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Marking the two hundredth anniversary of Lincoln's birth, this marvelous short biography by a leading historian offers an illuminating portrait of one of the giants in the American story.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author James M. McPherson follows the son of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks from his early years in Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, to his highly successful law career and his marriage to Mary Todd, to his one term in Congress. We witness the dramatic impact the Kansan-Nebraska Act had on Lincoln, arousing him "as he had never been before," leading him to plunge back into politics as a leader of the Republican anti-slavery movement. In 1858, Lincoln ran for Senator in Illinois as a Republican, challenging Stephen A. Douglas (a long acquaintance and former rival for the hand of Mary Todd) to a series of famous debates. Lincoln lost the election, but politically his star rose even higher, and he became a candidate for president in 1860, winning the presidency despite garnering less than 40% of the popular vote, and no votes at all in ten southern states. McPherson describes Lincoln's masterful role as Commander in Chief during the Civil War, the writing of the Emancipation Proclamation, and his assassination by John Wilkes Booth. A final section discusses his lasting legacy and why he remains a quintessential American hero two hundred years after his birth, while a bibliography and a list of online resources permit easy access to further scholarship.
McPherson here provides an ideal short account of Lincoln--a compelling biography of a man of humble origins who preserved our nation during its greatest catastrophe and ended the scourge of slavery.
Excellent Synopsis of the life and times of an American Giant
| Customer Rating:  | A short work of this nature, a summing up of the life and times of one of the true giants in history, is often limited in its perspective by a heavy reliance on prior works, either by the same author or others. What sets this work apart, and a cut above similar works, is that the author, even though he has himself written several books on Lincoln and his times that he could easily draw upon, relies principally on source materials to tell the story. (His primary reliance is on the time-honored, multi-volume Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln.) The results are nothing short of magnificent. The book is an astonishing summary of President Lincoln: His background, life, death, shortcomings, trevails, and triumphs.
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Lincoln for the Busy Reader
| Customer Rating:  | The year 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865). This anniversary would be a cause for reflection and soul-searching under the best of times. Reflection on Lincoln and his accomplishments is particularly important given the difficult days in which we live.
There has been a never-ending flow of books about Lincoln, and many new books are scheduled to appear in celebration of the bicentennial of his birth. Among these books is this short study, hardly more than an extended essay, of 67 pages by James McPherson, the United States's premier Civil War historian and the author of the most famous single-volume study of the War, "Battle Cry of Freedom."
The most important goal of any book is to show the reader that its subject matters. McPherson achieves this goal in this brief treatment of Lincoln. McPherson explains why, in Lincoln's words, it is important to remember that Lincoln had lived. (pp.10,65) In the final chapter of his book, McPherson points to Lincoln's two great achievements. First, Lincoln preserved the Union and its duly elected government. McPherson telling quotes Lincoln's words on this matter: "This issue embraces more than the fate of the United States. It presents to the whole family of man, the question whether a constitutional republic , or a democracy - a government of the people, by the same people - can, or cannot, maintain its territorial integrity. (p.63)
Lincoln's second great achievement was the ending of slavery. When Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, he stated that "I never in my life felt more certain that I was doing right than I do in signing this paper. If my name ever goes into history it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it." (p. 64)
Lincoln brought the United States on the path to understanding and realizing the ideal stated in the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal." (Id.)
McPherson's biography is framed by these two great accomplishments. McPherson discusses Lincoln's early life, his career as a lawyer, the 1858 debates with Steven Douglas, the beginning of the Civil War at Fort Sumter, Lincoln's relationship with his Generals and with his cabinet, and the important speeches, including the First Inaugural, the Gettysburg Address, and the Second Inaugural. He describes the mixture of idealist and pragmatic politician that constituted Abraham Lincoln.
The book is clearly and eloquently written with the intent to allow it to be read at a single sitting. With the extraordinary brevity of the book - (The books in the American President's series, including George McGovern's upcoming biography of Lincoln are about twice as long) it may be advisable to read it twice to understand Lincoln's continuing importance. The book includes a good annotated biography for the reader interested in exploring Lincoln in more detail. For those readers wanting an informed brief study of our sixteenth president, this book is an excellent beginning.
Robin Friedman |
Short and Sweet Chronicle of a Man Who Changed the Nation
| Customer Rating: | Abraham Lincoln: A Presidential Life is a 67 page, 9 chapter, summative history of the 16th US president. As one would expect from a short biography, it is terse, to the point, and quick. The author, a professor of history emeritus at Princeton, does a good job in providing a very readable adn objective (no editorializing here) account of Lincoln's life, from his days as the son of an illiterate farmer to his days as the US Civil War president.
The only complaint I have about this book is that as much as I like the author's terse and concise style, I many times felt that the author should have - and wanted to - elaborate a bit more on certain things. For instance, the brief section discussing Lincoln's pragmatic approach to the Emancipation Proclomation (Lincoln hated slavery, but emancipated slaves more as a tactical, than a moral, decision), could have benefitted from more elaboration. At other times, the author engages in brief exegesis of Lincoln's speeches or writings only to cut it short when it was getting good. (It almost feels as if the author wanted to do a lot, but had an editor who kept reminding him of a page limit.)
Other than that, this is a very good introductory (or refresher) acoount of the life of Abe Lincoln. It is as concise as it is readable; just don't expect much depth. You will need to get that elsewhere. |
a 65-page work of brilliance; a natural and perfect Christmas stocking stuffer
| Customer Rating: | This is a very short book printed in large type on a topic that has been covered in hundreds of books. And it's a joy. It is the perfect stockng stuffer. It presents the full story of Lincoln's growth to leadership, the evolution of his beliefs and commitments, and his leadership as President. In general, this is achieved in such a short space and so vividly by letting Lincoln's own words -- speeches, letters, drafts -- do the work. They move the narrartive ahead while also bringing out his extraordinary and often breathtaking magnanimity, vision and tenacity. The compressed space shows better than most biographies the inner moral and political debate within hiself concerning slavery. Abolition and social justice were at his center, but he was also Presidential at the core, too; the slender narrative shows this aspect of honor and duty above self superbly.
This book is a small marvel. |
Not for the specialist, but an excellent springboard for the Lincoln novice
| Customer Rating: | | There have been more books written about Abraham Lincoln than any other president. Someone coming to Lincoln for the first time can easily be overwhelmed by the myriad of volumes dedicated to our 16th president. James M. McPherson's remarkably succinct 79-page book turns out to be a perfect introduction to one of our most fascinating and popular presidents. It's a quick read, written in plain English, and I'm amazed at how much information McPherson is able to provide in such a short work--the actual text is barely 65 pages! Consider it as a well-written outline of Lincoln's life. While the book lacks intimacy of its subject, McPherson succeeds in writing a "brief biography that captures the essential events and meaning of Lincoln's life without oversimplification or overgeneralization." It covers all the major points of our 16th president's life, as well as the controversies during his presidency such as the Emancipation Proclamation. Like any good biography, it leaves the reader wanting to learn more about the life and times of the subject. With that in mind, the reader will definitely appreciate the annotated bibliography that covers all the major works on Lincoln. Without question, this little book is an excellent springboard for anyone desiring to learn more about our 16th president. |
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