William H. Prescott

Prescott {{circa|1850–1859}} William Hickling Prescott (May 4, 1796 – January 28, 1859) was an American historian and Hispanist, who is widely recognized by historiographers to have been the first American scientific historian. Despite having serious visual impairment, which at times prevented him from reading or writing for himself, Prescott became one of the most eminent historians of 19th-century America. He is also noted for his eidetic memory, also called "photographic memory".

After an extensive period of study, during which he sporadically contributed to academic journals, Prescott specialized in late Renaissance Spain and the early Spanish Empire. His works on the subject, ''The History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic'' (1837), ''The History of the Conquest of Mexico'' (1843), ''A History of the Conquest of Peru'' (1847) and the unfinished ''History of the Reign of Phillip II'' (1856–1858) have become classic works in the field, and have had a great impact on the study of both Spain and Mesoamerica. During his lifetime, he was regarded as one of the greatest living American intellectuals and personally knew many of the leading political figures of the day, both in the United States and Britain. Prescott has become one of the most widely translated American historians and was an important figure in the development of history as a rigorous academic discipline.

Historians admire Prescott for his exhaustive, careful, and systematic use of archives, his accurate recreation of sequences of events, his balanced judgments, and his lively writing style. He was primarily focused on political and military affairs, largely ignoring the economic, social, intellectual, and cultural forces that historians have focused on in recent decades. Instead, he wrote narrative history, subsuming unstated causal forces in his driving storyline. Provided by Wikipedia
Showing 1 - 12 results of 12 for search 'Prescott, William Hickling, 1796-1859', query time: 0.01s Refine Results
  1. 1
    New York, Harper and bros., 1851.
    3 vols. 24 cm.
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  2. 2
    New York : P. F. Collier, 1900.
    2 v. : fronts., plates, ports. ; 21 cm.
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  3. 3
    Philadelphia : J.B. Lippincott, 1871.
    3 v. : ill., folded maps, ports. ; 21 cm.
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  4. 4
    Philadelphia, J.B. Lippincott, 1870.
    2 v. fronts. (ports.) map, facsim. 22 cm.
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  5. 5
    S.-Peterburg : Tip. E. Evdokimova, 1886.
    216 p. ; 21 cm.
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  6. 6
    Philadelphia, McKay [1843?]
    3 v. illus., ports. 20 cm.
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  7. 7
    New York : P.F. Collier & Son, 1900.
    2 v. : fronts., plates, ports. ; 21 cm.
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  8. 8
    New York : Hurst & Co., publishers, [18--?]
    1 online resource (2 volumes) : illustrations, 2 maps, portraits.
    LLMC Digital
    Online Resource
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  9. 9
    Philadelphia : J.B. Lippincott, 1873, c1845.
    4 p. l., 729 p. : front. (port.) 21 cm.
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  10. 10
    Philadelphia : J.B. Lippincott, 1871.
    3 v. : ill., folded maps, ports. ; 21 cm.
    Center for Research Libraries
    Online Resource
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  11. 11
    by Robertson, William, 1721-1793
    Published 1871
    Philadelphia, Lippincott, 1871.
    3 v. front. (port.) 22 cm.
    Other Authors: “...Prescott, William Hickling, 1796-1859...”
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  12. 12
    by Robertson, William, 1721-1793
    Published 1878
    Philadelphia, J. B. Lippencott co., 1878-80.
    3 v. front. (port.) 20 cm.
    Other Authors: “...Prescott, William Hickling, 1796-1859...”
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