Reviews (5)

The Great Communicator
Historians across the political spectrum agree that the United States has had only two great presidents, Washington and Lincoln. They also agree that of all our presidents Lincoln was the most eloquent.

By analyzing some of the speeches that Lincoln composed while president, White puts them into historical context, illuminating their whole truth where previous scholars might have been satisfied with a partial one. He describes each speech as a pearl connected by a common thread. Stringing together these pearls, he demonstrates not only Lincoln's habits and thoughts but the evolution of his thoughts, for one speech usually built on a previous one and pointed toward another. Lincoln lived and wrote within the continuum of past, present, and future.

As Bridges and Rickenbacker write in their book, The Art of Persuasion, schemes and tropes are the tools of the language, having originated with Aristotle; their use lends weight and authority to the spoken and written word. Lincoln made heavy use of alliteration, antithesis, assonance, asyndeton, ellipsis, erotema, isocolon, parallelism -- practically a dictionary of rhetoric -- which White too rarely refers to by name. He argues persuasively that Lincoln met Aristotle's qualifications for successful art of persuasion: 1) moral character; 2) the ability to excite listeners based on an understanding of their thoughts and feelings; and 3) the ability to prove a truth through various forms of argument. An experienced lawyer, Lincoln often argued by syllogism. He wrote on practical occasions to achieve practical effects. Frequently he shunned polysyllabic Latin derivatives for plain Saxon in order to appeal to a broad audience.

Some biographers have been reluctant to credit Lincoln with a traditional religious sense, calling him a deist, fatalist, or skeptic, but his rhetoric suggests otherwise. Not only did he attend services, he read carefully the King James Bible, employing biblical cadences and references throughout his work. One might say his writing, like his life, was informed by a strong awareness of the workings of providence.

Lincoln's skill was even more remarkable when we consider that he was self-taught. In a Congressional directory, when asked to comment on his education, he wrote: "defective." He studied Scott's Lessons in Elocution, he absorbed Kirkham's English Grammar; both were more rigorous than what today's students encounter. I have found other sources which listed Lincoln's literary influences as the Bible, Shakespeare, John Bunyan, Daniel Defoe, and Blackstone's Commentaries -- difficult to read on one's own, all of them. Throughout his life Lincoln worked diligently on writing and revising, sometimes reading to the nearest listener, sometimes aloud to himself, always concerned with orality and effect on the audience. He wrote slowly and spoke slowly.

Robert Frost one said that he intended to "lodge a few poems where they couldn't be gotten rid of easily." Lincoln's speeches have become lodged into the American vernacular: First Inaugural ("better angels of our nature"); Second Inaugural ("with malice toward none"); Gettysburg Address ("new birth of freedom"); Cooper Institute Address ("What is conservatism?"); the House Divided speech, the Emancipation Proclamation. How many American presidents have made such an impact through their words? Who was the last president even to write his own speeches?

The terrible irony is that critics of the time denied Lincoln's eloquence, much like the impoverished souls of today who, unable to let go of the Confederacy, insist with John Wilkes Booth that Lincoln was a tyrant. Such is the fate of the good and the great. Profound are their efforts, however, for those like Ronald White who are paying attention.

The living word
This is a highly interesting history of the emergence of Lincoln's great rhetorical career during the civil war, starting with his railroad tour on the way to Washington after his election. Tracing the particulars and varied drafts of these gestating classics, the author puts each of the classic speeches in its context, especially the Gettesburg Address. The resulting fine-grain context for Lincoln's great masterpieces of eloquence is highly enjoyable and highlights the tenous edge they gave to his threatened passage as president through the trials of the Civil War.

The self-taught communicator
For anyone who enjoys the process of writing and speaking, this book is a great treat.Lincoln carefully selected words for their mental and emotional impact.And he seems to have gotten better every year.Very inspiring!

An Eloquent Book
Mr.White lucidly conveys the striking skills possessed by Abraham Lincoln in the writing, for oral delivery, of the most important political speeches of our country's history.

It is a book that should be read by every serious student of President Lincoln and all those interested in the art of formal political speech.

Brilliantly explains substance and style of Lincoln's prose
Abraham Lincoln was eloquent; everybody knows that.But what kind of eloquence did he have?How did he use it to advance his ideas and political agenda?How did he use it to enlighten the American people and to summon up the best that this nation can be?Any reader who has any interest in those questions must read this book.It is a profound yet lucid and fast-moving examination of Lincoln's uses of oratory as president-elect and as president.It stands with yet somehow manages to eclipse studies of specific speeches such as Garry Wills's LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG or the author's previous study of the Second Inaugural Address, LINCOLN'S GREATEST SPEECH.I teach Lincoln in my Law and Literature course and I plan to have this book at my elbow as I teach Lincoln this semester. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Politicians have been casting themselves as inheritors of the banner of Abraham Lincoln since his assassination nearly a century and a half ago, as former New York governor Mario Cuomo chronicles in the first of this slim but eloquent political treatise. From William Jennings Bryant to William Jefferson Clinton, from FDR through W, figures on the left and right have declared themselves heirs to the martyred "secular saint" of American statesmanship. (Ronald Reagan went so far as to misattribute eight conservative maxims from the great man at the 1992 Republican convention; the adages turned out to be the creation of a early-20th-century clergyman who was putting his own spin on the Lincoln legacy.) Cuomo notes that Lincoln is too complex a figure to belong exclusively to either the left or the right, but that doesn't stop him from finding an enduring link from Lincoln’s vision to Cuomo's brand of unabashed liberalism. The notion may be debatable, but Cuomo, one of the great orators of his generation, is as fluent at the keyboard as he is at the lectern, making Why Lincoln Matters a rewarding read for those on both sides of the divide. Fired by 9-11 and the 2004 presidential election, Cuomo surveys a host of contemporary issues---from the battle against terrorism to religion, race, and the role of government---interpreting the words and notions of his political hero like a true believer deciphers the Bible. One can dispute his conclusions, but his rousing passion and sense of mission are at the very least thought provoking and articulately reasoned. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

Reviews (7)

a valid argument in spite of a clear political bias:
Call this a good book with a number of obvious problems. The first issue I would take (and my four star review is quite sincere, regardless of the spate of criticisms to follow) is the fact that many of these essays were clearly written at different times. The editorial process, or what there is of it, has managed somewhat admirably to keep the issues up to date (or at least to the time of its publication as so many things are happening so quickly it is impossible to avoid an ensuing irrelevence). What is wrong is the fact that so many points are repeated--endlessly, it seems at times--and this makes the reader sometimes wonder if they hadn't just read or overheard the exact same thing elsewhere. Now there are positives and negatives to this impression. A positive, certainly, would be the implied rational logic of the argument--yeah, I've heard that before so this guy really makes sense. The negative (and this probably affected me more specifically) is that you will read the same idea over and over again.

Now Cuomo has some good things to say, some interesting parallels to make between Lincoln's time and the present moment in history and he argues passionately and forcefully. He didn't necessarily need to convince me as I likely already agreed with much of what he is saying. But as a reader I try to avoid applying my own personal biases and look at the issue at hand objectively (although if I disagreed with his points I bet my review would have dropped a star or two).

