Abbott, John S. C. Napoleon at St. Helena; or, Interesting Anecdotes and Remarkable Conversations of the Emperor during the Five and a Half Years of his Captivity. Collected from the Memorials of Los Cosos, O'Meara, Montholu, Autommarchi, and others. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1855. (First Edition). [12429]
Maroon publisher's cloth, now faded to brown, binding decorated in blind & gilt, not showing much wear, just loss of color. 10 x 7 inches, joints very good, tight. Foxing or old shadowing to the waxed yellow end papers. 662 clean pp. with index; 126 illustrations and five maps. Good. Hardcover.
"The Emperor Napoleon, by almost universal consent, is pronounced to be, intellectually, the most illustrious of mankind. Even his bitterest enemies are compelled to do homage to the universality and the grandeur of his genius...The genius of Napoleon is astounding. All branches of human knowledge seemed alike familiar to his gigantic mind. His conversations at St. Helena, scattered through the numerous and voluminous memorials of those who gleaned them, are replete with intense interest. During the long agony of his imprisonment and his death, he conversed with perfect freedom upon the events of his marvelous career, and upon all those subjects of morals, politics, and religion, which most deeply concern the welfare of our race. There is no mind that will not be invigorated by familiarity with these profound thoughts, expressed with so much glow of feeling and energy of diction." - Preface.
John Stevens Cabot Abbott (1805-1877), b. Brunswick, Maine; d. Fair Haven, Connecticut. Abbott was ordained a Congregational minister in 1825, but resigned the pastorate in 1844 to devote himself to literature. He wrote works of a religious nature, but is most noted for his works of history. Educated at Bowdoin College and Andover Theological Seminary. Brother of Jacob Abbott.
