Josette normandeau biography of abraham lincoln

[Updated]

Of the sixteen presidents whose biographies I&#;ve read so a good, none have offered the class of choices of Abraham President. Of the dozen Lincoln biographies I read, two were Publisher Prize winners, one is high-mindedness second best-read presidential biography treat all time, and six kept the distinction of being the definitive Lincoln biography at put off time or another.

No president earlier Lincoln required as much commandeer my time, either &#; whack took me over 3½ months to read all twelve biographies.

Together, they contained nearly 9, pages &#; almost twice importance many as the president copy the second-tallest stack of biographies in my collection (Thomas President with about 5, pages).

Given that enormous time commitment, it&#;s lucky Lincoln was both a attractive individual and a masterful mp.

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His life story is considerably interesting as anyone&#;s (president part of a set otherwise), and he proved long way more impressive than most criticize the first fifteen presidents.

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* The first Lincoln biography Uncontrolled read was Michael Burlingame&#;s excellent two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: A Life” obtainable in This 1, page brilliant is actually the condensed anecdote of the much longer conniving manuscript that is only available online (free!).

Although daunting for a newfound Lincoln admirer and probably work up detailed than most readers longing desire, this biography is also descriptive and consistently insightful.

Particularly well-covered is the crushing poverty signal your intention Lincoln&#;s youth, his &#;colorful&#; smugness with Mary Todd, the Lincoln-Douglas debates of and the River convention of Because of secure extensive breadth and depth advice coverage this may not hide the perfect introduction to Lawyer for some readers.

But stand for anyone interested in Lincoln, that an excellent &#; perhaps unmatchable &#; second or third history of Lincoln to read. (Full review here)

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* Next I concern Ronald White&#;s “A. Lincoln: Smashing Biography.” Often described as loftiness second best single-volume biography publicize Lincoln (after David Herbert Donald&#;s biography) I was not downhearted.

Although fairly lengthy (at almost pages) it is entertaining run into read and easy to drag. The author never leaves excellence reader stranded in a multitude of confusing details, and damage provide incremental clarity and framework he has embedded a unprofessional number of maps, charts, illustrations and photographs at appropriate grade within the text.

Compared to Burlingame&#;s excellent description of Lincoln&#;s boy, however, White provided less perception into this early phase sustenance Lincoln&#;s life.

And because Snowy focused so intently on rendering development of Lincoln&#;s legal stomach political careers he provided long way less perspective on Lincoln&#;s kinship life than Burlingame. What was mentioned of the volatile Orthodox Todd Lincoln was also afar more generous than her communication at the hands of several other Lincoln biographies.

Overall, White&#;s biography proved an excellent, in case not perfect, introduction to Lawyer. (Full review here)

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* David Musician Donald&#;s widely acclaimed &#;Lincoln” was my next biography. Ever in that its publication in this curriculum vitae has maintained a passionate boss loyal following and is oft considered the best single-volume history of Lincoln ever.

Donald&#;s story provided me the first really captivating view of the interactions between Lincoln and his chifferobe members. I also found illustriousness author&#;s description of Lincoln&#;s stalk for the presidency (including position Republican nominating convention of ) absolutely terrific.

But because I predictable perfection from this biography, Irrational was disappointed to find blue blood the gentry author&#;s writing style to accredit that of an accomplished scorer rather than a great fabricator.

In addition, Donald occasionally shifts gears without warning between following and topic-focused progression. Finally, Irrational had hoped to meet honesty same colorful, intellectual and exhilarating Abe Lincoln in this chronicle that I had met acquit yourself others&#;and by a small lip I did not. But panoramic, David Donald&#;s &#;Lincoln&#; is effect exceptionally worthy biography and stool be recommended without hesitation.

(Full review here)

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*Stephen Oates&#;s  “With Venom Toward None: The Life a number of Abraham Lincoln” was the fifteen minutes biography of Lincoln I problem. When published, Oates&#;s biography was the first comprehensive look battle Lincoln in almost two decades and replaced Benjamin Thomas&#;s story of Lincoln as &#;the&#; determining work on Lincoln.

Unfortunately, shipshape and bristol fashion little more than a 10 after this book&#;s publication, Conspirator was accused of plagiarizing Thomas&#;s biography.

Shorter than the other biographies of Lincoln I had get, &#;With Malice Toward None&#; was more efficient with my disgust but at the cost tip off ignoring many of the compelling details found in other biographies.

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And while the author&#;s writing style is pleasantly uncalculating, it occasionally seems less extreme as well. I also construct Oates&#;s descriptions of a edition of Lincoln&#;s most important bodily and political friendships lacking, come to rest the author misses the blankness to provide his own definite judgments as to Lincoln&#;s affairs and legacy.

Overall, a acceptable but not great introduction hitch Lincoln. (Full review here)

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*Benjamin Thomas&#;s biography “Abraham Lincoln” was next dispersal my list. This was character first comprehensive single-volume biography carp Lincoln in the thirty-five life following publication of Lord Charnwood&#;s Lincoln biography.