What is ultimately at hand, after the eloquent sling shots of President Bush and his supporters, is a minimal hypocrisy on the part of Mr. Cuomo, a man I admire and respect tremendously. He condemns certain politicos of the past for "quoting Lincoln out of context" or for applying his words to their own issues. Unfortunately he does the exact same thing here, assuming Lincoln's opinions regarding issues a mid-19th century politician, a radical or otherwise, could not possibly grasp.

Again, I agree (if not wholeheartedly than essentially) with many of Cuomo's criticisms of the way the Bush administration is running the economy, the 'war on terrorism'--even the murky religious/moral issues at hand throughout the world. This is a worthwhile book if only to get an intelligent man's opinions, stated clearly and persuasively, regardless of what you may actually believe. This is not the angry ranting of some spoiled and frustrated 'liberal' nor the embittered mumblings of a professional contrarian, but a well thought out screed and ideology about how to improve not just America but the very world itself.

This is, in spite of its temporary contemporary relevence, a celebration of Lincoln's brilliance in statesmanship and his greatness as a communicator. It is a history book applied to the present. I would whole-heartedly recommend Cuomo's ideas to anyone--to consider, to talk over, even to debate prior to dismissing. I would just warn that the author is guilty of much of what he seems to disparage in his own political opposition, regardless of his greater ability to communicate his ideas.

Lincoln From a (Very) Liberal Viewpoint
Mario Cuomo, three time governor of New York is also a long-time Lincoln scholar. Here he writes a very interesting book on how he thinks Lincoln would have handled the situations facing George W. Bush.

The simularities are striking, not only a war, but deep divisions within the country on the basic conservative/liberal viewpoints.

During the civil war Lincoln silenced some of his enemies by simply arresting them and holding them without trial or due process. In 1866 the Supreme Court ruled this illegal. Now the US is holding some 158 accused Taliban and al Qaeda members. Just this week the Supreme Court said 'no-no.'

Throughout the book Mr. Cuomo uses selected quotations from Lincoln to illustrate how he thinks Lincoln would have handled the current situations. As Mr. Cuomo is an unabashed liberal, and Mr. Bush is an unabashed conservative, I wonder if Mr. Bush might have picked a different set of quotations to prove that he is handling the situation just like Lincoln would have done.

This is a very different approach to using history to illustrate our current problems. One small section of the book is devoted to how Lincoln might have addressed Congress, a Lincoln's State of the Union Message if you will. Mr. Cuomo uses this 'speach' to decry budget deficits (strange how the Democrats and Republicans have switched sides on this issue), but spend more on education, give more money to the states, etc.

Amazing Synthesis
Gov. Cuomo has done a tremendous job weaving together his own commentary on our nation's present predicament with Lincoln's wisdom. When I read Donald's biography of Lincoln, I found Lincoln's humility in the face of his challengers to be the most enduring lesson. In part, I think it grew out of his considerable depression and what was clearly a sense of being alone in the world. Ironically, it became his greatest asset. In a strange way, by contrast, George W is too well-adjusted for our nation's good. The thread that runs through his prosecution of this war, his cynical treatment of the environment, his tax policies, and many other policies is a complete absence of self-doubt. The beauty of this book is that Gov. Cuomo has captured both Lincoln's essence and Bush's in a nuanced contrast.
I found three areas particularly fascinating. First, the discussion of civil liberties and Lincoln's approach to the Supreme Court appointments. I had not thought about the relevance of Lincoln's actions in the Civil War to the current Court's consideration of "enemy combatant" status for U.S. citizens. Second, Lincoln's religion fascinates me in part b/c Jefferson's does as well. I wish it were better appreciated that two of our nation's most foundational thinkers and leaders had deep concerns about the role of organized religion in issues of state and worked hard to preserve the separation without denying the value of religious beliefs and practice. Third, and most important, the State of the State chapter was a terrific idea and beautifully executed. I only wish that it were being issued by the White House today rather than just being published by Harcourt Brace.

Democratic Republican or Republican Democrat?
In today's political climate, the rhetoric and the pressure to be either Democrat or Republican often ignores the fact that the issues are so closely interwoven that it's difficult to tell the difference in some cases. In fact, logic requires that when persons like Reagan or Clinton grow up in Democratic households as Reagan did, or Republican households as Clinton did, (I think), and as many others have, it may be impossible to typecast the person as all Democrat or all Republican, based upon the kinds of issues defined by Lincoln and others who founded the parties. Unfortunately, the political labels of today with respect to conservative or liberal don't really convey much anymore, and the lables of Democratic Republican or Republican Democrat may serve to identify the political hybrids of today which are flocking into the elections as candidates, Hillary included who once, was Republican possibly until the McGovern campaign as volunteer. As America grows more mature, Cuomo may have the perspectives to allow America to evaluate its political momentum more effectively through the number of political crises that reveal more than has been currently discussed with regard to political centers. These rifts have yet to be debated successfully, and may cause the bulk of the derision seen on many current political talk shows.

A Clear Voice For America's Most Important Values
Governor Cuomo, one of the nation's foremost experts on Abraham Lincoln's life and writings, has examined the ways in which Lincoln dealt with the crises facing the nation during his presidency, deconstructed them to find Lincoln's core values, and brilliantly applied them to the key issues facing us today: war, civil liberties, the role of government, economic opportunity, globailization, religion, the Supreme Court, and race. While both Republicans and Democrats have claimed Lincoln as their own, Cuomo's book shows us that Lincoln's legacy transcends party lines, and that Lincoln's views on these issues, his values and his vision of America are as important and relevant today as they were then. Whether you agree or disagree with Mario Cuomo's politics, this is a readable, thought-provoking book by a great intellect, communicator and historian about another great intellect and communicator that reminds us why America became and still is such a great country.
I particularly enjoyed "Abraham Lincoln's 2004 Address to Congress" -- Cuomo's take on what Lincoln would say to us today, and how he would say it. ... Read more

Book Description

In Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America, historian William Gienapp provides a remarkably concise, up-to-date, and vibrant biography of the most revered figure in United States history. While the heart of the book focuses on the Civil War, Gienapp begins with a finely etched portrait of Lincoln's early life, from pioneer farm boy to politician and lawyer in Springfield, to his stunning election as sixteenth president of the United States. Students will see how Lincoln grew during his years in office, how he developed a keen aptitude for military strategy and displayed enormous skill in dealing with his generals, and how his war strategy evolved from a desire to preserve the Union to emancipation and total war.Gienapp shows how Lincoln's early years influenced his skills as commander-in-chief and demonstrates that, throughout the stresses of the war years, Lincoln's basic character shone through: his good will and fundamental decency, his remarkable self-confidence matched with genuine humility, his immunity to the passions and hatreds the war spawned, his extraordinary patience, and his timeless devotion.A former backwoodsman and country lawyer, Abraham Lincoln rose to become one of our greatest presidents. This biography offers a vivid account of Lincoln's dramatic ascension to the pinnacle of American history. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Slaveowner & Political Stooge
Lincoln was a slaveowner and a political stooge that duped the entire U.S. into a war that shouldn't have been fought. History should condemn this vile man.

