Book Description

Tracing Lincoln's early development Wilson sleuths out truths that have long lain unexposed, revealing a more human Lincoln than we've ever known. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A compelling detective story of the young Lincoln
This book is an excellent look at the formative years of Lincoln's life and a great example of how to do historical research using primary sources. Many of the events of Lincoln's early years are controversial, owing mainly to the lack of contemporary evidence. However, by looking at sources others have never used, and by applying a systematic approach to determining what account is most likely to be accurate, Wilson is able to clear up many of the mysteries surrounding Lincoln's early years.

The book deals with several main topics, Lincoln's education, his search for a job, breaking into politics, his relations with women, and his developing honor. The majority of the book deals with his first experiences with politics and his various problems with women during this time. The emphasis on his relations with women, and with Mary Todd (Lincoln) specifically, is important because this is one of the most controversial and least understood aspects of those years. After weighing all the evidence Wilson comes to the conclusion that Lincoln married Mary Todd because he felt honor bound to do so, and not because he truly loved her. In coming to this conclusion he falls under what Jean Baker has termed "the anyone but Mary" group, but one cannot argue with his evidence.
Throughout the book the main theme is how Lincoln's sense of honor develops over time, and how it was in fact a trait that needed developing, as evidenced by Lincoln's part in the Sampson's Ghost and Lost Township editorials. By the 1840s that honor has developed and become Lincoln's most defining trait.

A Good Guide to Conflicting Evidence
Teachers in criminal justice classes, I am told, often stage mock crimes in their classrooms. In the middle of a lecture, for example, a bandit will barge in, threaten the students, and make off with the professor's wallet. The students, at first shocked but then relieved when told that it was a staged event, are then asked to describe the event. What did the suspect look like? How tall was he? What color hair did he have? What was he wearing? What did he say? Invariably, there are multiple answers to those questions. People saw different things. No one version of what occurred is totally accurate.

Wilson's book confronts that perennial problem of human perception. Though his 'transformation of Lincoln' plows familiar ground - how one solitary, unschooled backwoods man transformed himself into a national, albeit polarizing figure, through willpower, endurance, ambition, guts, and brains - his careful forensic method, as judge and jury of a multitude of competing facts and interpretations, makes this book a compelling tale, as much about how history is written as it is about how Lincoln evolved.

And this is why I disagree with the reviews that describe this book as long-winded, tough-sledding and over-detailed. In Honor's Voice, Wilson provides a valuable glimpse into the historian's bag of tricks. Wilson takes each of the iconic moments of Lincoln's life - his storied wresting match with Jack Armstrong, his self-education, his disastrous romance with Ann Rutledge - and peels apart the layers, examining the historical record as closely as possible, evaluating the claims of eyewitnesses and second-hand sources, and holding each up to scrutiny before making any assertions; and even then, he is admirably cautious. Wilson presents a lot of quotes, exactly as written, from contemporaries who witnessed, or claimed to have witnessed, crucial events in Lincoln's life, and asks: Is this the truth? Who could have benefit from enhancing the truth? Who was really there? What about the quote lends it authenticity, or falsity? Yes, the narrative covers the same event numerous times, but this is the price one pays of exactness. Like the criminal justice students who have competing recollections of a recent event, not one of Lincoln's contemporaries knows the whole truth. But taken together, one gets a more clear picture of what might have happened.

The risk, of course, is boredom and the frustration of dealing with multiple sources of the same event; but the reward is a new appreciation of Lincoln the man, as well as the historian's challenge of teasing out the facts in an era long since vanished.

Painfully detailed but a useful picture of Lincoln emerges.
The bad points first...

Being a Linoln buff myself, but certainly not a scholar on the subject, I found this book to be a worthwhile addition to my library but one that is seriously flawed. The first chapter goes into painstaking detail about Lincoln's wrestling match with Jack Armstrong in New Salem. I think a wrestling historian would find it more useful than someone interested in our 16th president. Endless second and third-hand accounts of the match are analyzed in detail. And for what? No reliable conclusions can be drawn from these contradictory accounts. The first chapter could have been summarized in two words...who knows? And I'm not really sure who cares either. I found this chapter to be a bit bizarre.

