WILLARD'S HISTORY

OF

THE UNITED STATES,

OR

REPUBLIC OF AMERICA.

ILLUSTRATED WITH MAPS AND ENGRAVINGS.

TWO EDITIONS.

The Academical, or Library Edition, 8vo.

AND THE

Abridged, or School Edition, 18mo.

The large work is designed as a Text Book for Academies and Female Seminaries: and also for District Schools and Family Libraries.

The small work, being an Abridgment of the same, is designed as a Text Book for Common Schools.

It commences with the discovery of America, 1492, and goes down to the death of General Harrison, 1842, (350 years.) The originality of the plan consists in dividing the time into periods, of which the beginnings and terminations are marked by important events; and constructing a series of maps illustrating the progress of the settlement of the country, and the regular advances of civilization.

It has a chronographic chart, which gives, by simple inspection, a view of the divisions of the work, and the events which mark the beginning and termination of each period into which it is divided.

A full chronological table will be found, in which all the events of the History are arranged in the order of time.

There is appended to the work the Constitution of the United States, and a series of questions adapted to each chapter, so that the work may be used in schools and for private

instruction.

The Hon. Daniel Webster says, of an early edition of the above work, in a letter to the author, "I keep it near me, as a Book of Reference, accurate in facts and dates."

1

OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.

From the Boston Traveller.

HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. BY EMMA WIL

LARD.

This valuable book, is published by A. S. Barnes & Co. Philadelphia. To enumerate all the advantages which this work presents over others of its kind, would more than fill the space allotted us for this notice. The high talents and acquirements of Emma Willard, the distinguished founder of the Troy Female Seminary, are too well known and too widely appreciated to require commendation here. Her mind, at once cultivated, comprehensive, and exact-as has been shown again and again, in the suc cessful and unsurpassed education of hundreds of young ladies from all parts of the country, who have enjoyed her valuable instructions-was the very one to occupy its brilliant powers and rich classic treasures, in the arrangement of the history of a country, among whose most honourable daughters she justly ranked. Woman imparts ever something of her own grace and beauty to whatever she touches; and what subject more fitted for her pen, than the absorbing tale of banished, exiled and adventurous men, who sought out a new and glorious home amid the perils and hardships of the wilderness, and that other story of heroism, suffering, bravery, patriotism—that example of every thing great, noble, exalted, good-the foundation of a nation's freedom, achieved through blood, and years of unwearying privation and labour? Should not the glorious tale be touched by an angel's pencil?-Men are brave, enthusiastic, stern, and heroic. In writing history they catch more of the grand and the lofty. They would build up the Pyramid of the Coloseum. The household gods of their hearts are the sculptured Jupiter, the mighty Hercules: and though a refined taste would sometimes delight to build the Parthenon, or perpetuate in stone the unequalled charms of Venus, yet this is a refinement more approaching to femenine delicacy than to man's sterner nature. It is woman's touch alone that can give loveliness to all things. She breathes upon the subject the beauty of her own heart and na

ture. She, the last work of creative power, overshadowing all the flowers of Eden in the perfection of her nature, partakes in her purity more of the touch of heaven, than all other sublunary things; and she alone has the privilege of imparting the same hue to that which she labours to build. Men give their images again as in a glass; woman reflects them from her own soul, warm, living, loving, beautiful, and pure. And are there not. traits in our own country's history that deserve to be painted by a woman's hand? Has not woman's soul breathed out in them, as markedly as man's godlike nature? Did she not cling to the exile's heart, and bring to him a sweet forgetfulness of home and childhood's land? Did not the battling hero, when worn and faint, starving and despairing, look on her sweet constancy and learn endurance?

Bancroft has written us a noble history. It will live as long as the story which it so well records. But Bancroft's work is a grand and vast one, like our own Niagara, and interminable forests, and boundless prairies. But around that waterfall, beneath those lofty pines and sycamores, and on those vast plains, there smile beautiful flowers, sweet blossoms of the heart, which only woman's delicate hand could pluck. It was fitting, too, that the intelligent young ladies of our land should have a history in which they could delight. But Mrs. Willard's work has not alone the grace of woman's pen. It has other, useful qualities. In perfect arrangement, comprehensiveness, and well digested detail, it is the best book for reference of any published.

After a neat and appropriate preface, the work presents a full chronological table, containing on the same page, in parallel columns, the date of the events included, and the reigning sove. reigns of England, France and Spain, and the Presidents of the United States. This arrangement, completed, as it could only have been, by great labour and research, will save the student of history hours of unpleasant employment. The table is very full, occupying nearly twenty pages, and extending from 1492 to the death of President Harrison. The History is then divided into four principal parts-the first embracing the Discoveries, the second the Settlements, the third the details of the struggle for Independence and the adoption of the Constitution, and the fourth the History of the Nation from 1789 till the death of Harrison. Every portion of this History is condensed and succinct, including an astonishing amount of matter for a volume of 400 pages— yet all expressed in a style distinguished for its clearness, precision, grace and beauty. The volume also contains the Constitution of the United States, and an Addenda of full and appropriate questions on each chapter, which materially enhances the value of the book, for the use of schools and seminaries.

We consider the work a remarkable one, in that it forms the best book for general reading and reference published, and at the same time has no equal, in our opinion, as a text book. On this latter point, the profession which its author has so long followed with such signal success, rendered her peculiarly a fitting person to prepare a text book None but a practical teacher is capable of preparing a good school-book; and as woman has so much to do in forming our early character, why should her influence cease at the fire-side-why not encourage her to exert her talents still, in preparing school and other books for after years? No hand can do it better.

The typography of this work is altogether in good taste.

From the New York American.

HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. By EMMA WILLARD. 1 vol. pp. 400. Philadelphia.

Beginning with the discovery of the continent, this rapid but seemingly well digested historical compend is brought down to the death of General Harrison. It is conveniently divided into periods and chapters, and to these in the Appendix is adapted a series of questions to prove how far the learner has studied and comprehended his task. A chronological table is prefixed to the volume, which is so arranged as, while indicating events of chief interest in our own country, to show who were the reigning sovereigns of the day in Europe.

As a book of ready reference for any particular fact or date, this is a valuable publication, and as a general manual or outline of our American history.

From the Cincinnati Gazette.

MRS. WILLARD'S SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE
UNITED STATES.

This work is for sale by Mr. James on Pearl Street. It is one of those rare things, a good school book; infinitely better than any of the United States Histories fitted for schools, which we have at present. It is quite full enough, and yet condensed with great care and skill. The style is clear and simple, Mrs. Willard having avoided those immense Johnsonian words which Grimshaw and other writers for children love to put into their works, while, at the same time there is nothing of the pap style about it. The arrangement is excellent, the chapters of a good

length; every page is dated, and a marginal index makes reference easy. But the best feature in the work is its series of maps; we have the country as it was when filled with Indians; as granted to Gilbert; as divided at the time the Pilgrims came over; as apportioned in 1643; the West while in possession cf France; the Atlantic coast in 1733; in 1763; as in the Revolu tion, with the position of the army at various points; at the close of the Revolutionary War; during the war of 1812-15; and in 1840: making eleven most excellent maps, such as every school history should have. When we think of the unintelligible, incomplete, badly written, badly arranged, worthless work of Grimshaw which has been so long used in our schools, we feel that every scholar and teacher owes a debt of gratitude to Mrs. Willard. Miss Robins has done for English History, what Mrs. Willard has now done for American, and we trust these two works will be followed by others of as high or higher character. We recommend Mrs. Willard's work as better than any we know of on the same subject; not excepting Bancroft's abridgement. This work, followed by the careful reading of Mr. Bancroft's full work is all that would be needed up to the point where Bancroft stops; from that point, Pitkin and Marshall imperfectly supply the place, which Bancroft and Sparks will soon fill.

From the United States Gazette.

We have from Messrs. A. S. Barnes & Co., No. 21 Mino Street, an octavo volume containing a History of the United States, or the Republic of America, by Emma Willard.

Mrs. Willard is well known throughout the country as a lady of high attainments, who has distinguished herself as the Principal of Female Academies, that have sent abroad some of the most accomplished females of the land.

The plan of the authoress is to divide the time into periods, of which the begiuning and the end are marked by some important event, and then care has been taken to make plain the events of intermediate periods. The style is clear, and there appears no confusion in the narrative. In looking through the work, we do not discover that the author has any early preju dices to gratify. The book, therefore, so far as we have been able to judge, may be safely recommended as one of great merit, and the maps and marginal notes, and series of questions, give additional value to the work