Lincoln Books

This is a great book - way beyond what I thought it would be. The picture and description do not do it justice.

This is a great biography of the muckraking journalist Lincoln Steffens who exposed a number of corrupt practices by politicians in many of the large cities in America around the turn of the twentieth-century. Born in San Francisco and educated at the University of California and in Europe, he settled in NYC and began writing for the New York papers. In 1901 he joined McClure's Magazine and with other social critics working there (Ida Tarbell, Ray Stannard Baker) began writing about political corruption in St. Louis, Minneapolis, and other large cities. The articles were a tremendous success and were later brought out in book form, entitled THE SHAME OF THE CITIES. Theodore Roosevelt was impressed by the work of these journalists (at first, anyway) and tagged them "muckrakers," a reference to certain characters in PILGIM'S PROGRESS. Steffens, as Kaplan makes clear, was not just an exposer of political evils or a moralist, but raised more questions than he answered and made the public aware, through irony and other literary devices, of the paradoxes between public life and private affairs. His chief question, as Kaplan says, was "What are you going to do about it?"

Later, when exposed to the Russian Revolution in 1917, Steffens became an advocate for communist principles. Losing much of his support in America because of his revolutionary beliefs, he spent much of the 1920s in Europe. In 1931 he published his AUTOBIOGRAPHY, which was a huge success, and he spent the next few years until his death in 1936 lecturing across the country. More than anything else, Steffens wanted people to think seriously about society and politics; he never joined the Communist party: "I am not a Communist," he said once. "I merely think that the next order of society will be socialist and that the Communists will bring it in and lead it." He was wrong about that, and not even Kaplan, writing in 1974, could know just how wrong. He's a beautiful writer, though, and makes his subject interesting and important. It's a delightful biography.

A thoughtfully detailed and entertaining narrative with lots of captivating photos of the key people and places of Lincoln's visits to the Commonwealth. I also liked the appendix which provided guidance on how to follow and experience the Lincoln Trail. I'm not a Lincoln expert, so the accounts of his experiences here were new to me and fascinating to read... but that also means my rating is just a reflection of how much I liked this book, not a comparison to other books about Mr. Lincoln. It is unquestionably well-written.

David Selby's novel Lincoln's Better Angel is a well-articulated and engaging work that addresses the issue of racism. Can Selby--perhaps better known for his portrayal of Quentin Collins in Dark Shadows (TV) during the `60s, or Richard Channing of Falcon Crest (TV)--pull off such a feat? If we look to Selby's past, we note he is exceedingly qualified to write such a book--holding both a B.S. and an M.A. from West Virginia University as well as a Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University; and most important, he has portrayed Abraham Lincoln countless times throughout his career.

Selby's book opens on the Fourth of July as African-American park service ranger Charles Huggins, still numb from the death of his beloved son who was serving in the Iraqi War, arrives at the Lincoln Monument--his work--where he has been the "watch" for 15 of his 25 years with the park service. A proud black man, Charles used to take his job at the Lincoln Monument seriously, taking great care of the monument dedicated to the man he'd admired his entire life. But now, his life was changed--and with that change came a distrust of everything he'd ever believed in. It changed dramatically when his son, his only child, was killed in Iraq. Nothing seemed to matter. Not his job, his marriage--in which his wife distanced herself from him during his grief, hoping that the space and time she selflessly gave would allow him to deal with their son's death,--not even his own life mattered anymore. Everything that he believed in his entire life now felt like a parody. What kind of God would spare him his life during the Vietnam War, only to take his son's during the Iraqi War? Charles Huggins' entire world fragmented.

The Fourth of July festivities pick up throughout the day and Charles finds himself surrounded by a somber musician--whose music only deepens his woes--and too many living historians portraying Abraham Lincolns. But one Lincoln, who engages Charles in gentle conversation filled with witticisms and wisdoms, seems to be the real deal. Charles, deciding that Lincoln had a lot of explaining to do, doesn't sensor his words or soften his emotion as he relentlessly seeks the truth from Lincoln.

