Jacob Abbott - Series

BOYS, NON-FICTION, AND MISCELLANEOUS SERIES by Jacob Abbott

Alphabetically by series title

Abbott's GIRLS SERIES are on a separate page, as is Abbott's biography

ABBOTT'S ILLUSTRATED HISTORIES
see ILLUSTRATED HISTORIES
American History title pg

AMERICAN HISTORIES

Aboriginal America (1860)
Online at Google Book Search and Making of America
Discovery of America (1860)
Online at Google Book Search
The Southern Colonies (1861)
Online at Google Book Search and Making of America
The Northern Colonies (1862)
Online at Making of America and Google Book Search
Wars of the Colonies (1863)
Online at Making of America and Google Book Search
Revolt of the Colonies (1864)
Online at Internet Archive
War of the Revolution (1864)
Online at Google Book Search and Making of America
Washington (1865)
Online at Google Book Search

Originally advertised as a 12 volume series with volumes 5-12 planned as The Middle Colonies; Revolt of the Colonies; Boston in Seventy-Five; New York in Seventy-Six; The Carolinas in Seventy-Nine; Campaign in the Jerseys; Burgoyne and Cornwallis; The Federal Constitution

AUGUST STORIES

August and Elvie (1871)
Online at Google Book Search
Hunter and Tom (1871)
Online at Google Book Search
The Schooner Mary Ann (1872)
Granville Valley (1872)
Online at Google Book Search and the Library of Congress

CALEB AND JONAS
see JONAS

GAY
see JOHN GAY and WILLIAM GAY

HARLIE STORIES

The New Shoes; or, Productive Work by Little Hands (1863)

The French Flower; or, Be Kind and Obliging to Your Teacher (1863)

Harlie's Letter; or, How to Learn with Little Teaching (1863)
Available online
Wild Peggie (1863)
Internet Archive
The Sea-Shore; or, How to Plan Pic-nics and Excursions (1863)
Friskie, the Pony; or, Do No Harm to Helpless Animals (1863)
Available online

HARPER'S PICTURE BOOKS FOR THE NURSERY
see LITTLE LEARNER

HARPER'S STORY BOOKS

Bruno; or, Lessons of Fidelity, Patience, and Self-Denial Taught by a Dog (1854)
Online at Google Book Search
Willie and the Mortgage: Showing How Much May Be Accomplished by a Boy (1854)
Online at Internet Archive
The Strait Gate; or, The Rule of Exclusion from Heaven (1855)
Online at Internet Archive

Google Book Search

Bruno

The Little Louvre; or, The Boys' and Girls' Picture-Gallery (1855)
Online at Google Book Search (bound with Bruno)
Prank; or, The Philosophy of Tricks and Mischief (1855)
Online at Internet Archive
Emma; or, the Three Misfortunes of a Belle (1855)
Online at Internet Archive

Virginia; or, A Little Light on a Very Dark Saying (1855)
Online at Google Book Search
Timboo and Joliba; or, The Art of Being Useful (1855)
Online at Google Book Search (bound with Virginia)
Timboo and Fanny; or, The Art of Self-Instruction (1855)
Online at Google Book Search (bound with Virginia)

The Harper Establishment; or, How the Story Books are Made (1855)
Online at Nineteenth-Century American Children and at Internet Archive
Franklin, the Apprentice-Boy (1855)
Bound with Harper Establishment at Internet Archive
The Studio; or, Illustrations of the Theory and Practice of Drawing, for Young Artists at Home (1855)
Bound with Harper Establishment at Internet Archive

The Story of Ancient History, from the Earliest Periods to the Fall of the Roman Empire (1855)
Online at HathiTrust
The Story of English History, from the Earliest Periods to the American Revolution (1856)
The Story of American History, from the Earliest Settlement of the Country to the Establishment of the Federal Constitution (1856)

John True; or, The Christian Experience of an Honest Boy (1856)
Online at Internet Archive
Elfred; or, The Blind Boy and His Pictures (1856)
Bound with John True at Internet Archive
The Museum; or, Curiousities Explained
Bound with John True at Internet Archive

The Engineer; or, How to Travel in the Woods (1856)
Online at Internet Archive
Rambles Among the Alps (1854)
Bound with Engineer at Internet Archive
The Three Gold Dollars; or, An Account of the Adventures of Robin Green (1856)
Bound with Engineer at Internet Archive

