medium Print)
This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1850
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About the author
Jacob Abbott
1,400 books91 followersAbbott was born at Hallowell, Maine to Jacob and Betsey Abbott. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1820; studied at Andover Theological Seminary in 1821, 1822, and 1824; was tutor in 1824-1825, and from 1825 to 1829 was professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at Amherst College; was licensed to preach by the Hampshire Association in 1826; founded the Mount Vernon School for Young Ladies in Boston in 1829, and was principal of it in 1829-1833; was pastor of Eliot Congregational Church (which he founded), at Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1834-1835; and was, with his brothers, a founder, and in 1843-1851 a principal of Abbott's Institute, and in 1845-1848 of the Mount Vernon School for Boys, in New York City.
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.
His Rollo Books, such as Rollo at Work, Rollo at Play, Rollo in Europe, etc., are the best known of his writings, having as their chief characters a representative boy and his associates. In them Abbott did for one or two generations of young American readers a service not unlike that performed earlier, in England and America, by the authors of Evenings at Home, The History of Sandford and Merton, and the The Parent's Assistant.
Fewacres in 1906, Abbott's residence at Farmington, Maine
His brothers, John S.C. Abbott and Gorham Dummer Abbott, were also authors. His sons, Benjamin Vaughan Abbott, Austin Abbott, both eminent lawyers, Lyman Abbott, and Edward Abbott, a clergyman, were also well-known authors.
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.
His Rollo Books, such as Rollo at Work, Rollo at Play, Rollo in Europe, etc., are the best known of his writings, having as their chief characters a representative boy and his associates. In them Abbott did for one or two generations of young American readers a service not unlike that performed earlier, in England and America, by the authors of Evenings at Home, The History of Sandford and Merton, and the The Parent's Assistant.
Fewacres in 1906, Abbott's residence at Farmington, Maine
His brothers, John S.C. Abbott and Gorham Dummer Abbott, were also authors. His sons, Benjamin Vaughan Abbott, Austin Abbott, both eminent lawyers, Lyman Abbott, and Edward Abbott, a clergyman, were also well-known authors.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 23, 2018
In 1850 or so, Jacob Abbott wrote a series of books called Makers Of History, with each of the 31 volumes describing the lives and achievements of various rulers around the world. I found a partial set once at a library book sale and picked out some names that I was interested in at the time. Henry V of England, Hernando Cortez, Alexander The Great. Maybe William The Conqueror, too. I have been wondering ever since I started the Gutenberg edition of Xerxes if I have that one also, but if I do I couldn't remember.
Anyway, I do remember being very entertained by the Abbott volumes I read, and I've always kept an eye open at book sales for more volumes in the series. He had a way of making his subjects come to life, making the reader feel as if they were actually witnessing all the major events that we had to memorize dates of in school history classes.
And that was his intention. He explains his idea in his preface:
One special object which the author of this series has had in view, in the plan and method which he has followed in the preparation of the successive volumes, has been to adapt them to the purposes of text-books in schools. The study of a general compend of history, such as is frequently used as a text-book, is highly useful, if it comes in at the right stage of education, when the mind is sufficiently matured, and has acquired sufficient preliminary knowledge to understand and appreciate so condensed a generalization as a summary of the whole history of a nation contained in an ordinary volume must necessarily be. Without this degree of maturity of mind, and this preparation, the study of such a work will be, as it too frequently is, a mere mechanical committing to memory of names, and dates, and phrases, which awaken no interest, communicate no ideas, and impart no useful knowledge to the mind.
There are 12 chapters here about Xerxes, with maps and illustrations as well. We learn about his rocky road to the throne, and what he did once he got there. Remember Thermopylae? Or The Battle Of Salamis? Xerxes, both times. He wanted to burn Athens is revenge for an earlier burning of a Persian city by the Greeks. That was his main desire in life once he took the throne. And what happened afterwards? Abbott tells us that also.
Naturally, there will be some outdated material here. Supposedly Xerxes had an army of over a million soldiers when he crossed the Hellespont. That is not counting all the baggage handlers , servants, and women who went along. Modern day scholars declare this to be an exaggeration, with his army surely numbering no more than 60,000. Still hard to imagine such a trek, isn't it?!
But what Abbott does, and he comments on it twice within his text, is not to dispute the writings of the ancient historians, he simply shares the exact information they left us, working it all into a very compelling lecture that brings the far-distant past to vivid life. Anyone with imagination and curiosity (surely there is still a little left in the world?) could use these books as a stepping stone to more thorough explorations of at least 31 topics.
