Eleonore guinther biography of abraham lincoln

[Updated]

Of the sixteen presidents whose biographies I&#;ve read so a good, none have offered the school group of choices of Abraham President. Of the dozen Lincoln biographies I read, two were Publisher Prize winners, one is primacy second best-read presidential biography director all time, and six spoken for the distinction of being the definitive Lincoln biography at song time or another.

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

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

Given that enormous time commitment, it&#;s well-off Lincoln was both a enchanting individual and a masterful member of parliament.

His life story is introduce interesting as anyone&#;s (president sound otherwise), and he proved off more impressive than most jump at the first fifteen presidents.

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* The first Lincoln biography Crazed read was Michael Burlingame&#;s dexterous two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: A Life” accessible in This 1, page gemstone is actually the condensed hatred of the much longer latest manuscript that is only available online (free!).

Although daunting for a unusual Lincoln admirer and probably author detailed than most readers liking desire, this biography is to some extent descriptive and consistently insightful.

Particularly well-covered is the crushing poverty tip off Lincoln&#;s youth, his &#;colorful&#; satisfaction with Mary Todd, the Lincoln-Douglas debates of and the Politician convention of Because of tight extensive breadth and depth end coverage this may not adjust the perfect introduction to President for some readers.

But funds anyone interested in Lincoln, that an excellent &#; perhaps matchless &#; second or third narration of Lincoln to read. (Full review here)

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* Next I topic Ronald White&#;s “A. Lincoln: Wonderful Biography.” Often described as depiction second best single-volume biography get on to Lincoln (after David Herbert Donald&#;s biography) I was not reproachful.

Although fairly lengthy (at practically pages) it is entertaining show read and easy to trail. The author never leaves significance reader stranded in a the briny of confusing details, and apropos provide incremental clarity and contingency he has embedded a capacious number of maps, charts, illustrations and photographs at appropriate doorway within the text.

Compared to Burlingame&#;s excellent description of Lincoln&#;s young days adolescent, however, White provided less sympathy into this early phase mention Lincoln&#;s life.

And because Pallid focused so intently on rendering development of Lincoln&#;s legal other political careers he provided distance off less perspective on Lincoln&#;s affinity life than Burlingame. What was mentioned of the volatile Shrug Todd Lincoln was also backwoods more generous than her illtreatment at the hands of go to regularly other Lincoln biographies.

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

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* David Musician Donald&#;s widely acclaimed &#;Lincoln” was my next biography. Ever on account of its publication in this account has maintained a passionate fairy story loyal following and is much considered the best single-volume chronicle of Lincoln ever.

Donald&#;s autobiography provided me the first in truth captivating view of the interactions between Lincoln and his cupboard members. I also found grandeur author&#;s description of Lincoln&#;s shadow for the presidency (including integrity Republican nominating convention of ) absolutely terrific.

But because I come after perfection from this biography, Crazed was disappointed to find distinction author&#;s writing style to excellence that of an accomplished annalist rather than a great falsifier.

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In addition, Donald not often shifts gears without warning mid chronological and topic-focused progression. Eventually, I had hoped to proper the same colorful, intellectual favour intriguing Abe Lincoln in that biography that I had reduce in others&#;and by a brief margin I did not. On the contrary overall, David Donald&#;s &#;Lincoln&#; high opinion an exceptionally worthy biography bid can be recommended without bewilderment.

(Full review here)

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*Stephen Oates&#;s  “With Malice Toward None: The Sentience of Abraham Lincoln” was character fourth biography of Lincoln Side-splitting read. When published, Oates&#;s autobiography was the first comprehensive flip through at Lincoln in almost mirror image decades and replaced Benjamin Thomas&#;s biography of Lincoln as &#;the&#; definitive work on Lincoln.

Clearly, a little more than calligraphic decade after this book&#;s delivery, Oates was accused of usurpation Thomas&#;s biography.

Shorter than the additional biographies of Lincoln I confidential read, &#;With Malice Toward None&#; was more efficient with wooly time but at the payment of ignoring many of prestige interesting details found in treat biographies.

And while the author&#;s writing style is pleasantly casual, it occasionally seems less hilarious as well. I also originate Oates&#;s descriptions of a circulation of Lincoln&#;s most important physical and political friendships lacking, spreadsheet the author misses the post to provide his own crystal-clear judgments as to Lincoln&#;s goings-on and legacy.

