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An American history textbook that captures the imagination and makes children proud of their heritage-and teaches virtue by example.

Edward Eggleston had a simple goal when writing history texts for children: make history interesting. Make it interesting because a child remembers what captivates him. A child is fascinated above all by people, Eggleston reasoned. So in his history texts ... More

An American history textbook that captures the imagination and makes children proud of their heritage-and teaches virtue by example.

Edward Eggleston had a simple goal when writing history texts for children: make history interesting. Make it interesting because a child remembers what captivates him. A child is fascinated above all by people, Eggleston reasoned. So in his history texts Eggleston, a former popular novelist, drew a picture of the development of the United States using the stories of the living and breathing Americans who made it all happen-people like Henry Hudson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln.

Children learn even more valuable lessons as they absorb history through biography. They learn virtue and good conduct by osmosis. How better to illustrate perseverance than with the stories of Columbus and the other explorers? What finer way to teach patience, honor, and selfless public spirit than with the life of George Washington? How better to portray the value of diligent study, hard work, and simplicity of character than with the life of Abraham Lincoln?

NOTE: The original 1889 edition of "A First Book in American History" contains both text and illustrations. This Kindle edition contains the complete, unabridged text of the original (including study questions at the end of each chapter), but no illustrations.


About the Author:
Edward Eggleston (1837-1902) discovered a gift for writing when he was a high school student in Indiana. His militant opposition to slavery, however, caused him to refuse an offer to attend the University of Virginia. In 1871 he began a career as a popular novelist, but eventually his interest shifted from fiction to history. As president of the American History Association in 1900, he set forth his conception of the ideal history as primarily a record of the culture of a people, not merely or even chiefly a record of politics and war.

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