Cyrus the Great: A Classic Biography of the Founder of the Persian Empire - Hardcover

Cyrus the Great is Jacob Abbott's accessible historical biography of the founder of the Persian Empire, written for young readers and general audiences who enjoy history told as a clear, dramatic narrative. Abbott follows Cyrus from the legends and political intrigues surrounding his birth through his rise to power, his campaigns, his conquests, and his role in shaping one of the great empires of the ancient world.

First published in 1850 as part of Abbott's popular historical series, the book reflects the nineteenth-century tradition of educational biography: history presented through character, conflict, moral example, and memorable incident. Cyrus's story brings together royal ambition, family rivalry, war, diplomacy, empire-building, and the famous conquest of Babylon. It also touches one of the most important reasons Cyrus has remained historically significant: his connection to the restoration of the Jews after the Babylonian captivity.

Readers interested in ancient history, Persian history, kings and rulers, classic juvenile nonfiction, and old-fashioned historical biography will find Abbott's Cyrus the Great a useful and readable introduction. It is both a period example of nineteenth-century educational writing and an engaging account of one of antiquity's most important rulers.