The Gibraltar Gallery: Being an Account of Various Things Both Curious and Useful (1856)
Online at HathiTrust
The Alcove: Containing Some Farther Account of Timboo, Mark, and Fanny (1856)
Online at HathiTrust
Dialogues for the Amusement and Instruction of Young Persons (1856)
Online at Internet Archive

The Great Elm; or, Robin Green and Josiah Lane at School (1856)
Online at HathiTrust
Aunt Margaret; or, How John True Kept His Resolutions (1856)
Online at Internet Archive
Vernon; or, Conversations about Old Times in England (1857)
Online at HathiTrust

Carl and Jocko; or, The Adventures of the Little Italian Boy and His Monkey (1857)
Lapstone; or, The Sailor Turned Shoemaker (1857)
Orkney, the Peacemaker; or, The Various Ways of Settling Disputes (1857)

Judge Justin; or, The Little Court of Morningdale (1857)
Online at HathiTrust and at Google Books
Minigo; or, The Fairy of Cairnstone Abbey (1857)
Bound with Judge Justin at Google Books
Jasper; or, the Spoiled Child Recovered (1857)
Bound with Judge Justin at Google Books

Congo; or Jasper's Experience in Command (1857)
Bound with Jasper (as second book in volume) at Google Books
Viola and Her Little Brother Arno (1857)
Online at HathiTrust; also bound with Jasper (as third in volume) at Google Books
Little Paul; or, How to be Patient in Sickness and Pain (1857)
Bound with Jasper (as fourth book in volume) at Google Books

Advertisements explained this was "A Monthly Series of Narratives, Biographies, and Tales for the Instruction and Entertainment of the Young. . . . Each Number . . . will contain 160 pages in small quarto form, very beautifully illustrated, and printed on superfine paper . . . [at] Three Dollars a year, or Twenty-five Cents a Number in Paper, or Forty Cent a Number bound in Cloth gilt. . . . The Quarterly volumes, as completed, neatly bound in Cloth gilt, are sold at One Dollar each. . . ." Readers also had the option of adding a year's subscription to Harper's Magazine for another two dollars.

ILLUSTRATED HISTORIES

22 of the 32 volumes were by Jacob Abbott; the remainder were by his brother John S. C. Abbott (though some reprints incorrectly show Jacob Abbott's name on the title page of all volumes). Although the publication dates of John Abbott's volumes suggest they were interspersed throughout the series, they are here listed separetely.

The series order varies in different ads. The order for the Jacob Abbott titles is taken from Carl J. Weber's A Bibliography of Jacob Abbott. Listings in some ads appear to organize the titles chronologically by subject: Several began with Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes, Alexander the Great, Romulus, Hannibal, Pyrrhus, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Nero, before diverging with later rulers. As one advertisement noted, "The successive volumes of the series, though they each contain the life of a single individual, and constitute thus a distinct and independent work, follow each other in the main, in regular historical order, and each one continues the general narrative of history down to the period at which the next volume takes up the story; so that the whole series presents to the reader a connected narrative of the line of general history from the present age back to the remotest times."

Later ads also subdivided the series into smaller sets. One included three such sets:
English Series: Alfred, William the Conqueror, Richard I, Mary, Elizabeth, Charles I, Charles II
Ancient Series: Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes, Alexander, Romulus, Hannibal, Pyrrhus, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Nero
General: Hernando, Christopher Columbus [by John S. C. Abbott, but not considered part of the regular 32-volume series], Maria Antoinette, Mme Roland, Henry IV, King Philip

More frequently, however, the series was divided into six boxed sets: Founders of Empires, Heroes of Roman History, Earlier British Kings and Queens, Later British Kings and Queens, Queens and Heroines, Rulers of Later Times. Individual volumes' placement in each of those sets is noted in the listing below.