Abraham Lincoln And Civil War America
William Gienapp's Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America answers a longstanding need for a biography of Lincoln manageable in size, accessible in style, and wise and balanced in content. Lincoln appers on every page of the book and is never lost sight of in the welter of events. He emerges from the text a real believable person, an individual and persuasive assessment of Lincoln's leadership abilities, the finest such appraisal avilable anywhere.

Abraham Lincoln in one slim volume.
This book is a welcome addition ot the already crowded Lincolnia bookself. The author is the presumed successor to the retired David Herbert Donald at Harvard University. Gienapp has produced a highly readable and concise version of a Lincoln biography that can be completed on a moderately long airplane trip(and it's quite portable unlike most hardcover books). While relatively short,this book is a sufficiently thorough treatment of the Civil War Lincoln. I especially enjoyed the author's analysis of the politician Lincoln who mastered his rivals, both Republican and Democrat. This a good book for either a new Lincoln /Civil War "buff" or a good refresher for a scholar of the times. ... Read more

Book Description

A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War
Most Americans consider Abraham Lincoln to be the greatest president in history. His legend as the Great Emancipator has grown to mythic proportions as hundreds of books, a national holiday, and a monument in Washington, D.C., extol his heroism and martyrdom. But what if most everything you knew about Lincoln were false? What if, instead of an American hero who sought to free the slaves, Lincoln were in fact a calculating politician who waged the bloodiest war in american history in order to build an empire that rivaled Great Britain's? In The Real Lincoln, author Thomas J. DiLorenzo uncovers a side of Lincoln not told in many history books and overshadowed by the immense Lincoln legend.
Through extensive research and meticulous documentation, DiLorenzo portrays the sixteenth president as a man who devoted his political career to revolutionizing the American form of government from one that was very limited in scope and highly decentralized—as the Founding Fathers intended—to a highly centralized, activist state. Standing in his way, however, was the South, with its independent states, its resistance to the national government, and its reliance on unfettered free trade. To accomplish his goals, Lincoln subverted the Constitution, trampled states' rights, and launched a devastating Civil War, whose wounds haunt us still. According to this provacative book, 600,000 American soldiers did not die for the honorable cause of ending slavery but for the dubious agenda of sacrificing the independence of the states to the supremacy of the federal government, which has been tightening its vise grip on our republic to this very day.
You will discover a side of Lincoln that you were probably never taugh in school—a side tha calls into question the very myths that surround him and helps explain the true origins of a bloody, and perhaps, unnecessary war.
"A devastating critique of America's most famous president." ... Read more

Reviews (230)

A different look at our 'greatest' president
The latest polls place Abe Lincoln at the top of the list of "Greatest Presidents". Indeed, few of our nation's past leaders are as reveared (and practically worshipped) as much as Honest Abe is today.

This book takes a different look at his presidency and offers some challenging new ideas for "Lincoln Lovers". Indeed, anyone who has read some decent civil war history outside of a high school or college textbooks will know that the civil war was about much more than the just the one issue of slavery and abolition. Like many wars throughout history, they are usually about money and power.

You will find within its pages a clear and concise arguement against the more popular view of Abe Lincoln. Thomas J. Dilorenzo describes a very clear picture of what the Lincoln presidency was REALLY about...

raising import tariffs in the south to get more money...

ignoring the constitution whenever it didn't suit his agenda...

using "dictator-like" tactics to increase his power...

and ultimately increasing the power of the federal gvt. itself.

I always enjoy a book that has the guts to argue against the popular myths that we are usually taught in school in place of any real history. Get this book and see Honest Abe from a different point of view.

My high school/college history coach wouldn't approve!
A refreshing, honest look!! Dilorenzo does an excellent job. The author uses facts and quotes to expose the true socialist/centralist agenda of Lincoln (and many other politicians). With his honest expose, the author systematically debunks the race-game used by so many superficial authors. For those who do not have a recorded family history, this masterpiece will help to put the war into historical perspective and let the reader discover the truth. The author does not elaborate fully on the vandalism, pillage and plunder of the fascist invasion, but does give great insight into the same with respect to the Constitution and design of the founding fathers. It gives a great economic backdrop for understanding the constriction of free markets, ever-growing socialism, fallacious economic reasoning, fiat currency problems, taxation without representation and other travesties that consistently exacerbate the nationalistic left wing socialism in our demopublican political system. Best of all, the author uses FACTS, instead of propaganda. He cites SOURCES, as opposed to using innuendo and conjecture. He covers this excellent read with so many actual QUOTES, that readers have the ammo to think for themselves, rather than be duped by a government history teacher with a government approved textbook. A wonderful expose of the white supremacy and racism that was prevalent in the north and a vindication of southerners, like my ancestry, whose only crime was their continued defense of the constitution, liberty, freedom and their families, homes, communities and sovereign states. We should never forget what really happened.

James Salisbury
Let me start by saying what an incredible book. This book tells the truth about a man and his myth an anti-constitutionalist and murder of innocent Americans. The book is backed up by facts and not revisionist history as most books about Lincoln and American history are today. It goes to the heart of Lincoln and his ultimate goal of creating a centralized government with absolute control over all Sovereign States in order to push his parties economical and social agenda which they were unsuccessful at achieving politically, so he used a bloody war to crush his opposition to the South even Northern states were threaten at the point of a bayonet to submit to the will of his government or pay with their lives. The book also does a great job of dispelling the myth of Lincolns "Emancipation Proclamation" he was never during his entire life an abolitionist in fact he would distant himself from them. Go ahead and read the reviews below especially the negative ones (e.g. Aaron Smith) then read the book then go back to the negative reviews and you will see first hand how brainwashed so many people are in this country even after the straight forward facts of this book tell it like it was and remains today they still don't want to believe it. The Lincoln myth has been, concocted by the leftist to advance their socialist agendas by creating this false hero of liberty and freedom, which you will see Lincoln was not. So do yourself and your future generations a favor and pick up this book before it disappears, and share it with everyone you know because the school system in America is not going to teach the truth to your children only you can.

DEO VINDICE

rebel dumpty sat on the wall, rebel dumty had a big fall
in times of peace, a democracy should run like a democracy. in times of internal revolt, rebellion, or secession within a democracy, individual liberties must take a back seat to reestablishing internal order. dilorenzo's book, by an almost mystical inverse relation to its purpose, has shown me that abe lincoln was justified in the steps he took to save this wonderful country. he also did the south a tremendous favor by fighting it back into the union. even while the civil war raged, a few state governments within the condfederacy were itching to secede from THAT governmental conglomerate. if they had won their independence, it would not have been long before the former american south had split itself into 6 or 7 individual countries, with no hope of defending itself...from one another. if not for abe lincoln and the republican government in washington, the "lost cause" myth would relate not to what-ifs about winning the civil war, but rather to those grand days of peace and liberty (though 4 million slaves weren't liberated yet) back in the old union. mr. dilorenzo's book is a stubborn read, very miopic in its presentation of negative information regarding lincoln. dilorenzo has not given us a balanced look at the man who, by reuniting the united states of america through fighting the civil war, saved this land from a legacy of "war on every other thursday" that europe has experienced FOREVER! but dilorenzo's book is not worthless. again, the crafty reader will be able to spot the red-herrings and not be fooled by the chauvinistic arrangement of arguments.

