Abbott was born at Hallowell, Maine to Jacob and Betsey Abbott. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1820; He was a prolific author, writing juvenile fiction, brief histories, biographies, religious books for the general reader, and a few works in popular science. He died in Farmington, Maine, where he had spent part of his time after 1839, and where his brother, Samuel Phillips Abbott, founded the Abbott School. This book serves as an excellent introduction to one of the most important figures of the ancient world. Hannibal was one of the greatest military generals of the age but his legacy endured in the Roman psyche for centuries after his death. (Excerpt from Goodreads)