History of King Charles the First of England (1848)
Also as Charles I [LATER BRITISH KINGS AND QUEENS #4]
Online at The Baldwin Project and at Google Books
History of Mary Queen of Scots (1848)
[LATER BRITISH KINGS AND QUEENS #2]
Online at The Baldwin Project and at Google Books
History of Alexander the Great (1848)
[FOUNDERS OF EMPIRES #4]
Online at The Baldwin Project
History of Julius Caesar (1849)
[HEROES OF ROMAN HISTORY #4]
Online at Project Gutenberg
History of Hannibal the Carthaginian (1849)
[HEROES OF ROMAN HISTORY #2]
Online at Google Book Search
History of William the Conqueror (1849)
[EARLIER BRITISH KINGS AND QUEENS #2]
Online at Project Gutenberg
History of King Charles the Second of England (1849)
Also as Charles II [LATER BRITISH KINGS AND QUEENS #5]
Online at Project Gutenberg
History of Elizabeth, Queen of England (1849)
Also as Queen Elizabeth [LATER BRITISH KINGS AND QUEENS #3]
Online at The Baldwin Project
History of King Alfred of England (1849)
Also as Alfred the Great [EARLIER BRITISH KINGS AND QUEENS #1]
Online at Project Gutenberg
History of Xerxes the Great (1850)
[FOUNDERS OF EMPIRES #3]
Online at Project Gutenberg
History of Cyrus the Great (1850)
[FOUNDERS OF EMPIRES #1]
Online at The Baldwin Project
History of Darius the Great (1850)
[FOUNDERS OF EMPIRES #2]
Online at The Baldwin Project
History of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt (1851)
[QUEENS AND HEROINES #1]
Online at Project Gutenberg and Internet Archive
History of Romulus (1852)
[HEROES OF ROMAN HISTORY #1]
Online at Google Book Search
History of Nero (1853)
[HEROES OF ROMAN HISTORY #5]
Online at The Baldwin Project
History of Pyrrhus (1853)
[HEROES OF ROMAN HISTORY #3]
Online at The Baldwin Project
History of King Richard the First of England (1857)
Also as Richard I [EARLIER BRITISH KINGS AND QUEENS #3]
Online at The Baldwin Project
History of King Richard the Second of England (1858)
Also as Richard II [EARLIER BRITISH KINGS AND QUEENS #4]
Online at The Baldwin Project
History of King Richard the Third of England 1858
Also as Richard III [LATER BRITISH KINGS AND QUEENS #1]
Online at The Baldwin Project
History of Peter the Great, Emperor of Russia (1859)
Also as Peter the Great [FOUNDERS OF EMPIRES #6]
Online at Project Gutenberg and at Google Books
History of Ghenghis Khan (1860)
[FOUNDERS OF EMPIRES-5]
Online at The Baldwin Project and at Google Books
History of Margaret of Anjou Queen of Henry VI of England (1861)
Also as Margaret of Anjou [EARLIER BRITISH KINGS AND QUEENS #5]
Online at Project Gutenberg

Titles by John S. C. Abbott
(Note: Some editions erroneously attribute these books to Jacob Abbott)
History of Maria Antoinette (1849) - by John S. C. Abbott
Also as Marie Antoinette [QUEENS AND HEROINES #2]
Online at Google Book Search
History of Madame Roland (1850) - by John S. C. Abbott
[QUEENS AND HEROINES #5]
Online at Google Book Search
History of Josephine (1851) - by John S. C. Abbott
Also as Empress Josephine [QUEENS AND HEROINES #3]
Online at Google Book Search
History of Hernando Cortez (1855) - by John S. C. Abbott
[RULERS OF LATER TIMES #2]
Online at Google Book Search
History of Henry the Fourth, King of France and Navarre (1856) - by John S. C. Abbott
Also as Henry IV [RULERS OF LATER TIMES #3]
Online at Google Book Search
History of King Philip, Sovereign Chief of the Wampanoags (1857) - by John S. C. Abbott
[RULERS OF LATER TIMES #1]
Online at Google Book Search
History of Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples and of Italy (1869) - by John S. C. Abbott
[RULERS OF LATER TIMES #5]
Online at The Baldwin Project
History of Hortense, Daughter of Josephine, Queen of Holland, Mother of Napoleon III Queen Hortense (1870?) - by John S. C. Abbott
Also as Queen Hortense [QUEENS AND HEROINES #4]
Online at Project Gutenberg
History of Louis XIV (1870) - by John S. C. Abbott
[RULERS OF LATER TIMES #4]
Online at Google Book Search
Louis Philippe (1871) - by John S. C. Abbott
[RULERS OF LATER TIMES #6]
Online at Google Book Search

JOHN GAY; OR, WORK FOR BOYS

Work for Winter (1864)
Online at Google Book Search
Work for Spring (1864)
Online at Google Book Search
Work for Summer (1864)
Online at Google Book Search
Work for Autumn (1864)
Online at Google Book Search

Two companion series were MARY GAY and WILLIAM GAY.

