january american historian widely recognized american scientific historian despite suffering visual times prevented reading writing eminent historians 19th century america noted memory extensive period study sporadically contributed academic journals specialized late early spanish empire works subject history reign ferdinand isabella catholic history conquest mexico history conquest peru unfinished history reign classic works field great impact study spain lifetime upheld greatest living american intellectuals knew personally leading political figures day united_states britain widely translated american historians important figure development history rigorous academic discipline historians admire careful systematic use archives accurate recreation sequences events balanced lively writing style primarily focused political military affairs largely ignoring economic social intellectual cultural forces recent decades historians focused instead wrote narrative history forces driving storyline early life born salem massachusetts seven children siblings died infancy parents lawyer wife née grandfather served colonel american revolutionary war began formal schooling age seven studying family moved boston massachusetts father earnings substantially increased studies continued rector young man frequented time held volume private library diplomatic mission russia trustee library position held years enrolled second year student sophomore august age considered academically distinguished despite showing promise latin greek found mathematics particularly difficult resorted mathematical demonstrations word word relative ease order hide ignorance subject degenerated hit eye crust bread food fight student remained weak unstable rest life admitted beta society senior considered great personal honor graduated harvard short period illness embarked extended tour europe traveled island azores grandfather portuguese grandmother lived weeks left cooler climate london stayed distinguished surgeon staying adams tool permanent feature life allowing write independently spite impaired visited palace future american president time diplomat london saw august traveled paris later moved italy spent winter returned paris early meet american visit england spent time cambridge saw manuscripts works returned united_states year academic work essay submitted anonymously rejected late short period courtship married daughter thomas coffin career early career history ferdinand isabella abandoned idea legal career continued deterioration resolved devote literature initially studied wide range subjects including italian french english spanish literature american history classics political philosophy came focus italian poetry works studied period classics published works essays discussing italian poetry published titled italian somewhat controversial heavily criticized italian review wrote reply page argument published criticisms appendix translation life resulted noticing late interested history spain friend harvard professor sent copies lectures subject studies initially remained broad started preparing material ferdinand isabella january acquaintance helped construct sizable personal library historical books manuscripts concerning subject american diplomat spain provided material unavailable boston progress stalled immediately sudden deterioration unable find reader fluent spanish forced work spanish texts assistant understand language heard situation provided services adequate knowledge spanish task temporary arrangement replaced man named held position year eventually charge department modern literature harvard_university found worked books studied period lists los reyes don sources history ferdinand isabella based spring visited washington white house saw congress session condition interested aiding blind partially sighted known founded boston massachusetts involved start project trustee published article support education blind helped raise organization work disturbed february unexpected death eldest daughter catherine years old led reconsider position religion previously interest christianity renewed having read bible works theologian skeptical works came acknowledge moral truth remaining opposed doctrines orthodox christianity despite personal tragedy continued ill health gathered sufficient material begin drafting history october time read works including piece henceforth aimed write history romantic ideal occasion expressed encountered spanish contemporary helped shape views concerning monarchs political roles problems took sixteen months write pages history largely finished dedicated years briefly engaged writing biography sparks library american biography familiar american literature based work contemporary biographies brown result biography little academic impact took residence rural town massachusetts concerns health accustomed riding horses purpose exercise sub zero temperatures finished concluding chapter work july despite time effort spent work unsure publishing father argued refusing previously considered publishing work london printed draft copy work sent colonel consideration murray time leading british publishers refused work decided postpone history ferdinand isabella published christmas day boston print run copies dedicated father surprise publisher book sold original print run insufficient adequately supply boston let nation published london early work received excellent critical reviews america britain expressed admiration work noticed france despite fact french translation available time adamant work altered heard publishers considering history ferdinand isabella june produced work resulted original project cancellation elected member conquest mexico expressed interest correspondence writing biography records sent collection volumes relevant material writing spanish minister living mexico able provide source material started research history conquest mexico extensively read works written started corresponding historian swiss writer french historian received assistance collecting sources college friend contrast lengthy time spent researching history ferdinand isabella started drafting history conquest mexico october faced difficulties writing work encountered previously relatively little scholarship civilization dismissed speculation rely exclusively primary sources exception particular considered theory pre non indigenous greatly anthology mexico studied spanish writers contemporary conquest significantly received honorary degrees period honorary doctorate laws columbia_university autumn mary july december helped find publisher autobiographical work life mexico valuable writing history conquest mexico cited times text described delightful modern traveller found difficult evaluate scientific mathematical achievements relative ignorance subjects working boston met stay close friend remainder life worked result work finished august published new_york december issuing british edition elderly father suffered stroke october resulted temporary spent winter attending history conquest mexico received extremely critically general public despite fears contrary praising work included george curtis methodist quarterly conquest peru painted commissioned bust active researching