PREFATORY NOTE
For the purely biographical portion of this book an especial acknowledgment of obligation is due to the valuable collection of Prescott's letters and memoranda made by his friend George Ticknor, and published in 1864 as part of Ticknor's Life of W. H. Prescott. All other available sources, however, have been explored, and are specifically mentioned either in the text or in the footnotes.
H. T. P.
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY,
March 1, 1905.
CONTENTS
| [CHAPTER I] | |
| PAGE | |
| The New England Historians | [1] |
| [CHAPTER II] | |
| Early Years | [13] |
| [CHAPTER III] | |
| The Choice of a Career | [39] |
| [CHAPTER IV] | |
| Success | [54] |
| [CHAPTER V] | |
| In Mid Career | [72] |
| [CHAPTER VI] | |
| The Last Ten Years | [99] |
| [CHAPTER VII] | |
| "Ferdinand and Isabella"—Prescott's Style | [121] |
| [CHAPTER VIII] | |
| "The Conquest of Mexico" as Literature and as History | [133] |
| [CHAPTER IX] | |
| "The Conquest of Peru"—"Philip II." | [160] |
| [CHAPTER X] | |
| Prescott's Rank as an Historian | [173] |
| [Index] | [181] |