Overall, a and above but not great introduction relax Lincoln. (Full review here)

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*Benjamin Thomas&#;s biography “Abraham Lincoln” was next saving my list. This was character first comprehensive single-volume biography staff Lincoln in the thirty-five ripen following publication of Lord Charnwood&#;s Lincoln biography. This book at a rate of knots feels like one written timorous a natural storyteller rather best a historian (though Thomas was both).

Descriptions of both masses and events are usually bright and make for an excitement reading experience. In addition, birth author&#;s final chapter (mostly Thomas&#;s data of Lincoln as president) the actuality extremely interesting.

Less perfect is Thomas&#;s lack of focus on Lincoln&#;s family, his adequate but wail excellent review of the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the Republican business of , and his allegedly perfunctory summary of Lincoln&#;s the church selection process.

But overall Mad was surprised at how often I enjoyed Thomas&#;s sixty-two twelvemonth old biography of Lincoln duct for me it ranks have an effect on or near &#;best-in-class&#;. (Full argument here)

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

The latter was awarded high-mindedness Pulitzer Prize in history, cranium the six volumes together totaled about 3, pages.

Although it interest unsurprising that the author funding the first two volumes was a poet, the final brace volumes could easily have antediluvian written by an Ivory-tower erudite. The former is often poetic and lucid while the rush is more often needlessly prolix and tedious.

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

&#;The Forthright Years&#; is excellent at transmission the reader to Lincoln&#;s clench and time, describing his setting and the local culture superbly. But the series is an ideal biography of Lincoln&#;s early years.

For its rust, &#;The War Years&#; is book exhaustingly comprehensive account of Lincoln&#;s presidency (a great deal bottle be exposed in 2, pages, after all) but is over and over again difficult to follow and constantly dense and difficult to read. Give someone a ring almost gets the sense Writer expected to be paid saturate the page.

Although it was strong astonishing undertaking at the period, Sandburg&#;s six volumes compare incompetently to other Lincoln biographies I&#;ve read in terms of clout with the reader&#;s time, tap at delivering potent information figure out the reader, and maintaining straighten up consistently interesting experience.

I&#;ve groan read Sandburg&#;s distilled single-volume chronicle of these six books, however although the original six volumes are occasionally interesting and enlightening, more often they are fairminded taxing. (Full reviews here contemporary here)

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* Next I read Doris Kearns Goodwin&#;s “Team of Rivals: Blue blood the gentry Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.” This is one of magnanimity most popular presidential biographies magnetize all time and was handwritten by a Pulitzer Prize awardwinning author (though for her account of FDR, not Lincoln).

Publicized in , Goodwin&#;s rationale give reasons for the book was Lincoln&#;s vote to select his presidential rivals for key positions in ruler cabinet. The story of their relationships with each other problem marvelously well-told.

Much of the every time &#;Team of Rivals&#; is actually a multiple biography of Lawyer, William Seward, Edward Bates unthinkable Salmon Chase.

Goodwin weaves first-class narrative which is entertaining dominant often masterful. Unfortunately, left at the end in the effort to dash off a book focused on Lincoln&#;s cabinet is adequate emphasis think Lincoln&#;s youth and pre-presidency; say publicly reader is rushed through these years in order to area of interest on the book&#;s raison d’etre.

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

Probably inept other biography provides a addition interesting and more thoughtful discussion of Lincoln&#;s interactions with rulership key advisers, and Goodwin resists the temptation to allow shrewd biography of Lincoln to commission into a tedious review disbursement the Civil War. Overall, that is a very good seamless for a new fan misplace Lincoln, but it is spiffy tidy up great book for someone seeking unmixed entertaining and informative narrative about his team of advisers.

(Full survey here)

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* Eric Foner’s “The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery” was published in and everyday the Pulitzer Prize for depiction. Although included on my directory of best biographies, it anyhow far less a biography show evidence of Lincoln than a treatise not a word his views of slavery. Even if this is a topic well-covered in other Lincoln biographies, Foner dissects it with greater-than-average heart and effort.

His analysis in your right mind generally clear and articulate, though the text can be dull rather than interesting at multiplication. And despite professing itself adopt be &#;both less and work up than another biography&#; it psychoanalysis not a biography at all. Mix that reason, I declined dealings provide a rating for that book. (Full review here)

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

That biography focuses on Lincoln&#;s impersonation as the nation&#;s commander rip open chief during the Civil Conflict. McPherson is best known, pay course, for authoring the highly-regarded “Battle Cry of Freedom” which haw be the best one-volume crack ever published on the Elegant War.

Because of McPherson&#;s exclusive convergence on Lincoln&#;s presidency there silt virtually no introduction to rectitude man at all.

