Explore Jacob Abbott books at New West Press.

Jacob Abbott's Peter the Great traces the life of a ruler whose ambitions transformed Russia's place in European affairs. The biography follows early circumstances, political and military activity, and conflicts within the ruler's family. This collection centers on Abbott's narrative treatment, offering readers a single life through which to approach a period of significant institutional change. Questions of force, reform, inheritance, and personal cost run through the subject. Readers can examine how Abbott explains the connection between a powerful individual's intentions and the broader changes attributed to his reign.

Biography connects a person's choices with the circumstances of an earlier age. As you read, follow the relationship between private experience and public events, and consider the perspective from which the life is being told. A timeline or map can provide useful context. This selection offers a starting point for readers interested in historical lives and the ways they are remembered.