Peter the Great

Abbott, Jacob, 1803-1879Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 426K words
Chapters: 43

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.Peter the Great by Jacob AbbottAuthor: Abbott, Jacob, 1803-1879,Language: English, Class: DK: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Russia, Former Soviet Republics, Poland, Release Date: Jun 21, 2007

Editor's review

Jacob Abbott was a prolific nineteenth-century American writer of popular history, and this book recounts the life and reforms of Peter the Great in narrative form. Peter the Great was one of the most controversial and most dynamic rulers in Russian history: he pushed for Westernization, built a navy, moved the capital to St. Petersburg, and propelled Russia into the ranks of the European great powers. Abbott writes for general readers, focusing on character and the sequence of events rather than piling up academic apparatus, which makes the book suitable as an introduction. This edition comes from Project Gutenberg and is a public-domain eBook, easy to obtain free and to read across devices. As you read, focus on the motives behind Peter's reforms and the price they exacted; follow the geography of Russia's expansion north and west with a map at hand; and supplement the book with other sources for a critical perspective. Because it was written long ago, some of its phrasing reflects the limitations of its era, and readers should keep a discerning eye.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in Russian history or the age of Peter the Great who want an introductory overview
Students who want to practice reading in English and prefer narrative history writing
Self-learners who need free public-domain eBook resources for general reading
Teachers preparing lessons on modernization in world history who want supplementary material

Not a good fit for

Professional historians seeking the latest scholarship and detailed source criticism
Readers looking for in-depth analysis of Russian social structure, economic institutions, and the controversies of reform

Reading tips

Read the main thread of Peter's life first, then return to the reform measures, marking key places on a map of Russia as you go.
Keep pen and paper handy to record Peter's key decisions and opponents, then use a timeline to sort out the stages of his reign after finishing.
If reading English is difficult, first read chapter titles and the opening sentence of each paragraph to grasp the framework, then read closely paragraph by paragraph.
After finishing, compare it with other works on Russian history, and be careful to distinguish nineteenth-century popular narrative from contemporary scholarship.

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

Is this book an academic monograph or a popular work?

It is a narrative history written for general readers by the nineteenth-century author Jacob Abbott. It focuses on people and events rather than modern scholarship, so it suits beginners rather than in-depth research.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg offers free public-domain eBooks. This edition is easy to download and read across devices; the text is in the original English and suits readers who want low-cost access to classic historical works.

What background knowledge should I acquire before reading?

It helps to begin with the basic geography of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Russia and its relations with neighboring countries, especially the geopolitical situation around the Baltic and Black Seas, so that the motives for Peter's reforms and expansion become easier to understand.

Should readers be wary of the book's views?

It was written in the nineteenth century, and its narrative carries the perspectives and phrasing habits of that time. Its descriptions of Russia and neighboring peoples may not meet contemporary standards, so readers should stay discerning and not treat its judgments as settled fact.

Comments

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About the author

Abbott, Jacob, 1803-1879 Author

Jacob Abbott (1803–1879) was an American author and educator best known for his historical and biographical works. The library holds 51 of his works, including Darius the Great, History of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, History of Julius Caesar, Richard II, Cyrus the Great, Pyrrhus, Cleopatra, and Peter the Great. Writing for young readers, he wove individual lives into the broader context of their times, narrating the rise and fall of rulers and figures in clear, accessible prose that made history both readable and instructive. His historical biographies circulated widely and helped popularize history reading. Public information on the details of his life is limited, so this profile focuses on the subjects and style of his works.