ABBOTT, JACOB (1803-1879), American writer of books for the young, was born at Hallowell (Me.) on Nov. 14, 1803. He graduated at Bowdoin college in 1820; studied at Andover The ological Seminary. He was tutor in 1824-25, and from 1825 to 1829 was professor of mathematics and natural philosophy in Amherst college; was licensed to preach by the Hampshire Asso ciation in 1826; founded the Mt. Vernon School for young ladies in Boston in 1829, and was principal until 2833; was pastor of Eliot Congregational church (which he founded) at Roxbury (Mass.), in 1834-35; and was, with his brothers, a founder, and in 1843-51 a principal, of Abbott's Institute, and in 2845-48 of the Mt. Vernon School for boys, in New York city. He was a prolific author, writing juvenile stories, brief histories and biog raphies, and religious books for the general reader, and a few works in popular science. He died on Oct. 31, 1879, at Farming ton (Me.), where he had spent part of his time since 1839. The best known of his writings are those which feature the boyish paragon Rollo—Rollo at Work, Rollo at Play, Rollo in Europe, etc. (28 vol.). In these didactic tales Abbott did for one or two generations of young American readers a service not unlike that performed earlier by the author of Sandford and Merton, Of his other writings the best are the Franconia Stories (lo vol.), 22 vol. of biographical histories, and the Young Christian—all of which had enormous circulations.