JONAS STORIES

Caleb in Town. A Story for Children (1839)
Online at Google Book Search
Caleb in the Country. A Story for Children (1839)
Online at Project Gutenberg and at State University System of Florida (jpg and pdf images)
Jonas's Stories, related to Rollo and Lucy (1839)
Online at at State University System of Florida (jpg and pdf images)
Jonas, a Judge; or, Law among the Boys (1840)
Online at Google Book Search
Jonas on a Farm in Summer (1841)
Online at Google Book Search
Jonas on a Farm in Winter (1841)
Online at Project Gutenberg and at State University System of Florida (jpg and pdf images)

LITTLE LEARNER

Little Learner. Learning to Talk; or, Entertaining and Instructive Lessons in the Use of Language (1855)
Online at Google Book Search
Little Learner. Learning to Think, Consisting of Easy and Entertaining Lessons, Designed to Assist in the First Unfolding of the Reflective and Reasoning Powers of Children (1856)
Online at Internet Archive
Little Learner. Learning to Read. Consisting of easy and entertaining lessons, designed to interest young children in studying the forms of the letters, and in beginning to read (1856)
Online at Internet Archive
Little Learner. Learning about Common Things; or, Familiar Instructions for Children in Respect to the Objects around Them, that Attract their Attention, and Awaken their Curiousity in the Earliest Years of Life (1856)
Online at Internet Archive
Little Learner. Learning about Right and Wrong; or, Entertaining and Instructive Lessons for Young Children, in Respect to Their Duty (1857)

MAKERS OF HISTORY
see ILLUSTRATED HISTORIES

MARCO PAUL'S ADVENTURES IN THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE

Note: All titles begin with "Marco Paul's Adventures in Pursuit of Knowledge"

City of New York (1843)
Sometimes listed as Marco Paul in the City of New York
Online at Google Book Search
Erie Canal (1843)
Sometimes listed as Marco Paul on the Erie Canal
Online at Internet Archive and at Google Books
Forests of Maine (1843)
Sometimes listed as Marco Paul in the Forests of Maine
Online at Project Gutenberg and Google Books
State of Vermont (1843)
Sometimes listed as Marco Paul in Vermont
Online at Project Gutenberg and Google Books
City of Boston (1843)
Sometimes listed as Marco Paul in the City of Boston
Online at Google Book Search
Springfield Armory (1843)
Sometimes listed as Marco Paul at the Springfield Armory
Online at Google Book Search

MARCO PAUL'S TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES IN PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE
see MARCO PAUL'S ADVENTURES IN THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE

ROLLO

Rollo Learning to Talk (1838?/1855)
Originally published as The Little Scholar Learning to Talk: A Picture Book for Rollo (1835)
British edition online at Google Book Search
Rollo Learning to Read; or, Easy stories for young children (1835/1855)
Online at Nineteenth-Century American Children...;
Rollo at Work; or,The Way for a Boy to Learn to Be Industrious (1838/1855)
Online at Project Gutenberg
Rollo at Play; or, Safe Amusements (1838/1855)
Online at Project Gutenberg BR> 1903 edited edition A Boy on a Farm combining Work and Play, with introduction by Lyman Abbott (Jacob Abbott's son), online at Google Books
Rollo at School (1839/1855)
Rollo's vacation (1839/1855)
Rollo's Experiments (1839?/1855)
Online at Project Gutenberg
Rollo's Museum (1839/1855)
Online at Google Books and Project Gutenberg
Rollo's Travels (1839/1855)
Online at Nineteenth-Century American Children... and at Google Books
Rollo's Correspondence (1840?/1855)
Online at Google Book Search

Carl J. Weber's A Bibliography of Jacob Abbott notes the original series stopped at ten volumes. In 1855, the firm of Phillips, Sampson & Co. issued a new edition. Those editions bore a notice stating that "The Rollo series is composed of fourteen volumes"; the series list included the above titles plus the four Rollo's Philosophy books.
Another non-series title was also published: The Rollo Code of Morals; or, The Rules of Duty for Children (1841)

ROLLO AND LUCY BOOKS OF POETRY

Rocking Horse; or, The Rollo and Lucy First Book of Poetry (1863)
Online at Google Books
Carlo; or, The Rollo and Lucy Second Book of Poetry (1863)
The Canary Bird; or, The Rollo and Lucy Third Book of Poetry (1863)
Online at Internet Archive

ROLLO STORYBOOKS

These reprinted stories from the early books in the Rollo series.