My other criticism of the book is that it is very poorly organized, in my opinion. In fact, only the first chapter sticks to the topic of it's title. The rest of the book seems to be organized into chapters only for the purpose of giving the reader a needed break from the tedium. Sure, you will find something about Lincoln's relationship with women in the chapter entitled, "Women," but you will find just as much about this subject in just about any other chapter. And you will learn about his politics in the chapter about women, etc. It almost seems as if Mr. Wilson just pinned a title to the top of a page now and then without regard to what followed. This lack of structure also results in a great deal of repetition. The same quotes are repeated again and again and again which would not have been necessary if each chapter stuck with it's title subject. One hopes that this lack of organization is not a reflection of Mr. Wilson's research skills.

On the plus side, if you can wade through the book, which is tedious to the extreme at times, you may end up with a more textured view of Lincoln the man. The book can help one to fill in the blanks of Lincoln's life but it is almost entirely based on educated guesses and conclusions on Mr. Wilson's part. In a sense, the book is reminiscent of Gore Vidal's Lincoln. But such conjecture can be useful, of course if we are searching for that "ring of truth" to fill in the blanks.

All in all, I consider this to be a useful addition to my fairly extensive Lincoln library but I certainly would not recommend it as a first book about Lincoln by any means and I think Mr. Wilson would agree with that assessment. The author writes that the book is not intended for scholars, but I find it difficult to see why the person with a more casual interest in Lincoln would be interested in these endless details which really never reach a conclusion. The book is, however, instructive as to how incorrect information is passed on and accepted as fact by generations of historians.

This book asks more questions than it answers but, ironically, the overall result is a much better picture of Lincoln. I would recommend this book only to the serious Lincoln student.

Tough Sledding
Wilson opens "Honor's Voice" with an overly long introduction to his methodology, which, in brief, is to sort through all the bits and tales and legends about Abraham Lincoln from age 22 to 33, and weighing the stories for credibility and accuracy, reach the truest picture of the young man. Because there is no shortage of material, Wilson has focused on ten themes, including how he educated himself, how he entered politics, his relations with women, and particularly with Mary Todd, etc.

The problem is that it's not clear for whom Wilson is writing. Wilson himself declares that the book is not for academics, but who else would be interested in a work that is less about Lincoln than about stories about Lincoln? Few of the legion Lincoln fans, save scholars, would have the interest or the patience for a tedious historiography and word-by-word analysis of obscure letters and notes about the life of their subject. For example, the first chapter examines a wrestling match Lincoln had at age 22, and fully describes the match and its significance in three interesting pages. The problem is the chapter goes of for 33 pages, citing dozens of sources, including eyewitnesses as well as later biographers, analyzes differences in their accounts of the match, and weighs them against each other for credibility. This approach may be a useful "how to" for amateur historians, but most readers would likely prefer more history and less methodology.

Fortunately, the first chapter is the toughest sledding. The subsequent ones follow the same pattern, but are far more readable, relying less on Wilson's interior dialogues on reliability and veracity. Lincoln's character slowly and arduously emerges, and Lincoln fans with the patience to wade through will find loads of interesting detail, such as on his surveying and early political careers. Wilson also excerpts snatches of Lincoln's favorite poems (Burns, Byron, etc.) to excellent effect in demonstrating both source and reflection of Lincoln's state of mind. The speculation on his melancholy and on his tragic romance with Ann Rutledge are well worthwhile, if a bit tedious.

The book is a good one, but could be much better. Perhaps Wilson will follow up with a book of half the length giving a detailed and straightforward history of this fascinating period in Lincoln's life based on the conclusions from this work, but omitting the tedium and repetition

Weird, somewhat jumbled, biography
The audio version of this book starts out with a wrestling match Lincoln had when he was a young adult. The author claims that it was the turning point in Lincoln's life, for what reason I still can't figure out. Some of the other stories are pretty good--Lincoln's struggle to educate himself is one of them. I have to say, though, that although this is my first Lincoln bio, there has to be better ones out there than this. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

FANTASTIC Account of Lincoln by authors of the time.
A tremendous, authentic account of Lincoln's entire life, without modern interpretation. Furthermore a window into the quality people of the time. The authors include cabinet members, personal secretaries, even adversaries. The first parts may be more academic, but as the 179 selected accounts of some 65 period authors progress though the Civil War and to his assassination, the book is a tremendously fascinating chronicle of the tremendous qualities of this man. It only gets better and deeper to the very end; and at the end is a surprise worth reading the entire work for -- the account of his own dream, which presages his assassination. In my opinion, one of the most important books I have ever read. After reading the last chapter several times, I started again from the beginning, with a whole new outlook on the entirety of the work. A great book, providing an indispensable perspective of one of the most troubling times of history. ... Read more

Book Description

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: THE PRAIRIE YEARS is the first volume in Carl Sandburg's epic six-volume biography of our 16th president.