Abraham Lincoln Exposed
Thomas DiLorenzo has produced a brilliant expose' on Abraham Lincoln and the despotism he has saddled us with. DiLorenzo refutes all of the foolish arguements of the Lincoln "myth" school. "Father Abraham" is seen as he should be: a corrupt, tyrannical despot coercing the South back into the Union.

DiLorenzo correctly shows how the United States was a voluntary union, pointing out that the states existed prior to the Union, contrary to modern view that the Union came first. DiLorenzo also points out the moral bankruptcy of modern Marxist historians and their agenda. Eric Foner, Garry Wills,et al, are shwon to be the statists that they are.

DiLorenzo correctly shows how the North, particularly the New England area, profited off the protectionist tariifs that fell on the South. He quotes extensively from Whigs and Republicans showing their devotion to Henry Clay's "American System", a Hamiltonian Scheme to create a huge centralized government. Lincoln's 30 year political career was devoted to Big Government, protectionism, corporate welfare ( particularly for railroads) and bureaucracy.

As President Lincoln's tyranny hits the reader like a ton of bricks.He violated the Constitution in the following ways: executive suspension of the writ of habeus corpus, invasion without congressional approval, arrest of political opponents without trial, imposition of an income tax,and occupation of several states, Maryland in particular. He had the entire legislature of Maryland arrested and placed the state under martial law.

Lincoln also suppoted the brutality of his "Grand Army of the Republic". The tyranny of Sherman and Grant was endorsed by Lincoln. Bombardment of civilians, burning of towns, raping of white and black women by Union soliders, and installation of puppet governments in the vanquished states.

DiLorenzo also correctly exposes the Republican Party and Lincoln as descendants of the Federalist Party. They were proponents of strong centralized government, and did not trust the people. Jeffersonianism was repudiated and limited government was overthrown.

If anyone wants the true Lincoln, you cannot go wrong with DiLorenzo's book. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In the tradition of Garry Wills's modern classic Lincoln at Gettysburg, RonaldC. White Jr. offers a close reading of the speech Abraham Lincoln gave in 1865at his second inauguration and declares it the man's finest and most importanteffort. It contains one of Lincoln's best-known lines ("With malice toward none;with charity for all"), which White admires as "a timeless promise ofreconciliation." At the same time, White reminds readers that rather thanyanking such brilliant rhetorical nuggets from their context, "We need tounderstand Lincoln's strategy for the complete speech." He provides this in somedetail, describing the political environment in which Lincoln found himself,having recently won a presidential election that he nearly lost and also seeingthe Confederacy begin to collapse for good. It was not a long speech, containingonly 701 words of mostly one syllable each and requiring merely six or sevenminutes to deliver, compared to about 35 minutes for the inaugural address hehad given four years earlier. White calls these words Lincoln's "last will andtestament to America." John Wilkes Booth, who attended the inaugural ceremony,would murder him the next month. Lincoln buffs in particular will appreciatethis book, as will fans of Jay Winik's April 1865. --JohnMiller ... Read more

Reviews (14)

A Gem
Ronald White calls Lincoln's Second Inaugural his "last will and testament to America," and he provides powerful support for that judgment in this book. The speech itself was only 703 words long. White's text probably runs to more than 50,000 words, yet his discussion never flags. He provides rich commentary, revealing biographical insights, and engrossing historical background for a speech that was initially received with little enthusiasm, yet is remembered today as one of the greatest orations of American history.

The address was steeped in biblical references, revealing not only Lincoln's substantial biblical scholarship but also his profound religiosity. White correctly states that the separation of church and state in the United States has never meant the separation of religion and politics, and he makes it abundantly clear that, in Lincoln's mind, the fate of the United States could never be separated from God's plan for the world. Often confused with fatalism, Lincoln's religious view was centered on the Presbyterian tradition of the providence of God, the faith that "His kingdom ruleth over all." Lincoln's religion was not self-righteous; he did not wear it on his sleeve; and he explicitly rejected the view, popular among war leaders, that God was on his side and against his enemies. In his mind, the Almighty was the major actor in the Civil War, and the contesting parties were his agents.

White writes clearly, logically, and often movingly. He brought tears to my eyes when he described Frederick Douglass's visit to the White House reception given at the close of the second inaugural day. A book that can touch the heart while it informs the mind and uplifts the spirit is rare. This one does that. It is a gem.

A small book that yeilds great insights
This is a short book about a short speech; but both are saturated by meaning and insight. Ronald White's analysis of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address (which Lincoln gave weeks before the end of the Civil War), portrays Lincoln as a thinker and artist, wrapped in a politician. White deconstructs each word and phrase in the speech/sermon, firmly setting them within the historical context that includes Lincoln's speaking style, Frederick Douglass, Bible-smuggling, Aristotle's rhetoric, the reading public, theological debates within Christendom, the little table in front of Lincoln while he spoke, long-forgotten sermons delivered in the Washington church where Lincoln and his family worshiped, the overtaxed printing presses which rushed out copies of Uncle Tom's Cabin, skeptical foreign newspapers, and so many other aspects of this lost and sad world. American deaths in the Civil War almost equaled American deaths in all subsequent wars, and yet, in this speech, Lincoln avoided blame for the war and gloating over the North's impending victory, and instead invoked a merciful God that punished the whole of the country for "America's (not the South's) slavery." White captures a Lincoln who was a man of his times but was somehow able to rise above them. He has written a masterful book here, blessedly short. We need more short books like this. History, like speeches, can be a lot more palatable in small bites than in the large tomes that crowd contemporary bookshelves.

A look inside Lincoln's thinking.
I never thought a book about a speech would be so very interesting. White does a great job dissecting this short speech and Lincoln's thinking behind it. At the time, the speech was not thought of well, but after his assassination, the words became the last testament of this great president. With malice toward none and charity to all, these words came to embody Abraham Lincoln.
I was especially interested in the spiritual aspects in both the speech and Lincoln. White makes Lincoln come across as a spiritual person, who believed in fate. The book examines his experience in three Protesant denominations. As we look at Lincoln's spiritual growth, we find this reflected in his speeches, especially his Second Inaugural. The last speech contained many references to God.
This is a great book about Lincoln. For those who want to understand Lincoln more, White's book examines a crucial episode in the final stages of this president's life.

Not Worth the Time or Effort
Found this book to be onerously biased and self serving. Ronald Whites depiction of Lincoln lacks any credibility, considering the fact that Lincoln the man was such a complicated human being, politician, and president. Not worth the time or effort!

Lincoln Speaks Today
I picked up Ronald White's impressive book to learn not only about Lincoln's March 4, 1865, Second Inaugural Address, but also about persuasive speech. And learn I did. Thus, I think others who speak or write about things important will be instructed by Lincoln and White's analysis of his effective rhetoric. For them, that alone will be worth the price of the book.

But there is much more in these pages. I'm neither a Lincoln scholar nor an historian, and I'm not sure what I was expecting, but when I read histories I first check for the wide range of material the authors draw upon. I then look for the care they take not to read into their texts and sources what they want readers to hear, but to read out of them what they actually say and to tell us what they have found between the lines. I appreciated White's integrity and discipline in this regard.