Labor Lost (1857)
From Rollo at Work

The Two Wheelbarrows (1857)
From Rollo at Work

Causey Building (1857)
From Rollo at Work

Rollo's Garden (1857)
From Rollo at Work

The Apple Gathering (1857)
From Rollo at Work

Georgie (1857)
From Rollo at Work
Online at Project Gutenberg
Rollo in the Woods (1857?)
From Rollo at Play
Online at Project Gutenberg
The Steeple Trap (1857?)
From Rollo at Play
The Halo Round the Moon; or, Lucy's Visit (1857)
From Rollo at Play
The Freshet (1857?)
From Rollo at Play
Blue-berrying (1857)
From Rollo at Play
Trouble on the Mountain (1857?)
From Rollo at Play

ROLLO'S PHILOSOPHY

The Rollo Philosophy: Part I: Water (1841)
Reissued as Rollo's Philosophy: Water in 1855 as part of the Rollo series (above)
Online at Google Book Search
The Rollo Philosophy: Part II: Air (1841)
Reissued as Rollo's Philosophy: Air in 1855 as part of the Rollo series (above)
Online at Project Gutenberg
The Rollo Philosophy: Part III: Fire (1842)
Reissued as Rollo's Philosophy: Fire in 1855 as part of the Rollo series (above)
Online at Google Book Search
The Rollo Philosophy: Part IV: The Sky (1842)
Reissued as Rollo's Philosophy: Sky in 1855 as part of the Rollo series (above)

ROLLO'S TOUR IN EUROPE

Rollo on the Atlantic (1853)
Online at Project Gutenberg and at Google Books
Rollo in Paris (1854)
Online at Project Gutenberg and at Google Books
Rollo in Switzerland (1854)
Online at Project Gutenberg and at Google Books
Rollo in London (1855)
Online at Project Gutenberg and at Google Books
Rollo on the Rhine (1855)
Online at Project Gutenberg and at Google Books
Rollo in Scotland (1856)
Online at Project Gutenberg and at Google Books
Rollo in Holland (1857)
Online at Project Gutenberg and at Google Books
Rollo in Geneva (1857)
Online at Project Gutenberg and at Google Books
Rollo in Naples (1858)
Online at Project Gutenberg and at Google Books
Rollo in Rome (1858)
Online at Project Gutenberg and at Google Books

For detailed information about editions and formats, see Cary Sternick's Rollo's Tour in Europe page.
An anonymous parody of the books, Rollo's Journey to Cambridge (not by Abbott) was published in 1880 and is available on Google Book Search.

SCIENCE FOR THE YOUNG

Heat (1871)
Online at Google Book Search
Light (1871)
Water and Land (1871)
Force (1872)
Online at Google Book Search

STORIES OF RAINBOW AND LUCKY

Handie (1859)
Online at Nineteenth-Century American Children and Google Books
Rainbow's Journey (1860)
Online at Nineteenth-Century American Children and Google Books
The Three Pines (1860)
Online at Nineteenth-Century American Children and Google Books
Selling Lucky (1860)
Online at Nineteenth-Century American Children and Google Books
Up the River (1861)
Online at Nineteenth-Century American Children and Google Books

WILLIAM GAY; OR, PLAY FOR BOYS

Play for Winter (1869)

Play for Spring (1869)
Online at Google Book Search
Play for Summer (1869)
Online at Google Book Search
Play for Autumn (1869)

Two companion series were MARY GAY and JOHN GAY.

YOUNG CHRISTIAN

The Young Christian (1832)
Online at Google Book Search; also 1882 memorial edition with biography
The Corner-Stone (1834)
Online at Google Book Search
The Way To Do Good (1836)
Online at Google Book Search
Hoaryhead and M'Donner (1855)
Online at Google Book Search

Originally issued separately: Hoaryhead, and the Valleys Below (1838) (online at Google Book Search); and McDonner; or, Truth Through Fiction (1839)
A related tale appears to be Fergus: A Tale of Old Hoaryhead (Online at Google Book Search), also published as Gilbert and His Mother (Online at Google Book Search)

See "Bibliography of works by Jacob Abbott at Pat Pflieger's Nineteenth-Century Children & What They Read website for a chronological listing of Abbott's books.
For a detailed study of the printing history of Abbott's books, with numerous illustrations and commentary, see Cary Sternick's Jacob Abbott website.
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Copyright 2018 - Deidre Johnson