As Sandburg stated his purpose: "For thirty years and more I have planned to make a certain portrait of Abraham Lincoln. It would sketch the country lawyer and prairie politician who was intimate with the settlers of the neighborhood where I grew up as a boy, and where I heard the talk of men and women who had eaten with Lincoln, given him a bed overnight, heard his jokes and lingo, remembered his silences and his mobile face.

"The folk-lore Lincoln, the elusive Lincoln is a challenge for any artist. He has enough lights and shadows and changing tints to call out portraits of him in his Illinois backgrounds and settings -- even if never President." ... Read more

Book Description

The Lincoln Image documents how popular prints helped make Lincoln's a household face, deliberately crafting the image of a man of the people, someone with whom an ordinary American could identify. Featuring the work of Currier and Ives, John Sartain, and other artists and printmakers, this lavishly illustrated volume pairs original photographs and paintings with the prints made from them. That juxtaposition shows how printmakers reworked the original images to refine Lincoln's appearance. In several prints, his image replaces those of earlier politicians (the nineteenth-century equivalent of being "airbrushed in"); in others, a beard has been added to images that originally appeared clean-shaven.

Focusing on prints produced in Lincoln's lifetime and in the iconographically important months immediately following his death, The Lincoln Image also includes wartime cartoons, Lincoln family portraits (most of which appeared after the assassination), and renderings of the fateful moment of the shooting at Ford's Theatre. In addition to discussing the prints themselves, prominent Lincoln scholars Harold Holzer, Gabor S. Boritt, and Mark E. Neely Jr. examine the political environment of the nineteenth century that sustained a market for political prints, showing how politics offered spectacle, ritual, and amusement to a nation without organized sports and with only a rudimentary entertainment industry.

A fascinating examination of the relationship between Lincoln's image, the printmakers' craft, and the political culture that helped shape them both, The Lincoln Image documents how printmakers both chronicled and shaped Lincoln's transfiguration into an American icon. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An original and highly recommended work
Harold Holzer, Gabor S. Boritt, and Mark E. Neeley Jr. effectively collaborate to present The Lincoln Image: Abraham Lincoln And The Popular Print. Their work, profusely enhanced with period photographs (as well as iconography immediately following his assassination) documenting how popular prints served to make Lincoln's image of the popular and political culture of his day. An original and highly recommended work, The Lincoln Image is a impressive study of painstaking and exhaustive scholarship that will be greatly appreciated by academia, Lincoln studies supplemental curriculum reading lists, and students of 19th Century American political history. ... Read more

Book Description

Lincoln on God and Country uses the 16th president's own words to demonstrate why he deserves to be called a man of faith, a friend of the slave, and a gaurdian of democratic goverment. The casual reader of history will find the book useful because it merges a short biography of Lincoln with his greatest writing and brief editorial comment. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Words for the ages
We live in troubled times. The presidential candidate of one political p[arty is ridiculed for stating that Jesus is his favorite philosopher, and the vice-presidential candidate of the other political party is castigated for speaking about religion. What has happened to the moral tone of this country, which was founded by God-fearing men? Have we completely abandoned the idea that there is a Being who guides and guards us in all that we do? Abraham Lincoln, arguably our greatest president, believed that there was Someone watching over us at all times. He also believed vehemently that our governmental system was important, and that its structure was the best that could have been devised for the country. His words are eloquent, and call to us across the gap of 150 years. Reading this work, it is easy to restore some confidence in our governmental system, even though now it is being sorely tested by the eletoral events in Florida. This work could not have come along at a better time in our history, and it is well worth reading. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The greatest of all American historical legends, Abraham Lincoln's life has been told and retold countless times. Good, old Abe stands alone, a colossal figure of peerless achievements: the Great Emancipator, the deliverer of the Gettysburg Address, the president who saved the Union and paved the way for the destiny of the modern United States. It's more or less impossible to look beyond the layers of myth and legend now, but this is a different kind of biography: Whimsical, imaginative, empathic, it ambles through his life sketching an endearing though not unquestioning portrait of an American icon, seeking out the essence of the man.Jan Morris's motivation was the somewhat irritated incomprehension she felt when faced with the all-pervasive sainted status of the man on her first visit to the States in the 1950s. Since then she has explored and written about America extensively and it's clear that Lincoln was always somewhere at the back of her mind. After many years of gestation, her insightful musings make for an absorbing, fresh perspective on the man and his legacy.