I also found myself fascinated by both the president's penetrating insights into human nature and White's deft ability to spell them out. I was impressed, too, with the author's lucid descriptions of the historical setting, emotional context and profound theological influences that shaped Lincoln and his address. They helped me to identify with the president as he struggled to heal and unify the nation and to see why he approached his daunting task the way he did. Moreover, both White's competence as an historian and his training in theology helped me to understand better not only this critical American moment, but also to grasp what Lincoln's message says to us today.

When finished reading, I went to our back bedroom to be alone. I read the speech to myself several times. Then I stood at the window and looked down on the plants in our garden, envisioning them as Lincoln's inaugural audience. Then, imagining I were the president at his podium, giving his greatest speech to the war-weary people before him, I read his words aloud, trying to capture his cadence, milking his use of alliteration, and pausing to stress what I now believed he wanted to emphasize. I don't cry at the drop of a hat, but as I read the last paragraph -- "With malice toward none; with charity for all ... a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations." -- my brain brought me back to our present world. Tears filled my eyes, and I could hardly finish. ... Read more

Book Description

Much more than a biography of Lincoln or a history of the Civil War, this portrait of Lincoln makes our sixteenth president accessible to young readers as a human being, rather than as a historic icon or paragon of virtue. The author, renowned for his award-winning books on great leaders, shows how a principled but imperfect man -- full of intelligence but also of sorrow,logical and determined but also cautious and prejudiced grew under the pressure of personal tragedy and national crisis to become our greatest president.The book is written in a quick-flowing, engaging style, detailed but easy to read. The author effortlessly uses eyewitness accounts -- letters, speeches,diaries, newspapers, poems, songs, memoirs -- to create setting, to show personality, political climate, to give voice to the attitudes and hopes of everyday Americans. The treatment of slavery is especially vivid. All the important events of the war are here, but the emphasis is on people, personalities, human feelings and behavior.As the historian Barbara Fields made clear in the Ken Burns documentary on the Civil War, the issues of that war are still with us. Perhaps never more than now do young people need to be exposed to the unfailing humanity, honesty, and political sagacity that allowed Lincoln to hold together a country racked by secession, racial hatred, and other divisions. Lincoln had that most uy76precious of all human qualities -- the capacity for growth. His life reminds us that any person can learn from experience and rise above poverty, prejudice, and limitation; and that a political leader can and must embody a profound respect forthe plain peopleand the democratic processes that elevate us all. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Human Side of Lincoln
For the first time, I came to know Lincoln not as an iconified hero, but as a funny, direct, engaging and committed human being as I read this book. The author has thorough notes of very detailed research and tells a story that others omitted or overlooked. It made me want to read much more about Lincoln, especially more of the piercing wit and emotional perseverance shared in this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Since its original publication in 1999, "Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President" has garnered numerous accolades, not least the prestigious 2000 Lincoln Prize. Allen Guelzo's peerless biography of America's most celebrated president is now available for the first time in a fine paperback edition.

The first "intellectual biography" of Lincoln, this work explores the role of ideas in Lincoln's life, treating him as a serious thinker deeply involved in the nineteenth-century debates over politics, religion, and culture. Written with passion and dramatic impact, Guelzo's masterful study offers a revealing new perspective on a man whose life was in many ways a paradox. As journalist Richard N. Ostling notes, "Much has been written about Lincoln's belief and disbelief," but Guelzo's extraordinary account "goes deeper." ... Read more

Reviews (19)

an accurate and highly readable portrait of a great man
Gulezo, in his book, decides to concentrate on the intellectual and religious development of our sixteenth president. Since Gulezo readily admits that religion did not play a very important role in Lincoln's actions, I am not sure why he chose to highlight this area. With this criticism aside, Gulezo writes a highly readable and absorbing narrative of Lincoln's life. Like all good historians, Gulezo focuses his narrative without forcing opinions on the reader. After reading the book, it is abundantly clear that Lincoln remained a Whig moderate on the slavery issue. Gulezo correctly and intelligently seals the continuum between his Whiggish beliefs in the American System and his views toward slavery. He is not the phlegmatic opportunist of Hofstader nor the evil racist rumored but denied by Kearns-Goodwin and Spielberg. The most valid criticism of Lincoln, phrasing it as Barry Goldwater might, may be his moderation instead of his extremism in the pursuit of virtue; maybe it is a sin. In summary, it would be difficult for me to conceive of a better writen biography of Lincoln. After finishing this book, I was left with a much better understanding of this president.

Best Lincoln Biography of Ideas
I've read, I suppose, 500 books and articles about Abraham Lincoln, but Allen Guelzo's Redeemer President is by far the best on the subject of the beliefs that animated the 16th President. Lincoln's ideas on politics, the economy and social relations -- and especially on religion -- are clearly (but not too simply) described, and Guelzo shows how these developed over time and influenced Lincoln's actions. The book is most satisfying because it presents a convincing portrait of Lincoln as he understood himself, and so makes him less enigmatic -- but no less complex -- than he is usually shown.

An Intellectual and Religious Biography of Lincoln
Biographies of Abraham Lincoln have tended to fall into two broad categories. The first category consists of biographies of the "subjective" Lincoln. These biographies are based largely on the many anecdotes and stories people told about Lincoln's life, typically during the early years in Illinois and concentrate on trying to explore Lincoln as a man (He remains an enigma.)The second category of Lincoln biography is the political. This biography focuses on Lincoln's public actions, typically during or shortly before his Presidency and draws on the lengthy public record available during the Civil War years. This type of biographical approach tends to give short shrift to the personal approach.

In his "Abraham Lincoln, Redeemer President" Allen Guelzo points out these two approaches to Lincoln studies (p.472) and says that his book is an attempt to combine the personal and public approaches to Lincoln. Professor Guelzo, Dean of Templeton Honors Colledge and Professor of History at Eastern Universtiy, writes a primarily intellectual biography; but he tries to explore the degree to which Lincoln's thought formed his political actions.

Professor Guelzo devotes a great deal of attention to establishing Lincoln's political identity as a whig -- an admirer of both Henry Clay and Daniel Webster. From his early days in public life, Lincoln was interested in promoting economic opportunity by encouraging the free market. He supported ambitious programs of public works and public education, to develop transportation infrastructure, (canals, roads, and railroads) and to promote the growth of industry and of a middle class. The whig approach emphasized public virtue, public morality, the value of hard work, and a unified United States. Guelzo effectively contrasts Lincoln's Whiggish beliefs with the agrarian beliefs of the Jefferson-Jacksonian democrats with their commitment to a nation of agrarian, self-sufficient yeomen and farmers. (Lincoln's father was such a yeoman, and Lincoln wanted none of it for himself.)

Professor Guelzo traces the beginnings of Lincoln's opposition to the expansion of slavery, in the early 1850's. to his desire to promote the development of upwardly mobile capitalist workers. He tended to see agrarianism as slavery slightly disguised. Lincoln never lost his whig commitments, according to Professor Guelzo, even after the party disbanded and Lincoln became a leader of the Republican party.

