Abbott’s 28-volume Rollo series originated in Boston, but its runaway success led Abbott to travel to Europe, gather new storylines and ultimately launch his Rollo’s Tour in Europe series. Abbott explained that Rollo would be “traveling for improvement, not for play,” and this idea of improvement factors heavily into the complex concepts presented in each book: everything from the necessity of passports to the nature of different kinds of governments. Often, the European tour novels have a noticeable bias toward American values, including freedom of speech and democracy. In the conclusion of Rollo in Rome, for example, Rollo asserts, “I think the governments [of Europe] ought to be overthrown … and better governments, such as the people would like, set up in their places.”

Boston Public Library, Rare Books & Manuscripts