The narrative follows a journey through the country, a manner of pilgrimage, tracing the remarkable transformation of Lincoln's life as he migrated from humble beginnings in Kentucky, via social respectability as a lawyer and politician in Springfield, Illinois, and on to his ultimate destiny of the presidency and Civil War leader. The picture that emerges is of a somewhat eccentric man of deep contradictions: feisty and capable of ruthlessness yet genuinely kind; prone to periods of misanthropy yet also blessed with an appealing sense of humor apparent from self-deprecating remarks and aphoristic stories of enchantingly universal appeal and simple, homespun wisdom. Through it all, though, right up to the tragedy of which he reputedly had a premonition, this great man of destiny shines through as, essentially, a decent and straightforward man. The book does lack any pictures of the people and places in his life, perhaps a slight oversight, but, then again, in view of the richly evocative nature of her portrayal, easily overlooked. --Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Abraham Lincoln
I found this book to be interesting for its personal stories and perspective, but this is also what makes its downfall. Lamon was a personal acquaintance of Lincoln's and it is evident that he revered the man greatly. This gives way to much bias being placed on Lamon's accounts, failing to mention many negative things about the assassinated president. Lamon refrains from using opinionated words in much of the biography, but his personal opinions are sometimes evident. This book is kept interesting through his personal stories and the hand-written letters that are included. It is good as a resource about Abraham Lincoln, but take Lamon's opinions with a grain of salt. ... Read more

Book Description

My long personal association with Mr. Lincoln gave me special facilities in the direction of obtaining materials for these volumes.Such were our relations during all that portion of his life when he was rising to distinction, that I had only to exercise a moderate vigilance in order to gather and preserve the real data of his personal career.Being strongly drawn to the man, and believing in his destiny, I was not unobservant or careless in this respect.It thus happened that I became the personal depository of the larger part of the most valuable material in existence.Out of this store the major portion of the materials of the following volumes has been drawn.

In determining Lincoln’s title to greatness we must not only keep in mind the times in which he lived, but we must, to a certain extent, measure him with other men. Many of our great men and our statesmen, it is true, have been self-made, rising gradually through struggles to the topmost round of the ladder; but Lincoln rose from a lower depth than most of them – from a stagnant, putrid pool, like the gas which, set on fire by its own energy and self-combustible nature, rises in jets, blazing, clear and bright.I should be remiss in my duty if did not throw the light on this part of the picture, so that the world may realize what marvelous contrast one phase of his life presents to another.

The object of this work is to deal with Mr. Lincoln individually and domestically; as lawyer, as citizen, as statesman. Special attention is given to the history of his youth and early manhood, and while dwelling on this portion of his life the liberty is taken to insert many things that would be omitted or suppressed in other places.The endeavor is to keep Lincoln in sight all the time, to cling close to his side all the way through – leaving to others the more comprehensive task of writing a history of his times.I have no theory of his life to establish or destroy.Mr. Lincoln was my warm devoted friend. This is a facsimile reprint of the 3 volume set “As Published in 1888”. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Interesting Perspective of Lincoln
You know its funny to be writing a review about a book that was written so long ago, but I think this review may help encourage others who haven't already been acquainted with this wonderful book to take a look at it. It offers a very human view of Lincoln before he became the president of the United States. I agree with the fact that it doesn't reveal a lot about the civil war, but you know what, that was the authors intention. William Herndon, Lincoln's Law partner for about 20 years, knew that other people were going to focus on the war years far better than he could (Like John Hay and John Nicolay who worked for Lincoln in the White House) therefore, his focus is to reveal Lincoln as he was as a young man, but mostly during his years living in springfield, illinois. Its really quite entertaining, and at times comical to read how quirky he was back in those days. Sure, Herndon has been criticized about his biography over the past 100 plus years its been out in circulation, particularly his whole take on the Ann Rutledge affair and attitude on Mary Todd Lincoln. Regardless of that, I think he honestly attempts to provide an accurate portrayal of Lincoln without holding back any details. He wants to reveal Lincoln the way he viewed the man through his own eyes--as an ordinary man who had faults like anybody else--who went through tough, turbulent, and dark times--had a sense of humor--had insecurities--but in the end remained an honest to goodness human being who struggled to make his mark in this world. Trust me folks, this is a fascinating read. You will have a difficult time trying to stop reading.

