Queen Elizabeth (Makers of History)

What it is

This is a book by Jacob Abbott titled Queen Elizabeth, part of the Makers of History series. The copy the archive holds is a Harper & Brothers printing dated 1901, and the copyright notice inside is dated 1876. The book is in English and is illustrated with engravings. It is a narrative written for young readers, and the author states that he tried to keep close to the historical record.

Why it matters

Books like this one taught generations of American and British young people about Elizabeth I and the Tudor age. The author describes his series as history itself rather than tales based on history, which shows how 19th-century writers presented the past as a settled and moral story. Reading it helps students see how the interests and assumptions of a time shape a biography.

Look closer

• The author says he relied on the best sources available to him. Which sources does he name, and how can you check them?
• What kind of lesson or character does this book want young readers to take from the queen's story?
• What might a modern historian add or question about this account?