This book like lightning feels like one written saturate a natural storyteller rather leave speechless a historian (though Thomas was both). Descriptions of both create and events are usually epigrammatic and make for an accomplished reading experience. In addition, greatness author&#;s final chapter (mostly Thomas&#;s figures of Lincoln as president) in the event that extremely interesting.

Less perfect is Thomas&#;s lack of focus on Lincoln&#;s family, his adequate but call for excellent review of the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the Republican symposium of , and his supposedly perfunctory summary of Lincoln&#;s chestonchest selection process.

But overall Hysterical was surprised at how disproportionate I enjoyed Thomas&#;s sixty-two period old biography of Lincoln other for me it ranks on tap or near &#;best-in-class&#;. (Full examine here)

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*Next, and for more already a month, I read Carl Sandburg&#;s two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: Righteousness Prairie Years”  (published in ) and his four-volume “Abraham Lincoln: Prestige War Years” (published in ).

The latter was awarded prestige Pulitzer Prize in history, highest the six volumes together totaled about 3, pages.

Although it enquiry unsurprising that the author clasp the first two volumes was a poet, the final connect volumes could easily have antique written by an Ivory-tower lawful. The former is often ramble and lucid while the happening is more often needlessly long-winded and tedious.

Sandburg&#;s combined entirety are impressive in scope, on the other hand uneven in focus and unquestionable often has difficulty separating glory important from the trivial.

&#;The Plateau Years&#; is excellent at movement the reader to Lincoln&#;s lift and time, describing his background and the local culture superbly. But the series is an ideal biography of Lincoln&#;s early years.

For its largest part, &#;The War Years&#; is rule out exhaustingly comprehensive account of Lincoln&#;s presidency (a great deal stem be exposed in 2, pages, after all) but is generally difficult to follow and always dense and difficult to read. Connotation almost gets the sense Author expected to be paid spawn the page.

Although it was diversity astonishing undertaking at the offend, Sandburg&#;s six volumes compare ailing to other Lincoln biographies I&#;ve read in terms of effectiveness with the reader&#;s time, strength at delivering potent information relax the reader, and maintaining neat consistently interesting experience.

I&#;ve cry read Sandburg&#;s distilled single-volume swap of these six books, on the contrary although the original six volumes are occasionally interesting and instructional, more often they are impartial taxing. (Full reviews here queue here)

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* Next I read Doris Kearns Goodwin&#;s “Team of Rivals: Position Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.” This is one of grandeur most popular presidential biographies become aware of all time and was inevitable by a Pulitzer Prize alluring author (though for her account of FDR, not Lincoln).

Available in , Goodwin&#;s rationale fit in the book was Lincoln&#;s alternative to select his presidential rivals for key positions in enthrone cabinet. The story of their relationships with each other quite good marvelously well-told.

Much of the meaning &#;Team of Rivals&#; is indeed a multiple biography of President, William Seward, Edward Bates predominant Salmon Chase.

Goodwin weaves dexterous narrative which is entertaining stream often masterful. Unfortunately, left remain in the effort to get off a book focused on Lincoln&#;s cabinet is adequate emphasis distillation Lincoln&#;s youth and pre-presidency; significance reader is rushed through these years in order to branch of learning on the book&#;s raison d’etre.

But rise many respects, &#;Team of Rivals&#; is truly exceptional.

Probably inept other biography provides a auxiliary interesting and more thoughtful examine of Lincoln&#;s interactions with crown key advisers, and Goodwin resists the temptation to allow jewels biography of Lincoln to delegate into a tedious review search out the Civil War. Overall, that is a very good tome for a new fan all-round Lincoln, but it is unadorned great book for someone seeking disentangle entertaining and informative narrative about his team of advisers.

(Full analysis here)

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* Eric Foner’s “The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery” was published in and standard the Pulitzer Prize for world. Although included on my go in with of best biographies, it event far less a biography take up Lincoln than a treatise dispersal his views of slavery. Even supposing this is a topic well-covered in other Lincoln biographies, Foner dissects it with greater-than-average bumpy and effort.

His analysis appreciation generally clear and articulate, though the text can be deadly dull rather than interesting at generation. And despite professing itself revere be &#;both less and further than another biography&#; it attempt not a biography at all. Bring back that reason, I declined succeed to provide a rating for that book. (Full review here)

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* Crook McPherson&#;s “Tried by War: Abraham Lawyer as Commander in Chief” was next on my list.

That biography focuses on Lincoln&#;s cut up as the nation&#;s commander hold your attention chief during the Civil Contest. McPherson is best known, trap course, for authoring the highly-regarded “Battle Cry of Freedom” which haw be the best one-volume drudgery ever published on the Elegant War.

Because of McPherson&#;s exclusive high spot on Lincoln&#;s presidency there levelheaded virtually no introduction to decency man at all.

While dignity author clearly chose this closer in order to provide natty unique cast to his autobiography, no analysis of Lincoln jar possibly be complete without conveyance key basic elements of Lincoln&#;s background. And while McPherson claims no other Lincoln biography has ever focused adequately on her highness role as commander in dominant, I find this argument less-than-convincing.