Professor Guelzo also studies the nature of Lincoln's religious beliefs and the importance Lincoln gave to religous questions. As is the case with Lincoln's economic rebellion against his father, Professor Guelzo finds the beginnings of Lincoln's religious thought in a youthful rebellion against the Calvinism and predestinarian beliefs of his father. Lincoln found he could not believe in the revealed God of the Bible, although he knew the Bible well. He could not accept the doctrine of predestination, but he came close to it in a secular way. During most of his life, Lincoln was a determinist who believed that people had little independent choice in what they did but acted in response to outside factors which they did not control.

According to Professor Guelzo, Lincoln also tended towards the englightenment of John Locke and towards the utilitarianism of Mill and Bentham. His politics and Presidency, of course, have distincly pragmatic characters. Throughout his life, Lincoln remained outside the fold of organized religion.

According to Professor Guelzo, Lincoln's thought developed as Lincoln confronted at deepening levels the difficulty of the Civil War. The beginning of this development was the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates where Lincoln vigourously attacked the morality of holding slaves. Lincoln's thoughts on providence, for Professor Guelzo, were instrumental in Lincoln's decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln told his cabinet he had made a promise "to his maker" to issue the Proclamation and that he could not do otherwise. (pp 341-42.) Guelzo continues his treatment of providential themes in Lincoln with his discussion of the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address.

There is also a great deal in the book that discusses Lincoln's handling of the War, the border states, his generals, and the Army. Professor Guelzo's intellectual and religous themes sometimes get lost in these discussions, and we are reminded that Lincoln was a pragmatist, a leader and a consummate politician.

The picture of Lincoln's religiosity that emerges from Professor Guelzo's study has a distinctly modern flavor. (Professor Guelzo sees it as high Victorian.) Lincoln was a person who sought religous belief but could not find his way to an organized religion of his day. He was not, in his mid and late life, content simply with materialism and skepticism but rather developed his own religious thought based upon a rather loosely defined notion of providence and redemption. As personal as his thought was, it helped shape our nation. Lincoln's life, as Professor Guelzo presents it, seems to be a paradigm of many people today who reject organized religion in favor of a search for what many call spirituality.

On a political level, Guelzo's account of Lincoln stresses that the United States is and has become a unified Nation and that Americans should see themselves, for all their diversity and differences as part of a unified people. I also see the book as a reminder of the value of hard work and economic effort.

Professor Guelzo has written a thoughtful, provocative study of Lincoln the man, the thinker, and the President.

Lincoln the Whig
Like a typical biography, Redeemer President goes through its subject's life. But unlike most biographies, Redeemer President centers on the maturation of its subject's thinking. Guelzo shows how some of Lincoln's most famous ideas, such as his reliance on "the proposition that all men are created equal," was part of Whig orthodoxy. To trace Lincoln's development takes nothing away from his genius, of course.

This was one of the most enjoyable biographies I have read on Lincoln. One might begin with Oates' With Malice Toward None for Lincoln's life as a great story. Then go to Donald's Lincoln for a more modern biography -- lots and lots of facts, but with little attempt to see Lincoln as a product of his own time. Both are very well written, but I prefer Guelzo's over either of them.

If you like Guelzo's book on Lincoln's thought, you'll like A New Birth of Freedom by Harry V. Jaffa, which Guelzo calls "the greatest book on Lincoln's politics for another generation."

Where is the Real Lincoln?
Eerdmans should stick to theological tomes, rather than embarassing themselves with yet another propaganda piece for the Yankee cause. Guelzo fails to mention how Lincoln trampled upon the Constitution (Illegal arrests, Intimidation of duly elected leaders (e.g. Maryland State Legislature), and making war upon peaceful states which legally withdrew from the voluntary Union). A Government for the people, by the people vanished [Jeffersonian Constitutional Republic replaced with Consolidated Absolutism] with Lincoln's insistence that the Federal government existed before the States. The right of secession in America, beginning with the Declaration of Independence, was taught for decades until Sen. Sumner thundered from the Senate floor that this was a perpetual Union (Lincoln decided to carry this torch at the expense of 600,000 innocents). Lincoln's Emancipation proclamation was none other than a war measure (slaves were being used to build the capital and slaves were only declared free in Confederate held territory)encouraging slaves to revolt: this did not happen. Guelzo also fails to mention that slavery in the South was dying out and that roughly 10% of her people ever owned slaves. Guelzo failed to point out that the Emancipation Proclamation was illegal since it would have to take a Constitutional amendment to change the Constitution. Furthermore, his book fails to point out that the Emancipation had no jurisdiction in the Confederate States of America since the Southern states were no longer a member of the Union. I'm amazed at how people continue to admire a man who waged war on people who decided to follow in the footsteps of their fathers: Revolutionary War Heroes. The South was right, and the Northern propaganda machine is still filling the public mind with lies. If Abraham Lincoln embodies what a Christian is, then I'm not one, and evangelicals fascination with a man who was not converted until after Gettyburg is dangerous. Furthermore, I have no respect for a man who waged war on my native state: North Carolina. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Someone once said that more books have been written about Abraham Lincoln than any other person in history save Jesus and Shakespeare. Indeed, it is impossible to understand the Civil War without getting to know the complex figure of the 16th president. More than any other biographer, Stephen B. Oates brings the plain-talking man from Illinois to life as a canny politician, a doting husband, and a determined wartime leader. Oates has an appealing appreciation for Lincoln's majestic control of the English language, his raw humor, and his undeniable heroism. The final pages, covering Lincoln's death and his legacy, are graceful and moving. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

A "70s" Lincoln, Not The Right One.
Oates' biography, though very readable and quite good on Lincoln's personal tragedies, is far from a persuasive or fair portrait. Oates advertises his 1970s New England liberalism by painting Lincoln as all but wanting to be an abolitionist and egalitarian, but darn those dang border states and that Constitution tying his hands! Such authors have stretched long chapters around a few tidbits like Lincoln's one-time public favor of limited black suffrage and very little more. Lincoln was more of a moderate realist for reasons of his own view on the desireable pace of national reform, and not simply because of external factors. He was neither a Radical Republican restrained by the Constitution, or a conservative wishing to maintain the status quo. Before this book, Lincoln biographers dragged him too far right, and Oates overcompensated, dragging him too far the other way. David Donald's LINCOLN is far superior.

Most readable book ever written on Lincoln
IMO, this is "the" biography of Abraham Lincoln. While I consider David H. Donald's bio of Lincoln to be slightly more sophisticated and detailed, Stephen Oates' bio of Lincoln is the most enjoyable and interesting to read. Prof. Oates has a smooth writing style that tackles complex issues and makes them easy to understand. He never gets bogged down in boring, hard-to-understand statistics or details.

One of the 3 Best 1 Volume Biographies About Lincoln
I have been studying Abraham Lincoln for nearly 40 years. Many Lincoln scholars consider WITH MALICE TOWARD NONE by Stephen B. Oates one of three BEST one-volume biographies of Abraham Lincoln ever written to date. The other two are LINCOLN by David Herbert Donald and ABRAHAM LINCOLN: A BIOGRAPHY by Benjamin P. Thomas.

