Napoleon Bonaparte, ruler of France, is making plans for the takeover of his enemy, Great Britain; Ludwig van Beethoven, in Vienna, is writing the Eroica, a symphony he plans to dedicate to Napoleon; in the United States, Thomas Jefferson has just become President, being the first to take his oath of office in the new Capitol Building; and, in Cornwall, England, Richard Trevithick is working on an invention that will eventually replace the horse as a means of transportation, the steam carriage. The year is 1801.

Genevieve Foster, continuing her popular and unique approach of dealing with events throughout the world during a particular time period, takes young readers on a fascinating tour through the years 1801 to 1821. These were years of change and turmoil in Europe; Napoleon dominated the scene. In fact, in 1801 Napoleon was causing such a stir both in Europe and in America, that the invention of Richard Trevithick's "horseless carriage," which in retrospect was the most significant even of that year, passed by almost unnoticed.

Richly illustrated with appealing drawings of the people and events of this period, 1801: The Year of the Horseless Carriage is a delightful addition to the author's earlier, highly readable "year" books.

From the dust jacket