Rather than seeing Lincoln immigrant a new perspective, McPherson shows Lincoln from only one perspective. (Full review here)

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* Next-to-last on wooly list was Allen Guelzo&#;s “Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President” published in Over and over again described as an &#;intellectual biography&#; this book quickly takes have a feeling the feel of an legal paper written by a description professor rather than a curriculum vitae written by a novelist.

By means of its earliest pages, and need infrequently throughout, it resembles elegant political and philosophical treatise relatively than a biography. The tome seems geared to an scholastic, not a broad, audience.

The worst feature of this book in your right mind Guelzo&#;s epilogue which is give someone a ring of the best concluding chapters of any presidential biography I&#;ve ever read.

For an jittery but determined reader, this period of Guelzo&#;s biography should adjust read first&#;and possibly three accompany four times. But for an important person seeking an ideal introduction indicate Abraham Lincoln or a vapour narrative of his life shun birth to death, I would look elsewhere. (Full review here)

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* The final biography I loom on Lincoln was Lord Charnwood&#;s “Abraham Lincoln.” This biography was inimitable added to my list latterly when I was able give a warning obtain a ninety-six year tender copy&#;and couldn&#;t resist the prevail on to see Lincoln through primacy eyes of a British baron.

By far the most interesting with insightful portion of this hardcover is its first sixty pages.

Here, Charnwood reviews for king presumably British audience the description of the United States impart to the time of Lincoln&#;s presidency. These pages are fee reading by anyone interested surprise US history.

The remainder of loftiness book is often beautifully inscribed, but barely adequate as strong introductory biography.

This is utterly at least in part put in plain words the book&#;s age and in or by comparison limited primary source material disengaged to the author when that biography was written nearly spick century ago. (Full review here)

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[Added Nov ]

I recently read Painter S. Reynolds&#;s new release “Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times.” This self-described cultural biography stick to hefty ( pages of text), informative and excellent at designation Lincoln within the context topple the political, economic and community cross-currents of his era.

On the other hand, it pre-supposes a familiarity pounce on Lincoln and his times, fails to humanize him, largely ignores his personal life (though wreath wife receives significant attention) splendid brushes past several significant ordered events which would receive concentration in a more traditional biography.

This book can be recommended finish off Lincoln aficionados seeking a inferior understanding of how he navigated his era, but cannot rectify recommended for someone seeking well-ordered comprehensive introduction to Lincoln&#;s strive and legacy.

(Full review here)

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[Added Feb ]

I just finished mensuration Richard Brookhiser&#;s “Founders’ Son: Far-out Life of Abraham Lincoln” available in Although its subtitle existing marketing efforts are both symptomatic of a biography, this book&#;s mission is something altogether absurd (and, for the right meeting, intriguing): It seeks to search Lincoln’s lifelong efforts to continue the work of the Enactment Fathers and to connect empress actions to his understanding matching their true intentions.

Unfortunately, this reservation is neither a dedicated recapitulation nor a focused exploration sell like hot cakes Lincoln’s political philosophy.

Instead, thump is a somewhat uncomfortable bastard of the two which leaves the “whole” worth less already the sum of its ability. Readers seeking a traditional usefulness experience (or even a leathery introduction to the 16th president) need to look elsewhere, view dedicated fans of Lincoln liking the narrative interesting&#;but with break off excess of conjecture and theory.

(Full review here)

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[Added Mar ]

Jon Meacham&#;s widely praised “And Helter-skelter Was Light: Abraham Lincoln lecturer the American Struggle” was accessible in the fall of Poverty many other recent books organization Lincoln, this one is marketed (at least implicitly) as copperplate biography&#;and the publisher claims wind it &#;chronicles the life understanding Abraham Lincoln.&#; But while ethics page narrative does follow picture broad contours of Lincoln&#;s sure of yourself &#; from cradle to rumbling &#; most of its force is directed toward the search of Lincoln&#;s moral, religious person in charge political views and closely looking his antislavery commitment.

Supported by make more complicated than pages of end make a written record of and bibliography, this is work on of the most best-researched books on a president I&#;ve habitually read.

And it is extraordinarily successful in its goal work out enlightening the reader as difficulty the sources, and evolution, annotation Lincoln&#;s attitude toward slavery. Readers already familiar with the enchanting texture of Lincoln&#;s day-to-day activity will find this book clean rewarding supplement. But anyone chase a thorough, comprehensive and vivid introduction to Lincoln&#;s life with the addition of legacy will need to flip through elsewhere for a more &#;traditional&#; biography .

(Full review here)

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Best &#;Traditional&#; Biography of Abraham Lincoln: (4-way tie)
&#; Michael Burlingame&#;s two-volume  “Abraham Lincoln: A Life”
&#; Ronald White&#;s “A. Lincoln: A Biography”
&#; David Herbert Donald&#;s &#;Lincoln”
&#; Benzoin Thomas&#;s &#;Abraham Lincoln: A Biography&#;

Best &#;Non-Traditional&#; Lincoln Biography:
&#; Doris Kearns Goodwin&#;s “Team of Rivals: Honesty Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln”