Lincoln Books

Michael Gerhardt takes what we know, what we think we know and what we might assume about one of the watershed events in our nation's history and turns the whole story on its head. The historical facts he brings to light are amazing enough (the dashing Booth and Vice President Andrew Johnson kept a pair of Tennessee sisters as mistresses and socialized before the war), what he does with them in creating this page-turner is even more amazing. Every time I thought I had the plot figured out, Gerhardt introduced another twist. And since he does it all without altering the known facts, he leaves you wondering: could THIS be the real story? The characters are vivid, the descriptions of wartime Washington mesmerizing and the action non-stop. Gerhardt is the John Grisham of presidential thrillers.

Great new interpretations on slavery, emancipation, and the pivotal role they played in nineteenth century history. A very insightful, enlightening, and interesting read.

This book is absolutely captivating. It is one of the best biographies I have ever read--one truly has a feel for what Lincoln's world was like during his childhood and early adulthood. Can't wait for the sequel.

Every American should read this book

SIR KINGSLEY AMIS DIED ON OCTOBER 22, 1995. THIS WAS HIS LAST NOVEL. First Edition hardcover, published in London by Flamingo, a division of HarperCollins. A GOOD COLLECTOR'S BOOK. Dust cover with original first-issue art. The book is bound in black buckram with bright gold spine lettering. A HILARIOUS PLOT THAT ONLY AMIS COULD HAVE DEVISED. His unmistakable style of satire is coupled with the most peculiar characters, and ridiculous situations abound. This one's about a young biographer with a moustache (a feature despised by his older subject) and a strong instinct for womanizing... Will he be able to lose the moustache AND resist the charms of his subject's wife (who likes younger men) to get his advance from the publisher? IT WILL KEEP YOU IN STITCHES!

A great breakdown of events leading up to Ft. Sumter, and a great analysis of the early relationship between Lincoln and his cabinet, esp. Secretary of state Seward (who at this early date mistakenly thought Lincoln was a puppet he could manipulate). All in all a fascinating read and a must for good civil war libraries.

Cole and Frampton have set out to change our perception of the Gettysburg National Cemetery. It is about time. It has become apparent that visitors to Gettysburg hold the National Cemetery graves as an afterthought. Few people visit the memorials past the Lincoln rostrum. Lincoln's dedication speech has been regarded as national scripture despite his own wish that "the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." His address along with the revived memory of secular-sainted generals has subsequently overshadowed the gravestones at Gettysburg as nothing more than set-dressing. Readers of Cole and Frampton's book however, can encounter the fighting men at Gettysburg. The authors recount the individuals' stories that many of those gravestones represent. Their research through archives and pension records gives a personal and comprehensive illustration of the sons', brothers', and fathers' ultimate sacrifice made for that "new birth of freedom" still underway today. You will meet the sixteen year-old runaway who wanted to experience adventure only to find martyrdom; the recovering dismembered young man who recieved a fatal 'Dear John' letter from his lover who couldn't cope with the loss of the veteran's limb; the unknown soldier responsible for the establishment of a Union Orphanage at Gettysburg for the parentless children that resulted from the war. Cole and Frampton have given us the opportunity to see the mettle of those that "gave the last full measure of devotion." Copies of the book were recently still on sale at the Gettysburg National Park Service Book Store.

This classic and detailed look at the press during the Civil War is a must for all buffs' shelves. Easy to read and taking no point of view, it remains a standard reference. Why someone has not reprinted it is a mystery.

This book is a valuable addition to a collection of Lincoln and the Civil War. There is very little that is written about the Speeds, especially since 1900. It goes into detail about James, Lincoln's second Attorney General appointed in 1864. Joshua Speed, Lincoln's best friend, is covered well too. Although we will never learn what we would like about Joshua Fry Speed, due to missing and (allegedly) destroyed letters, this book comes as close as possible. A fun read!

Garry Willis' 1992 "Lincoln at Gettysburg" won the Pulitzer Prize and a number of other literary awards for its exhaustive and creative examination of Lincoln's seminal Gettysburg Address. Willis' theme is that Lincoln's address profoundly changed the intellectual basis of the dialogue within the United States over freedom and slavery. One need not fully agree with Willis' assessment of the impact of Lincoln's speech to appreciate the fine scholarship and literary style of his book.

Willis' book approaches the Gettysburg Address as an historical event, as an exemplar of political speechmaking of the period, and as an example of the political genius of Abraham Lincoln. Willis' breakdown of the speech itself identifies its intellectual antecedents, the meaning of its various portions, and why it has endured as a powerful statement of the American purpose. In a nice postscript, Willis describes the "other" Gettysburg Address, the oration by Edward Everett that was meant by organizers to be the principal speech at the event.

This book is highly recommended to students of the political and intellectual history of the Civil War. It may be less interesting to the casual reader or student of the military art.