An excellent biography of an incredibly complex man.
"With Malice Towards None" is a very creditable work and a fine attempt to explain the author's view of Abraham Lincoln. Oates views Lincoln as a genuinely good man, highly ambitious, self-made, and first and foremost: a politician. Like all politicians who are heads of state, Lincoln had to grapple with the issues of his day. In his day, however, the issues were unusually intractable, difficult, and complex, such that the nation was unable to solve them through established institutions. It took an actual Civil War to decide whether slavery in America must go, whether America is first and foremost a union of united States, or whether it was a Union of essentially sovereign single states. These were and are great issues, and the greatness of Lincoln is that he stood in the center of these issues, spent his entire presidency grappling with them, and ultimately, it was his unswerving leadership, not perfect but great, that ultimately led America to resolution of these issues.

Oates shows us that Lincoln was a politician. He wheedled, compromised, and was carried by great events as often as he shaped them. This does nothing to take away from the man who, along with Washington, ranks as doubtless one of our two greatest presidents. While opposing slavery, Lincoln was ready to compromise with it, at least sometimes to some extent. Oates does a good job of explaining this in a non-revisionist way that shows respect to Lincoln and to history.

Oates' writing is clear, and his research thorough. This is not a perfect book in that it is not a complete view of Lincoln. No 400 or so page book about this complicated man could achieve that. On the other hand, Oates portrays Lincoln brilliantly, and with insight, as a gifted leader and politician in an incredibly difficult time.

I would have enjoyed more discussion of some of Lincoln's more extreme actions, his bending (some would say breaking) of the Constitution, and the extremes to which he went to achieve ultimate military victory for the North. Oates does touch on this, but more would have been welcome.

An excellent book about a difficult and complex subject. Recommended.

A decent portrayal of Lincoln, but not a great one
Abraham Lincoln is one of the most written-about men in history. There are scores of biographies, profiles, analyses, everything to do with this great man. Because of this, it is difficult to find a good, comprehensive work that details his life adequately and faithfully. In this book, Stephen B. Oates gives a good representation of Lincoln, giving a pretty good account of his life and not trying to raise the man to deity (as others have done). Despite this, however, there are several flaws in this book that make it only of average quality.

Oates commits what I consider to be the unpardonable sin in biography--he attempts to get inside Lincoln's head. One of the necessary qualities of a good biographer is that he or she should not try to psychoanalyze the subject, should not assume he knows what was going on inside the subject's head, and should certainly not embellish the account with a bunch of supposed conversations and feelings which are more the fabrication of the author than the feelings of the subject. Oates breaks all of these rules.

The most annoying thing about the book is that Oates will paraphrase what he thinks Lincoln said. He may give a short quotation, but then he closes the quote and proceeds to adlib what he assumes Lincoln would say, speaking in the first person as though he were the President himself. He uses the pronoun 'I' in his own narrative, when he should be using 'he.' If you can get over Oates pretending to speak for Lincoln himself throughout most of the book, the rest of the account is pretty decent. But I had a hard time getting past that.

For a 400 or so page biography, this book covers the subject moderately well, though not excellently. Many men, such as Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson, or Admiral Farragut, are barely mentioned, as if Lincoln had nothing to do with them at all. It would have added greatly to the account to have a more detailed description of the Civil War, and about Lincoln's counterparts in the South (such as Davis). Still, this is a pretty good book, though far from definitive in any way. With the mountains of work available on this great man, there's got to be something better out there. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A PRAGMATIC HERO
The Title of Professor Neely's biography of Lincoln is taken from Lincoln's second Message to Congress dated December 1, 1862. It is an inspiring phrase and an apt title for a Lincoln biography. Professor Neely's biography is good and solid in its analysis of Lincoln's life. It lacks, however, something of the eloquence and vision of the title and of Lincoln's words. We never learn why Lincoln considered the United States "the Last Best Hope of Earth" or what that can mean for our country today.

That said, this book is a good introduction to Lincoln and his Presidency. The book skims briefly over Lincoln's life before he became the 16th President. There are advantages to this, but the treatment of the Lincoln-Douglas debates and of the Kansas-Nebraska Act which led to them is too brief to help understand sucession and the Civil War which followed.

The book's treatment of Lincoln's relationship with his Generals and of the strategy of the War is probably the best single chapter. It has something to teach even those who are familiar with the military history of the war. The chapter on Lincoln as a pragmatic politician and on the 1864 campaign is also well done. The book treats the Emancipation Proclamation at length but to me anyway left something to be desired. (The text and some explicit treatment of it would help) and discusses the fate of Civil Liberties during the War and domestic development during the war in good but not dispositive detail.

If you are looking for an understanding of Lincoln and of the Civil War this is a good place to start but not to end. I suggest reading the book together with the complilation of Lincoln's own speeches and writings in the Library of America series.

Good general biography
I really enjoyed this work. I felt it could have been more in-depth, but only so much can be expected from its relatively short length. It is a good resource and point of departure for the Lincoln historian or enthusiast, but I would recommend additional reading to fill in the gaps. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

style good; facts awful
The author's style is catchy; reminds me a bit of Fletcher Pratt. But there are errors of fact on almost every page! Save your money.

factual errors
Before buying this book you should read James McPherson's scathing review in the recent issue of The Nation concerning the multitude of factual errors which permeate this book.
Caveat emptor.

Lincoln & Grant - making sense of the civil war
Perret has a knack for putting complex social realities into thoughtful context. He is not a traditional academic or military historian. Instead he writes well and pushes the reader to think new thoughts (and even learn a new word or two). My advice is to make the investment -- which is made easier because the writing is so good. Reading this digestible summary of Lincoln as the main force in the civil war was made even richer for me because I had read Perret's essential bio on U.S. Grant. In this period of nostalgia about World war II and doubts about Iraq, I also recommend that readers search for copies of Perret's "There's a War to be Won" (on WWII's army) and "A nation made by war" (on the important ways our nation's wars have had on US history.

Lincoln's War
While I found the author's style a bit florid for a history and analysis book, I have enjoyed it nonetheless. His analysis of Lincoln's military genus has been describe in a more condensed way then Shelby Foote's "The Civil War", but in doing so brings it to the forefront of the readers attention. Great battles are reduced to a page or two, which may disappoint many readers who love the details of all the various military units and commanders. This book concentrates on how a lawyer from Illinois becomes, in the course of three years, one of the greatest military minds of the 19th century. One note that is bound to create controversy is the statement that U.S. Grant was the greatest general the United States ever produced. The R.E. Lee and T. Jackson fans are sure to be angry for that. I highly recommend buying this book and intend to purchase another as a gift for a dear friend.

Don't be fooled again ...
Reading Geoffrey Perret is like going out with what you think is Jessica Simpson. At first, it all looks good, even immaculate: the snazzy dresser, bright teeth, urbane wit ... and then you begin to delve into what's there ... the empty head, the superficial smile, the sense that you are being conned by yet another effort to separate you from your hard-earned money for some more Civil War fluff. And in this case, you finally discover that it's not Jessica Simpson across the table after all, but some dyed blonde wannabe who's invested a lot of money with her surgeon, dentist, and makeup staff ... as you find out when the foundation peels off and the liposuction gives way. He's a combination of Michael Caine and Hugh Grant, minus any real sparkle, charisma, or brains, and not quite as visually appealing. But if you like that sort of thing, then Perret's the man for you.

