Universal History (Volume 1); From the Creation of the World to the Decease of George III, 1820

by Alexander Fraser Tytler

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PUBLISHERS ADVERTISEMENT. It is doubtless true, that the proper study of mankind is man; from which consideration the importance of history can scarcely be estimated too highly. Metaphysical, ethical, and physiological inquiries have done much to aid in the prosecution of this study, by ascertaining the laws of mental action, determining the grounds and limits of moral responsibility, and unfolding the mysteries of man's physical nature; but it is history alone which presents, in one collective view, a picture of human life and conduct, in every age and under all possible varieties of circumstances. The publishers, therefore, can have no doubt that they are rendering an acceptable service to the community, by issuing a cheap and convenient edition of Tytler's much-esteemed work on the Elements of General History. Unquestionably, the most valuable end of historical writing is to impress forcibly on the mind of the reader the important general truths, whether moral, political, or economical, which are naturally suggested by the details of the narrative; and it is believed that inthis respect especially, the following work will be found to possess a very high degree of merit. It will be perceived that Mr. Tytler has ex. tended his work only to the close of the seventeenth century. To supply this important deficiency, Dr. Nares, Regius Professor of History in the University of Oxford, was induced to prepare an additional volume, nearly on the same plan, and bringing down the subject of General History to the year 1820. This continuation forms the sixth volume of the present edition, and renders the work complete. The present is published from the last English edition, omitting some few passages which were believed not to be material, and which might be considered obj...

104 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2012

About the author

Alexander Fraser Tytler, Lord Woodhouselee, was a Scottish lawyer, writer, and professor. Tytler was also a historian, and for some years was Professor of Universal History, and Greek and Roman Antiquities, in the University of Edinburgh. Tytler's other titles included Senator of the College of Justice, and George Commissioner of Justiciary in Scotland. Tytler was a friend of Robert Burns, and prevailed upon him to remove lines from his poem Tam o' Shanter which were insulting to the legal and clerical professions.