An angry Charles and a solemn Lincoln converse throughout the night. They share their stories, their sorrows, their grief. No topic is off limits as the two banter incessantly between moments of deep reflective silence. As the two men struggle to find enlightenment, decades of feelings of hatred, distrust and misunderstanding are put into words--sometimes harsh words, offensive words. But the fact that Selby has allowed Charles to be filled with rage and anger, and that Lincoln's strength is exemplified by his gentleness, only lends depth to each character and brings us, the reader, to fully grasp the book's message.

Through their chance meeting, two worlds are briefly merged into one and there is enlightenment, allowing each man to find the peace he needs in order to move on.

Selby does an excellent job at capturing Lincoln's persona. The conversations between the two are lively, candid, emotional, and intimate. You'll come away with a better feeling for knowing--to quote a line from the book--"where the shoe pinches"...

This little book sticks in my mind three years after I read it. So I recently re-read it and found that it held up well. The tales here are bizarre, very poetic, and yet also howlingly funny. The author is a shameless punster and loves silly jokes and tricks played on the reader. The title story about a story about the dog owned by Lincoln's doctor takes so many wierd turns and ends up startlingly.

Mr. Bacarella has written a great narritive of the 39th NYVI. It is one of the best regimental histories I have read. He gives the day to day happinings of a regiment in battle and in camp. The 39th was one of the most unusual regiments in federal service during the American Civil War, and Mr. Bacarella has done the men & woman of the regiment justice!

This 79-page examination of the Gettysburg Address provides kids in grades 4-6 with an excellent in-depth examination of the concepts and basic importance of Lincoln's historic statements. Chapters blend vintage black and white photos with fine insights on the events of his times.

Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, Lincoln's Ladies is the eyebrow-raising true story of Abraham Lincoln's often troubled life and the women who influenced it. From his treasured first love, who unfortunately perished shortly after they became engaged, to his tumultuous relationship with his wife Mary Todd, who is documented as verbally abusing him (and the domestic help) on countless occassions and even chasing him with a broom, to numerous other women, not all of them romantic relationships, who came to speak with and know Lincoln in various ways, Lincoln's Ladies is a fascinating exploration of a great President's little-known private life. Written by an award-winning journalist, Lincoln's Ladies is a must-read for anyone curious about the nuances of history in general and Licoln's life in particular.

This book is the type of book which could start another civil war. I found the book to be well researched, detail oriented, and well written. One group of readers will probably come away with a sense that the first Republican President may have been the inventor of spin. No matter what your politics, this book proves that politics are nothing new, and maybe a few of the awestruck may view some of the sainted heroes in a diffent light.

Lincoln's Lost Legacy: The Republican Party and the African American Vote, 1928-1952 is a scholarly study of an astounding shift in American politics - how the Republican party, once the party of President Lincoln, the Great Emancipator, lost the support and the votes of the descendants of the black slaves it once freed. Why did so many African-Americans leave the Grand Old Party and join the ranks of the Democratic Party in the 1930s and 40s? Author Simon Topping (lecturer of American Studies at the University of Plymouth, England) reveals how, during 1928-1952, the Republican party shifted toward an institution favoring big business and small government - and how it utterly neglected the concerns of African-Americans, in particularly dragging its feet on such issues as anti-lynching laws and the abolishment of the poll tax. "To make matters worse, the GOP repeatedly fashioned ad hoc alliances with the Dixiecrats, the worst elements of American politics, throughout the period. The Dixiecrats were antidemocratic and unashamedly racist, lacked any real mandate, were utterly contemptuous of northern (and, indeed, world) public opinion, and were answerable only to themselves... these racist reactionaries, due to their entrenched positions within Congress, were much more important politically to both the Democrats and the Republicans than African Americans, regardless of the strategic importance of the black vote in the north. African Americans were extremely badly let down by both parties." An absolute must-have for any library or private collection strong in American political history.