King Philip

Abbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot), 1805-1877Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.7

Word count: 467K words
Chapters: 47

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.King Philip by John S. C. AbbottAuthor: Abbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot), 1805-1877,Language: English, Class: E011: History: America: America, Release Date: Jul 22, 2009

Editor's review

This book is a biography by John S. C. Abbott, a nineteenth-century American writer of popular history, centered on the conflicts between the New England colonies and Native Americans during the colonial period. Its central figure is Metacomet, the Wampanoag leader whom the English colonists called "King Philip." Abbott's works are known for flowing narrative and a popular readership, and he excelled at organizing complex historical events into highly readable storylines; this book is therefore well suited as an introduction to the subject of King Philip's War. Readers can thereby see the perspective and language style of nineteenth-century English-language historical writing, while remaining aware that its positions and value judgments bear a clear mark of their era, and that its portrayal of Native Americans is not necessarily balanced. It is best read alongside more modern historical scholarship to form a fuller understanding. Suitable for readers interested in early North American colonial history, Native American studies, or English historical prose, for commuting, travel, or supplementary classroom reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginning readers interested in early North American colonial history and King Philip's War
English learners who need English historical narrative texts as extensive reading material
Readers studying nineteenth-century popular historical writing style and the perspective of historical sources
Enthusiasts who wish to trace the course of colonial-era conflict through the lens of individuals

Not a good fit for

Professional historians who need the latest, balanced, peer-reviewed scholarship
Readers seeking Native American perspectives and tribal-centered narratives
Chinese readers who prefer theoretical analysis or data and charts to narrative history

Reading tips

Read the preface and chapter titles first to map out the timeline of events, then read the main text closely.
Mark the author's evaluative statements while reading, distinguishing factual statements from judgments of position.
Read alongside the chapters on King Philip's War in a modern general history for comparison.
For the English original, set a fixed chapter per day, and take brief notes on unfamiliar place names and tribal names as you go.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Who is "King Philip"?

"King Philip" is the name English colonists gave to Metacomet, the Wampanoag leader; it was not what he called himself. The book centers on him and recounts the armed conflict that broke out in the late seventeenth century between the New England colonies and Native Americans, commonly known as King Philip's War.

Is the book's narrative stance neutral?

The book was written in the nineteenth century for a popular audience, and its narrative carries value judgments common in the English-speaking world of the time; its portrayal of the two sides, colonists and Native Americans, is not balanced. It is best treated as material for understanding the perspective of early historical writing and read in comparison with modern scholarship.

Can it be read with only an average command of English?

This is the English original, with a sentence style typical of nineteenth-century narrative; the vocabulary is not especially difficult, but there are many long sentences. Readers with intermediate English reading ability can work through it chapter by chapter with a dictionary; those who only want the historical facts may first read the relevant chapters of a Chinese general history and then return to the original.

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About the author

Abbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot), 1805-1877 Author

John S. C. Abbott (1805–1877) was a nineteenth-century American writer of history known for popular biographies and narrative histories. Our catalog holds thirty of his works, covering subjects such as King Philip, Madame Roland, John Paul Jones, Daniel Boone: The Pioneer of Kentucky, Peter Stuyvesant, George Washington, the French Revolution, and the buccaneers of the Caribbean. He typically presented lives and their historical settings in a lively, readable style, turning history into engaging story, and he had some influence in bringing history to a general readership. His works are often grouped under inspirational and personal-growth reading, suited to readers seeking lessons from the lives of notable figures. Public information about him is limited, and details of his life and scholarly assessment require further verification.