2010-06-29
By partymarty
This is a long read but well worth it for the amount of history it contains. This isn't Lincoln gossip. It's a look at how Lincoln thought and worked. I had been a Lincoln fan, but, after this book, I felt I understood his presidency and its burdens more thoroughly and admired him in a whole new way.
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2009-10-26
By Tammy L. Ellis (Avon, IN)
I am a great admire of Abraham Linclon and David Herbert Donald's "Lincoln" is by far one of the best I have read. It's a must read for anyone who wants to learn more about our 16th president or has a fascination with our country's civil war such as myself.
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2010-05-19
By Philip Meade (Denver, CO USA)
Pulitzer Prize winner James McPherson has done me and all history lovers a great favor. He has written a biography on Abraham Lincoln that is short, readable, engaging, and most of all, helpful. Let me address each of those attributes individually.
This book is short. It is short by design, as noted in the preface, when many long and even multi-volume works were being published, McPherson correctly decided that a short account on Lincoln's life was in order. I read this book in one sitting while in a doctor's waiting room. It took me less than an hour and a half. The length was a welcomed surprise because, as I will elaborate on below, the content was still engaging and helpful. I read many long books in my primary field (theology and religion) so that I do not have the time or the ability to "dig into" the various military strategies at every battlefield, the specifics of each Lincoln-Douglas debate, and so on. So, I was able to get the meat without the "dessert." And I was only looking for meat.
That the book is very readable and understandable should come as no surprise. McPherson is an accomplished author and expert on Lincoln. This book provides a great read for not only Lincoln lovers, but also for students who need a great introduction to the legacy of our 16th President. McPherson can also be seen on the History Channel's "The Presidents" and I found him to be clear and helpful in his comments there as well.
The book is engaging, partly because it moves from scene to scene quickly and leaves you wanting a little bit more at every page. If nothing else, McPherson's book will entice readers to pick up a more exhaustive account of Abraham Lincoln to "fill in the gaps." For example, the assassination of Lincoln and the mention of Booth all comes in a single, fairly small paragraph.
Finally, the book is helpful because it provides the necessary information to have a solid grasp on the life legacy of Lincoln. McPherson even takes time here and there to insert some wonderful points to ponder. For example, his brief exposition on Lincoln's contempt with his wages going to his father before he reached the age of 21 describes how some believe that Lincoln fostered a hatred of slavery from an early age because of his own "mistreatment" in this way. I was also very informed and interested in the political decisions behind the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
I recommend Abraham Lincoln by James McPherson without reservation. Pick up and copy and read it in under two hours. You will be glad you did.
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2010-01-07
By R. Sheneman (Texas, USA)
An excellent look into the life of one of our most trreasured leaders. This is worth your time to read.
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2010-06-27
By robert johnston (Los Angeles)
Wow ... great 5-star reviews have already been tendered. I can't disagree with them. My addition to the reviews asks just one question ... Who was this man!? That might seem a peculiar question after reading a biography as grand as White's but it is nonetheless the question that I've considered these several days.
I'm not sure there's an answer that can be revealed in biography. Who is a comparable benchmark in history? From the humble stock to warrior President, this man overcame challenges like no other ... not Washington, not Churchill. How did such genius of action arise from such humble origins? Any numbers of men were equally or more suited then Lincoln in his time and place. Others were certainly easier on the eyes as evidenced in the many daguerreotypes that White reproduces.
White delivers a thoroughly enjoyable biography on all the pertinent levels in a single book format. White does not explore the modern hypotheses regarding Lincoln's mental health, what about Mary?, sexual preferences, etc. as some may wont that he should. White provides an exquisite peek into A. Lincoln's oratorical skills and mastery of the word from Lincoln's perspective and the listener. Then he reveals the effects and the unrelenting pursuit of a national vision.
At the risk of sounding corny, there is a silver thread of the metaphysical weaving its way through White's Lincoln that White may or may not have noted from the details. There is a clarity, a closure in that Lincoln simply `left history' ... his job accomplished. Assassination was of course the reality but there is just so much more.
White's Lincoln must end as it did. Lincoln ran the good race and finished. White hits all the right chords to reveal an underlying unknowable. We shall not see the likes of A. Lincoln again.
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2009-08-17
By Anyse Joslin (Sacramento, CA USA)
I really like this work. The TOC is in the newest copy and the person who put it together sent me a link to replace this book.
I am glad that the TOC will help me to get to each article that I need to read. This is a HUGE volume with tons of papers and speeches. So, the TOC is essential.
I will gladly recommmend this to anyone.
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2010-02-03
By Martha B. Sites (Livingston, MT)
I found the book very hard to get into and I love history. I will try again to read it, maybe this time I'll make it through.
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2010-04-22
By Bruce H. Johanson (Ontonagon, Michigan)
Excellent behind the scenes insight on one of the most eventful presidencies in American History. The novel on which the DVD is based is, of course, more complete, but the DVD condensation does a great of presenting Vidal's narrative, however, it helps to have read the novel first, or to be a student of the Civil War period to get the full value of the video. Abraham Lincoln has been turned into a perfect marble statue in the minds of school children. Vidal presents him as the wily and skillful politician that he was and exposes some of the myths that have grown up about him. Lincoln was a politician who was changed by the circumstances by which he was surrounded and literally grew into the role into which he was thrust. I do not recommend this DVD for younger children, and some of the terms and content would have to be carefully explained to high school students.
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2010-07-22
By CMO
Such a surprisingly great book. Loved that there were so many true historical facts to go along with the story. What an interesting twist on the tale of Lincoln's life. Loved the "surprise" at the end. Definitely recommend!!
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2009-04-17
By R. Bono (Pennsylvania)
For what it is, the book is worth the time. The quotes, of course, are all out of context, but that doesn't necessarily make for bad reading. In fact, since many know the facts of Lincoln's life, the context can usually be filled in.
It is a kind of lazy book in that regard...and, if it were the only source of Lincoln information, I would condemn the whole enterprise of publishing it. But there's so much about Lincoln out there...that this little book allows one to focus directly upon Lincoln, the man...in his own words. It allows some space for one's own imagination to flourish and wander...rather than digesting yet another author's thesis. In a way, this unvarnished Lincoln, prompts a new kind of wonder.
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