Lincoln Books

It is dated, but has a ton of good info nonetheless.

Why, you ask? Because there is no way, I repeat, NO WAY to truly, totally and completely protect yourself from invasions to your privacy in the modern world. It almost makes me sympathize with those radical survivalist-types.

Mr. Stein clearly and concisely lays out the hazards of surfing the web, sending and receiving e-mail, and doing a number of other things on the Internet. He gives a lot of the history and background of various technologies (JavaScript, Cookies, etc.), explaining how things got the way they are now, and where they are going in the future. He further gives practical suggestions that anyone can implement to practice "safe surf".

Web Security contains content for systems administrators, web designers and lay-people alike. Better yet, these sections are cleanly separated making it easy for technical and non-technical folks to easily get to information that most interests them. Best of all, the entire book is written in English - not techno-babble - so you don't have to have a degree from MIT to understand it.

If you have been looking for a good introduction to security issues on the Internet, this book is a must-have!

Now as for the volumes on Lincoln, don't get me wrong; they are also extremely good. As with all of these books, it is a rewarding reading experience to peruse collections of un-edited letters and speeches in their chronological order.

These volumes have every conceivable bit of correspondence imaginable. Lincoln apparently preferred the short letter, as there are several single paragraph letters to generals on the field and the like. He also wrote with simplicity and suprising bluntness. Volume 1 has a number of early speeches and famous debates which give you a sense of the lawyer turned politician. These of course are very lengthy. But also in volumes 1 and 2 there are numerous short letters which include urgent notes to General McClellan and others that would have made me quit the post had I been the receiver! In contrast there are letters revealing Lincolns more sensitive personal side.

I'm rating Lincoln's volumes just behind those of Jefferson and Franklin because there are no references detailing the circumstances for each writing. I felt a little lost not knowing what the impetus was behind the letters and correspondence. This is a departure from the Jefferson and Franklin books, which provide very detailed notes.

Finally I should say that Library of America's books are of very high quality for more than their authorship and reading content. All are bound nicely and printed on bible paper-like acid free paper. They are of exceptional quality just as books. I would say they are the best quality available.

Additionally, Library of America is a non-profit organization with the aim of distributing the work of America's essential writers without commercial gain.

To study Abraham Lincoln is to study character. I would be hard-pressed to think of a person who lived since the time of Christ that so fully embodied the qualities and character of a Christian. He was a man who lived with humble faith and firm convictions and seemed always to direct himself by what was right.

Perhaps no other character in history other than Jesus has been written about as much as Abraham Lincoln. There are literally hundreds of books that trace his life, from its humble beginnings in the backwoods of Kentucky to its conclusion at the hands of an assassin. This book does not attempt to provide an exhaustive biography of his life. Rather, it traces the growth of Lincoln as a Christian. It traces the roots of his faith in the teachings of his mother and shows how his faith was tested and sharpened through his life. It shows how the wisdom which made him famous was godly wisdom, learned through a lifetime of humility and submission to God.

Perhaps the most striking thing about Lincoln's life is that while he lived a life of moral purity that would be the envy of man Christians, for the greater part of his life he was not a believer. It was only near the end, riding across the battlefield at Gettysburg to deliver his famous address, that he could say he fully dedicated himself to God. Though he was a good man and a moral man, he did not actually become a Christian until that time. Through his life prior to that time it was his mother's faith and her teaching that had carried him through life's trials and temptations.

The author's extensive research has led him to pivotal moments in Lincoln's faith. The most important influence was his mother, who raised Lincoln with awe for and respect of the Bible. His mother, who died when Lincoln was just a young boy, made him promise that he would live as she had taught him and to keep the Lord's commandments. This promise shaped his life as many times in life he overcame temptation by thinking of his mother's words. Other pivotal moments in his life were the death of his fiancée and the later death of his son. Both of these events shook him to the core of his being, but God sent people into his life to comfort him and minister to him during these times. In the end, we see, these events left him stronger and helped lead him to making a commitment to God.

When we trace Lincoln's life we can see how God was preparing him for the task He had appointed to him - the task of saving the nation. We see how the development of his character, his faith and his relationships all led to him becoming a great statesman. We see how these elements brought him through this time and how he stood firm in them until the time of his death. It was these elements that made him one of the most beloved men in the nation's history.

Abraham Lincoln serves as an inspiration to me. I dream of being a man of Lincoln's character and dream of being able to write and express myself as Lincoln did. I dream of having his simple, humble wisdom.

This book is well-written, well-researched and well-documented. I give it my highest recommendation.