Anyway, I do remember being very entertained by the Abbott volumes I read, and I've always kept an eye open at book sales for more volumes in the series. He had a way of making his subjects come to life, making the reader feel as if they were actually witnessing all the major events that we had to memorize dates of in school history classes.
And that was his intention. He explains his idea in his preface:
One special object which the author of this series has had in view, in the plan and method which he has followed in the preparation of the successive volumes, has been to adapt them to the purposes of text-books in schools. The study of a general compend of history, such as is frequently used as a text-book, is highly useful, if it comes in at the right stage of education, when the mind is sufficiently matured, and has acquired sufficient preliminary knowledge to understand and appreciate so condensed a generalization as a summary of the whole history of a nation contained in an ordinary volume must necessarily be. Without this degree of maturity of mind, and this preparation, the study of such a work will be, as it too frequently is, a mere mechanical committing to memory of names, and dates, and phrases, which awaken no interest, communicate no ideas, and impart no useful knowledge to the mind.
There are 12 chapters here about Xerxes, with maps and illustrations as well. We learn about his rocky road to the throne, and what he did once he got there. Remember Thermopylae? Or The Battle Of Salamis? Xerxes, both times. He wanted to burn Athens is revenge for an earlier burning of a Persian city by the Greeks. That was his main desire in life once he took the throne. And what happened afterwards? Abbott tells us that also.
Naturally, there will be some outdated material here. Supposedly Xerxes had an army of over a million soldiers when he crossed the Hellespont. That is not counting all the baggage handlers , servants, and women who went along. Modern day scholars declare this to be an exaggeration, with his army surely numbering no more than 60,000. Still hard to imagine such a trek, isn't it?!
But what Abbott does, and he comments on it twice within his text, is not to dispute the writings of the ancient historians, he simply shares the exact information they left us, working it all into a very compelling lecture that brings the far-distant past to vivid life. Anyone with imagination and curiosity (surely there is still a little left in the world?) could use these books as a stepping stone to more thorough explorations of at least 31 topics.
June 18, 2017
An interesting history, which I read in about an hour and twenty minutes. Since it was written in 1850 and I know there have been numerous archaeological finds concerning Persian history since then, coupled with the lack of a bibliography, I wonder if it's 100% accurate, but I found it an interesting read despite that question. I'm participating in an ABC challenge with a group here, and searched Project Gutenburg for a good option for an X title.
The history reads almost like a novel, with handy side-notes for reference to each event. The Gutenburg version includes a few images from the original, including a map in the front. The story mainly concerns Xerxes' invasion of Greece and burning of Athens, which was the high and low point of his career. Abbott, the author, throws in some moralizing about the futility and wrongfulness of war for the sake of conquest, which I entirely agreed with. He highlighted how the war wrecked the population and productivity of the lands Xerxes took his army through, as well as how it backfired into the prosperity of his own Median country.
The history reads almost like a novel, with handy side-notes for reference to each event. The Gutenburg version includes a few images from the original, including a map in the front. The story mainly concerns Xerxes' invasion of Greece and burning of Athens, which was the high and low point of his career. Abbott, the author, throws in some moralizing about the futility and wrongfulness of war for the sake of conquest, which I entirely agreed with. He highlighted how the war wrecked the population and productivity of the lands Xerxes took his army through, as well as how it backfired into the prosperity of his own Median country.
October 5, 2016
Abbott makes reading history easy. Xerxes the Great is the Ahaseurus of the Book of Esther in the Bible. He was also the one whose army was drastically reduced by the famous 300! This is a fascinating insight into the man and life at that time.
February 7, 2025
came to read interesting things about xerxes, got interested in artemisia instead. queen shit
February 11, 2013
I didn't know what to expect when I first started reading this book. The first pages were mainly descriptive and they were a bit of a bore. But then as I sank my teeth into it more, the book came alive. Jacob Abbott is a very skilled narrator, breaking down huge chunks of time into bite size bits for the history layman (i.e. me).
He starts by briefly describing Xerxes early life and lays the ground work for events that progressively occur later on in Xerxes ;life. He dwells a lot on the experience that was Xerxes burning of Athens. From the beginning of the tour, to the surprise ending, Jacob Abbott describes Xerxes’ attitude, reasoning and result of his advance to Greece, to burn Athens. One leaves the book with a richer view of the experience that is marching off to war and returning, whatever the result. A rather big chunk of the book’s dedicated to dealing with the marching off to war, so be prepared for that.
A rather engaging reading nevertheless for any history buff, or anyone looking for a crash course on Xerxes’ burning of Athens. Read it expectantly.
He starts by briefly describing Xerxes early life and lays the ground work for events that progressively occur later on in Xerxes ;life. He dwells a lot on the experience that was Xerxes burning of Athens. From the beginning of the tour, to the surprise ending, Jacob Abbott describes Xerxes’ attitude, reasoning and result of his advance to Greece, to burn Athens. One leaves the book with a richer view of the experience that is marching off to war and returning, whatever the result. A rather big chunk of the book’s dedicated to dealing with the marching off to war, so be prepared for that.
A rather engaging reading nevertheless for any history buff, or anyone looking for a crash course on Xerxes’ burning of Athens. Read it expectantly.
November 14, 2022
A-Z Challenge 2022. X.
I'm sure this text is incredibly outdated, but that doesn't mean that Jacob Abbott doesn't do a good job of explaining the reign of Xerxes. Simple pros told in a chronological order about the Persian king, from his ascent to the thrown after his father, Darius The Great's death, to his involvement in the second Greco-Persian Wars and finally his murder at the hands of a man who was named after his beloved uncle.
I'm sure this text is incredibly outdated, but that doesn't mean that Jacob Abbott doesn't do a good job of explaining the reign of Xerxes. Simple pros told in a chronological order about the Persian king, from his ascent to the thrown after his father, Darius The Great's death, to his involvement in the second Greco-Persian Wars and finally his murder at the hands of a man who was named after his beloved uncle.
January 8, 2012
A decent account of the life of Xerxes. Abbott seems to lack the sympathy for him that he shows to many historical figures and once again bemoans the fact that the most famous figures in history are famous for wholesale slaughter and creating vast amounts of human misery.
March 26, 2017
Classical history, told in a old voice.
December 23, 2018
I am not familiar at all with history that goes back as far, and the only time I have heard of Xerxes is what is mentioned in the book of Esther in the Old Testament. That story wasn’t recounted here, but through this book I learned how Esther could have been fearful for her life because Xerxes was a hard and cruel ruler. I don’t know how much of this is true since the author doesn’t leave his bibliography and where he got his information. This is a book about war and not much else, although it does tell how Xerxes came to power as the son of Darius and the grandson of Cyrus. Although this book is mainly about the invasion and destruction of Greece, it doesn’t tell what else Xerxes did, let alone how he lived to be 55 (give or take) during a time when life expectancy wasn’t what it is today, especially with so much fighting. Maps would have also been very convenient as geography has changed so much since Abbott wrote this book.
July 25, 2021
Sometimes an older book is a better book, and I think that holds true in this case. Abbott specifically wrote this book in a style intended to help young scholars learn about a particular subject.
History is usually not one of my favorite subjects, but I had always heard of Xerxes and wanted to learn about him, so I chose to read this book. I love the way Abbott introduced each section, providing an outline of Xerxes' life. It helped structure the events so that I could easily follow them and retain the most important details. I wish every history book I had to read in school had been so well structured!
If you're looking for an exciting, in-depth rendition of Xerxes' life, this is not it. But if you want an introduction to the basic facts of Xerxes and his war with Greece, I would highly recommend this book as your starting point.
History is usually not one of my favorite subjects, but I had always heard of Xerxes and wanted to learn about him, so I chose to read this book. I love the way Abbott introduced each section, providing an outline of Xerxes' life. It helped structure the events so that I could easily follow them and retain the most important details. I wish every history book I had to read in school had been so well structured!
If you're looking for an exciting, in-depth rendition of Xerxes' life, this is not it. But if you want an introduction to the basic facts of Xerxes and his war with Greece, I would highly recommend this book as your starting point.
March 24, 2019
This is a fairly basic introduction to Xerxes and his conquest of Greece, but Jacob Abbott has a straightforward style that's highly engrossing and a joy to read. No liberties have been taken in interpreting the information as presented by historians of the age (Herodotus, etc), so it can be a bit dry in places, but he does spice it up with vivid descriptions of geography and battle. It certainly helped that I'd seen the famous Hollywood movie "300", so the battle at the Pass of Thermopylae where the Persians met with fierce resistance from the Spartans wasn't hard to imagine.
I really enjoyed this book by Jacob Abbott, I will certainly be reading more in the "Makers of History" series.
I really enjoyed this book by Jacob Abbott, I will certainly be reading more in the "Makers of History" series.
November 17, 2025
Full transparency - I chose this book solely to help me finish the Alphabet Challenge I'm doing this year.
I'm glad I did so as I learned a great deal and had some great conversations with my husband. We both love history; however, different aspects of it. He knows a great deal more about the Persian and Greek Empires of the Ancient World and was familiar with the battles included in this book. So the best part of this book was the conversations I had about it with him as I was reading it.
I see this author and his brother wrote about various ancient leaders and I look forward to reading more of their books.
I'm glad I did so as I learned a great deal and had some great conversations with my husband. We both love history; however, different aspects of it. He knows a great deal more about the Persian and Greek Empires of the Ancient World and was familiar with the battles included in this book. So the best part of this book was the conversations I had about it with him as I was reading it.
I see this author and his brother wrote about various ancient leaders and I look forward to reading more of their books.
February 19, 2021
An interesting work, if you keep in mind what Abbott explains in the beginning, that he is simply telling the story of Xerxes as the ancients knew it, while not making any claim of real history and science. Although I assume some of the quotations are Abbott's own work, or at least his adaptations of what for example Herodotus claimed was said, because they all read exactly the same as what Abbott writes.
May 25, 2020
Another read from the Makers of History series written a century ago from Jacob Abbott.
As such, accuracy it's something penalized, but nonetheless it's a compelling, fascinating book about the Persian king that, to paraphrase the author, after subduing Africa and Asia looked at Europe for the next challenge. Leonidas and the 300 willing to do whatever it takes to stop them.
Captivating read.
As such, accuracy it's something penalized, but nonetheless it's a compelling, fascinating book about the Persian king that, to paraphrase the author, after subduing Africa and Asia looked at Europe for the next challenge. Leonidas and the 300 willing to do whatever it takes to stop them.
Captivating read.
October 16, 2021
Jacob Abbott’s biographies are consistently strong in storytelling, historical background and insightful commentary. This was one of my favorites - Xerxes was an intriguing figure in his horridness. The tyrants of our day, terrible as they are, vastly pale in comparison to the evil committed by this man and his horde as they descended on Greece, destroying all that stood in their path.
November 30, 2022
Very well written been a while since I read a history biography. Didn’t know much about the Greeks and have learnt a lot.
May 27, 2021
Help! I am stuck in the Persian Empire and I can't get out! Wow, Xerxes. Talk about privileged rich boy. He has the whole developed Asia and Egypt under his control, but he wants Greece. He brings 5 million people from the Persian Empire in Asia Athens. They lay waste the the countryside as they march consuming all that they come across, many dying of hunger. They make it to Athens where they are readily destroyed and Xerxes has to run away back home empty-handed. Fun fact, Xerxes is the Persian king who married Esther in the Bible.
July 22, 2012
This book chronicles the life and times of Xerxes. I picked up the book, wanting to learn more about this ancient monarch. Most of the book tells the story of Xerxes attack on Greece. Key players in history, including Leonidas of Sparta, make appearances. So does Artemisia, the female Persian general who was highly praised by the king and forgotten by history. One regret is that this copy did not contain maps. Having been to Greece, I was familiar with much of the layout but a map would have been sublime. I also wish there would have been more insight into Xerxes life after the war.
And I will now be adding "300" to my movie list.
And I will now be adding "300" to my movie list.
May 15, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed this book it was very intriguing and informative. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading ancient history. The only problem that I had was the way the pages were printed, some of the print was so close together and dark that it was hard to make out any of the words I had to guess at what they were. Looking forward to the new bio coming out in December about Xerxes.
April 6, 2014
I read this book in order to get some kind of background on Xerxes before diving into Tom Holland's Persian Fire. It therefore served it's purpose adequately and was actually one of the more enjoyable of Jacob Abbott's short biographies.
October 25, 2014
I was drawn into this in the beginning, but then really lost interest and dragged myself through the last half. I don't know if it was a problem with the book, or a problem with me.
March 28, 2015
Okay book about Xerxes. Some things could be clearer, some I wish it said something about. Good introduction though.
May 2, 2017
Though Xerxes was not nice, nor pleasant, nor a good man, his story captured my interest. He wanted to conquer the world, and after he plundered and destroyed Athens it appeared that he had done it. Then he lost everything in the naval battle at Salamis.
The book opens: No small part of the glory of Greece was won to the shame of Xerxes. Standing on the loftiest heights of human grandeur, he was hurled into unparalleled disaster, with the ruins of his vast army and the wrecks of his huge fleet with him.
Abbott quotes Xerxes: "It is the manifest destiny of Persia to rule the world." I wondered if he really used the words manifest destiny. A Bing search tells me the phrase was first used in 1845; Abbott wrote this book in 1850. Mystery solved.
The book opens: No small part of the glory of Greece was won to the shame of Xerxes. Standing on the loftiest heights of human grandeur, he was hurled into unparalleled disaster, with the ruins of his vast army and the wrecks of his huge fleet with him.
Abbott quotes Xerxes: "It is the manifest destiny of Persia to rule the world." I wondered if he really used the words manifest destiny. A Bing search tells me the phrase was first used in 1845; Abbott wrote this book in 1850. Mystery solved.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews