Evelyn Abbott (; 10 March 1843 – 3 September 1901) was an English writer and classical scholar. He is best known for his book ''History of Greece'', which includes a sceptical viewpoint of Homer's ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...

'' and ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

''. He is also very well known as being the editor-in-chief of Heroes of the Nations book series, which were widely popular in England.

Biography

Abbott was born at Epperstone,

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

. He was educated at

Balliol College Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and ar ...

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, where he excelled both academically and in sports, winning the Gaisford Prize for Greek Verse in 1864, but after a fall in 1866 his legs became paralysed. He managed to graduate in spite of his handicap, and was elected fellow of Balliol in 1874. His best-known work is his ''History of Greece'' in three volumes (1888–1900), where he presents a sceptical view of the ''

'' and the ''

''. Among his other works are ''Elements of Greek Accidence'' (1874), and translations of several German books on ancient history, language and philosophy. He was the founding editor of the Heroes of the Nations book series. Abbott died at Knotsford Lodge,

Great Malvern Great Malvern is an area of the civil parish of Malvern, Worcestershire, Malvern, in the Malvern Hills District, Malvern Hills district, in the county of Worcestershire, England. It lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of O ...

, in 1901, and was buried at Redlands Cemetery, near

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Works

* * * *''Easy Greek reader''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1886. * (3 vols. 1888–1900) * *as translator: (6 vols. 1877–1882 from the German original ''Geschichte des Alterthums'' in 4 vols., 1852–1857, by Max Duncker) *as translator with Sarah Frances Alleyne: (from German original ''Die Philosophie der Griechen in ihrer geschichtlichen Entwicklung'' by

Eduard Zeller Eduard Gottlob Zeller (; ; 22 January 181419 March 1908) was a German philosopher and Protestant theologian of the Tübingen School of theology. He was well known for his writings on Ancient Greek philosophy, especially Pre-Socratic Philosophy, ...

) *as editor with Lewis Campbell:

References

* James Leigh Strachan-Davidson, ''Abbott, Evelyn (1843–1901)'', rev. M. C. Curthoys, ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

'', (Oxford, 2004). *James Leigh Strachan-Davidson, ''Abbott, Evelyn'', in: ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' (DNB), Supplement volume 1 of 1912, pp. 3–4 (

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External links

* * * 1843 births 1901 deaths People from Epperstone English classical scholars Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Fellows of Balliol College, Oxford Classical scholars of the University of Oxford Scholars of ancient Greek history People educated at Lincoln Grammar School {{classical-scholar-stub