Francis Whiting Halsey was an American journalist, editor and historian.

Halsey was a prolific author and editor. His original works included travel writing (Two Months Abroad, collecting his reportage for the Tribune on the Paris World's Fair (1878)), New York State history (The Old New York Frontier (1901), The Pioneers of Unadilla Village, 1784-1840 (1902), and a number of articles), literary criticism (Our Literary Deluge And Some of Its Deeper Waters (1902)) and family history (extended introduction to Thomas Halsey of Hertfordshire, England and Southampton, Long Island (1895)).

As a compiler and editor, he assembled several enormous collections of, inter alia, famous speeches, prose literary works, travel narratives and writings about American history. (See the list of works infra.) His major achievement was the ten-volume Literary Digest History of the World War, consisting largely of skillfully collated and rewritten newspaper accounts and official documents, enhanced by a plethora of photographs. Publication began within a year after the conclusion of the conflict. While the work obviously is a "first draft of history", it is a good one that can be read with profit even today. The author did not, however, live to see it to completion. He died while at work on the final volume.

Volume I starts with Voyages of Discovery and Early Explorations: 1000 A.D. to 1682. Volume III, The French War and the Revolution: 1745 to 1782. Volume V. The War of 1812 and After 1812 to 1828. Volume VIII, The Election of Lincoln and the Civil War: 1860 through 1865. Volume X, Our Own Recent Times, 1877 through 1911.

Volume I is described below:  Great Epochs in American History, Volume 1" by Francis W. Halsey is a historical account edited in the early 20th century. The work delves into pivotal moments in American history, starting from the voyages of discovery and early explorations that occurred from 1000 A.D. to 1682. Halsey presents narratives authored by notable historical figures and eyewitnesses, providing a unique insight into these transformative events. At the start of this volume, the preface establishes an overview of the series, highlighting the intention to chronicle significant epochs through the words of those who experienced them, including Columbus and Washington. The introduction discusses early explorations, hinting at the complexity of discovering America, with arguments that Columbus was not the first. The opening chapters recount the Norse expeditions to Vinland, as well as Columbus's famed voyages that initiated European interest in the Americas. Through engaging accounts of exploration, the early chapters set the stage for understanding the historical context behind the expansion of European presence across the New World.