One and Only
There are, it is said, more books about Lincoln than there are about anybody but Jesus. Every man setting out to write about Lincoln has an idea of him, a shadow to look for Lincoln in and the huge weight of tradition and history on his back while writing. Even Nicolay and Hay, his secretaries, and authors of the voluminous collected papers which are probably the best source on the Presidency, only knew the man in office, once he had enfolded himself, if you will, inside his great ambition. Herndon knew the man. He shared his office with him, a law practise which consisted of Lincoln throwing the case notes and money into his hat before putting it on to his head, and splitting all the money down the middle. Herndon also went around talking to everyone who knew Lincoln while he was alive before they died.

There are flaws to this book. Herndon drank, so Lincoln didn't take him to Washington with him. This book tells you nothing about the war, about Lincoln's policies, or even a great deal about Lincoln's debates with Douglas, say. But. And it is a great but. This is the only book that gives you a smell of the goofy, tall, funny, awkward, galumphing and generally likeable oddball that emerged as the greatest leader this country ever had. This is the only book I would advise an actor to read if he was going to undertake to play Abe Lincoln. All the other books describe a monument. This one describes a man who went on dates, told dirty jokes and had a funny way of laying his legs across the desk and reading upside down. The rest is second hand. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

One of the better one-volume Lincolns
As stated elsewhere, this biography has the asset of being written by a personal friend and colleague of Lincoln.The personal reminscences and portrayal of Lincoln and his characteristics are very good.By knowing and working wth Lincoln during his Presidency as well as in Illinois, the book is much stronger on the Civil War years than HERNDON'S LIFE OF LINCOLN (and thus more knowledgeable of Lincoln's evolution).The book discusses Lincoln's work with Congress to pass the 13th Amendment (outlawing slavery) far more than other bios and though such detail may disinterest the general reader, this accomplishment by Lincoln surpassed the Emancipation Proclamation in results.Surprisingly, though heavier on the politics, the book covers the Civil War's fighting pretty well.Of course, almost all 1 volume Lincoln biographies are noticeably flawed, and in this one, there is a big flop by the book virtually ignoring discussion of Lincoln's family during the White House years (Mary is discussed sympathetically as a widow).But if it is Lincoln the Politician, President, or friend, that interests you, this is pretty good.

The Life of Abraham Lincoln was interesting and informative
In Isaac Arnold's book, The Life Of Abraham Lincoln, Mr. Arnold portyays Lincoln how he knew him.Isaac was aquainted with Abe Lincoln for over a quarter century, and that helped him in completing this wonderfulbiography.It does, however, lack several important facts that have nowbeen discovered.Since Mr. Arnold wrote his book twenty years afterLincoln's death, the United States didnt have time to realize what anamazing and influential person Lincoln was.New data also shows that someof his facts in the book are proven to be wrong.Even with those minordetails that are false, it doesnt take away from the intensity of the book. Being able to read his speeches and visualize Lincoln speaking is amazingand Mr. Arnold does a very good job of painting that picture. ... Read more

Book Description

Outstanding figures who have shaped the path of history are profiled in these handsome, inexpensive volumes. These biographies detail the facts known about their subjects and emphasize their childhood, motivation, accomplishments, and humanity, as well as their impact on history.

Figuras destacadas que han protagonizado los hechos más importantes de la historia están retratados en estos bellos volúmenes económicos. Tan fascinante como los hechos que les hicieron famosos, estas biografías detallan los hechos conocidos acerca de los sujetos con énfasis en su niñez, su motivación, sus triunfos, y su impacto en la historia, mientras revela un lado humano de estos hombres. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent resource
I can not imagine how many hours of checking and rechecking it took for the Fehrenbachers to compile this book. They offer not only the words of Lincoln as recalled by others, but also their opinions on the probable accuracy of the person who recalled the words. I found quotes I had never heard and I noted that some quite famous "quotes" were debunked. This is as close to the "real words" of Lincoln we are able to get outside his writings and newspaper reports of his speeches. Of course, written words, carefully crafted speeches and spontaneous spoken words are all different. Thanks to the editors for massive amounts of careful work. ... Read more