conquest peru spring decided write work concerning civilization researching pre mexico listened los studied works progress stalled unexpected death brother edward sea daughter elizabeth seriously ill family traveled considered healthy environment recovery returned summer started drafting conquest custom spent autumn father died age december deeply upset took month break writing support widowed mother settle matters concerning father estate father left numerous stocks shares property amounted shared sister elected february recognition accomplishments historian took place died previous year vote cast admitted berlin summer collection articles published published biographical critical edition prepared simultaneously new_york writing pages work day summer completed chapters conquest inheritance father buy house beacon street boston building known moved house december set year finish conquest peru march recovered significantly suddenly deteriorated suffering acute travelled benefit sea air prevent travelling washington white house president entertained united_states secretary navy informed copy conquest mexico placed library fighting ship conquest peru completed march previous works published united_states britain original print run copies books sold translated spanish french german dutch sold previous works received critically research philip shortly publication conquest peru turned mind writing history spain contemplating years planned write independent work subject aided gave access library corresponded little collaboration respective works started searching sources early number difficulties confronted study principal archives historical material held collected materials conquest mexico able gain access informed library productive research impossible access gained diplomat expelled spain acquaintance wealthy scholars offered access manuscript collections furthermore assisted greatly locating important documents collection owned manuscripts borrowed manuscripts archives brussels having received letters respected belgian diplomat london professor arabic literature late subsequently lent rare books manuscripts university library summer works subject disposal continued problems examination confirmed damage commissioned write biography scholar wrote publication later year invited write history mexican american war declined writing contemporary events main secondary source history und und comprehensive work included detailed history admired historical method considered work best predecessors subject copies relevant sections work reprinted large read assistance broad plan work february started writing draft july time chemist murderer subsequently involved trial visits washington europe visited spring met president united_states numerous prominent figures including british ambassador secretary state friend father soon afterward decided visit england embarked new_york arrived liverpool june stayed old friend wife traveled london stayed greeted london washington important members society foreign secretary future prime minister prime minister elderly duke wellington went races presented court queen_victoria june traveled oxford receive honorary doctorate law oxford stayed palace home absent infant met president receiving honorary degree left london paris arrived july days later traveled brussels stayed site residence returning london july traveling north visited ruins abbey arrival edinburgh met accompanied visited traveled south entertained embarked new_york september arriving september final works spent winter boston returned composition work gradually changed focus history deciding better writer history biography worked years alternating boston period interrupted marriage daughter elizabeth early husband settled house near family home mother fell ill died soon caused fall bout depression lasted winter returned work continued pace able remainder passed started suffer seriously year result abandoned residence bought house rural town massachusetts visited family june august finished second volume history volumes finished immediately published changes british copyright law change publishers caused delay publication november compared previous works history received little coverage press academic journals suggested time write biography declined regarded work subject definitive wrote appendix history reign published december previously politics predicted whig victory supported voted republican presidential election continued work volume history suffered stroke february recovered health permanently affected decided temporarily retire writing volume published april scope limited originally planned worked spanish translation conquest mexico prepared personal life children september february died childhood illness january august attended harvard worked lawyer boston married november inherited daughter married february elizabeth july married distant cousin youngest january march death legacy january decided resume work goal writing final fourth volume january suffered second stroke resulted immediate death buried parents funeral attended representatives harvard_university work remained popular influential present day meticulous use sources critical notes unprecedented american historians work amateur historian history ferdinand isabella outstanding achievement arguably best english language work subject published major problems work modern day historian related quality research understanding period focus major political military events opposed social economic conditions argued partially great man theory conquest mexico endured work regarded greatest literary accomplishment modern scholarship agrees problems characterization conquest argued conquest shows inadequate attention detail remains broad general account events contrast conquest mexico conquest peru received relatively little modern scholarly attention key similarities style structure generally thought work authoritative account 20th century broader range source material previous writer subject aspects works heavily criticized historians end 19th century visited sites understanding culture weak defense argued despite advances understanding nature pre society works remain broadly historically accurate fact fundamental lack source material contrast second considered essentially inferior piece lacks epic structure literary merits work work received critical attention contemporary accounts monarch life popular completely blind stemmed misunderstanding comment preface conquest mexico stated corrected read original draft myth propagated contemporary new_york review conquest common theme popular accounts work related disability occurred writing article claimed artificial eye evidence suggest argued biographers naturally drawn life romantic style history biographies written published biography based unpublished correspondence later biographers greatly account stylistic modernization work account considered academically inferior essentially derivative nature work considered definitive critical biography taking account wide range unpublished documents unavailable earlier biographers city arizona named honor designated association anglo school peru bears blocks cambridge massachusetts named
William H. Prescott