Perret's ignorance about Ulysses S. Grant is known to all who are familiar with his book, in which he becomes the author who couldn't write straight (there's a double meaning to this phrase, revealed in his musings about the homoerotic appeal of John Rawlins, whom he likens to James Dean and River Phoenix). Perret's an effete fop who has personal issues to work out (he once wrote about MacArthur's "member" as a little crooked thing). Now he returns to the scene of his previous crime, hopeful that his smooth prose and turn of phrase will entrap those who don't know any better (although his prose fails to sustain that promise). There's nothing, nothing new here, the reviews by non-experts for LJ and PW notwithstanding. My goodness, the poor chap even botched up his description of the Kennedy assassination, although at least it was corrected in the paperback (he had the Kennedys sitting FACING the Connallys -- hello, have we seen the Zapruder film?).

There are better books on Lincoln, and even T. Harry Williams did a better job in the badly dated LINCOLN AND HIS GENERALS. People who are impressed by pseudo-urbane flash (usually those with self-esteem issues) may find Perret an intriguing character, but anyone who suffered through his C-SPAN Booknotes interview knows his work is plagued by some serious problems that can not be smiled away. I imagine he thinks he's Edmund Morris or a good-looking Henry Adams, except that he's already at work on his next fatuous opus. As for this book, you'll come away aware that you've read this all before--except, of course, where it's hilariously wrongheaded--and that you've been snookered. BUYER BEWARE! ... Read more

Amazon.com

This work is perhaps the most complete and enjoyable children's book ever written about one of the nation's most fascinating and important figures, Abraham Lincoln. Russell Freedman covers Lincoln's life and career in a balanced treatment that is enhanced by period photographs and drawings.The book won the Newbery Medal, the Jefferson Cup Award and the Golden Kite Honor Book Award, and earned a citation as School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Fabulous Introduction On Abraham Lincoln
This is a wonderful book about Abraham Lincoln. It's the very first book that I read on him when i was about eleven or twelve years old. It's still one of my favorites because it has quick easy to read information. The pictures are beautiful to look at.
This is also a really good way to get kids interested in Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. It's what got me started really.
All though it seems kind of childish to me now. it still really is a very good book to learn from.
With this references book, you will also learn about some key figures in Lincoln's life. Such as Mary Ann Todd and Josuah F. Speed. There is also some good information on them from an introduction on Lincoln.
What I also like about the book is that it doesn't really talk on about the myth of Lincoln.
But the author tries to talk about the man himself instead. There are also some pictures of Abraham and Mary's first house in Springfield. Illinois, and a lot of other nice pictures.
I very much recommend this book to any one who is knew at learning about the 16th President of the United States of America.

The Life of Lincoln: A truly wonderful book.
Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman informs the reader about Lincoln's family and his life before he became President and the effects upon the U.S. after this death. The book starts out about his early childhood and tells about his father,mother,sister and goes on to inform the reader about his marriage and children. Freedman goes on to tell about Lincoln's rise in government, first as a Representative in the Illinois House of Representitives to President of the United States.
The author Russell Freedman, shares wonderful pictures that the reader enjoys viewing, that are not readily available. Freedman grabs the readers attention by not just using staticical information, but show Lincoln as a person just not a President.

Lincoln: A Photobiography is worth reading because, Lincoln's voice can be felt thru his many speeches. The book takes you back to the Cival War and you believe you understand why Lincoln was a great human being.

Not your parents' Lincoln
A small unimposing masterpiece. It is interesting to me that the photograph chosen for the cover of this book should show Lincoln without his usual beard and stovepipe hat. I like to believe that maybe the author chose this photo himself, perhaps to make people think a little differently about Lincoln from the start. I have nothing for praise for this biography, by the way. The facts are interspersed with the excellent details of Lincoln's life growing up. Freedman has the ability to mingle the times in which Abe lived his life in such a way that the readers hardly notice how well they've become acquainted with the setting before the Civil War arrives. This book is so readable and such a good length that I can see children actually enjoying reading it on their own. Admittedly, this may not often happen, but it's wonderful to read a book that even gives them the option. "Lincoln: A Photobiography" would teach especially well to large groups of kids and would pair nicely with Ruby Bridges's, "Through My Eyes", giving kids a real sense of the history of African-American civil rights.

If you're new to Lincoln, please start here
Russell Freedman has done a masterful job with this Lincoln biography, primarily intended for younger readers. Though touted as a "photobiography," there are not an abundance of Lincoln photos, though there is an excellent assortment of photographs of the time period, as well as pictures of his wife and children. The Lincoln portraits that are printed are among the greatest Brady albumen's ever taken of a prominent person, and show Lincoln's world-weary countenance in the face of the raging storm of the Civil War.

Freedman writes well and he focuses on Lincoln as an individual. I was pleased to see so much space devoted to Lincoln's complex relationship with Mary Todd, the woman who became his wife. The adversity this couple endured is sobering: the loss of Eddie and Willie at young ages, Lincoln's melancholia and spells of profound depression, as well as the strains of the Presidency. Who can imagine the torment of trying to keep a nation together while millions of American boys died in combat? The strain Lincoln endured is beyond imagination. Freedman tries to have the young reader put themselves in Lincoln's shoes. This is an instructive technique. Freedman also devotes considerable time to Lincoln's special father-son relationship with Tad, and his account of the assassination is excellent.

Readers of all ages can glean something from this book, but the target age range would be from 10-15. For young people first starting to learn about Lincoln, look no farther than here. This is a first-rate example of biography for the younger audience.

Sparked my Interest in the Civil War
I first read this book when I was in fifth grade. It was the first "history" book I read that really interested me. Russell Freedman turns history from dates and facts into the lives of real people during an extremely difficult time. I'm 19 years old and currently writing a speech on why it is one of my favorite books of all time. ... Read more

Book Description

The year's most important biography -- of a leader who still speaks to our times

In the bestselling tradition of Truman, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer David Herbert Donald offers a new classic in American history and biography -- a masterly account of how one man's extraordinary political acumen steered the Union to victory in the Civil War, and of how his soaring rhetoric gave meaning to that agonizing struggle for nationhood and equality.

Culminating his half-century of study of Lincoln and his times, Donald brilliantly traces Lincoln's rise from humble origins to the pinnacle of the presidency. He reveals the development of the future President's character and shows how Lincoln's enormous capacity for growth enabled one of the least experienced men ever elected to high office to become a giant in the annals of American politics. And he depicts a man who was basically passive by nature, yet ambitious enough to take enormous risks and overcome repeated defeats.

Much more than a political biography, Lincoln seats us behind the desk of a President who, was both a master of ambiguity and expediency and a great moral leader, as he makes the decisions that preserved the Union and shaped modern America. ... Read more

Reviews (65)

Superb account of 16th President
Recently, I picked up David Herbert Donald's biography of Abraham Lincoln for the second time in 4 years. I now realize that I was too young then to appreciate this superb account of the our 16th