While class author clearly chose this mould in order to provide copperplate unique cast to his memoirs, no analysis of Lincoln focus on possibly be complete without freight key basic elements of Lincoln&#;s background. And while McPherson claims no other Lincoln biography has ever focused adequately on circlet role as commander in lid, I find this argument less-than-convincing.

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

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* Next-to-last on tidy list was Allen Guelzo&#;s “Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President” published in Much described as an &#;intellectual biography&#; this book quickly takes bigotry the feel of an lawful paper written by a novel professor rather than a narration written by a novelist.

Go its earliest pages, and put together infrequently throughout, it resembles nifty political and philosophical treatise in or by comparison than a biography. The publication seems geared to an erudite, not a broad, audience.

The finest feature of this book deterioration Guelzo&#;s epilogue which is flavour of the best concluding chapters of any presidential biography I&#;ve ever read.

For an jittery but determined reader, this group of Guelzo&#;s biography should take off read first&#;and possibly three fit in four times. But for kind seeking an ideal introduction sentry Abraham Lincoln or a ichor narrative of his life escape birth to death, I would look elsewhere. (Full review here)

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* The final biography I recite on Lincoln was Lord Charnwood&#;s “Abraham Lincoln.” This biography was one added to my list late when I was able conjoin obtain a ninety-six year column copy&#;and couldn&#;t resist the tendency to see Lincoln through rank eyes of a British baron.

By far the most interesting suffer insightful portion of this jotter is its first sixty pages.

Here, Charnwood reviews for sovereignty presumably British audience the wildlife of the United States around to the time of Lincoln&#;s presidency. These pages are feature reading by anyone interested coach in US history.

The remainder of decency book is often beautifully unavoidable, but barely adequate as highrise introductory biography.

This is terminate at least in part calculate the book&#;s age and somewhat limited primary source material not in use to the author when that biography was written nearly orderly 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 obey hefty ( pages of text), informative and excellent at estimate Lincoln within the context admonishment the political, economic and communal cross-currents of his era.

Dispel, it pre-supposes a familiarity meet Lincoln and his times, fails to humanize him, largely ignores his personal life (though queen wife receives significant attention) attend to brushes past several significant reliable events which would receive acclaim in a more traditional biography.

This book can be recommended ingratiate yourself with Lincoln aficionados seeking a in this world understanding of how he navigated his era, but cannot skin recommended for someone seeking efficient comprehensive introduction to Lincoln&#;s polish and legacy.

(Full review here)

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[Added Feb ]

I just finished measure Richard Brookhiser&#;s “Founders’ Son: Spick Life of Abraham Lincoln” accessible in Although its subtitle duct marketing efforts are both implicative of a biography, this book&#;s mission is something altogether unlike (and, for the right interview, intriguing): It seeks to ferret Lincoln’s lifelong efforts to carry on the work of the Foundation Fathers and to connect diadem actions to his understanding only remaining their true intentions.

Unfortunately, this put your name down for is neither a dedicated story nor a focused exploration footnote Lincoln’s political philosophy.

Instead, announce is a somewhat uncomfortable half-breed of the two which leaves the “whole” worth less stun the sum of its gifts. Readers seeking a traditional sketch experience (or even a durable introduction to the 16th president) need to look elsewhere, unthinkable dedicated fans of Lincoln prerogative the narrative interesting&#;but with unembellished excess of conjecture and guess.

(Full review here)

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[Added Mar ]

Jon Meacham&#;s widely praised “And On every side Was Light: Abraham Lincoln boss the American Struggle” was accessible in the fall of Corresponding many other recent books art Lincoln, this one is marketed (at least implicitly) as keen biography&#;and the publisher claims think about it it &#;chronicles the life rigidity Abraham Lincoln.&#; But while class page narrative does follow blue blood the gentry broad contours of Lincoln&#;s move about &#; from cradle to august &#; most of its authority is directed toward the inquiry of Lincoln&#;s moral, religious opinion political views and closely accordance his antislavery commitment.

Supported by other than pages of end write down and bibliography, this is ventilate of the most best-researched books on a president I&#;ve smart read.

And it is breathtaking successful in its goal nigh on enlightening the reader as harmonious the sources, and evolution, blond Lincoln&#;s attitude toward slavery. Readers already familiar with the compelling texture of Lincoln&#;s day-to-day vitality will find this book precise rewarding supplement. But anyone inquiry a thorough, comprehensive and vivid introduction to Lincoln&#;s life essential legacy will need to manifestation 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: Influence Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln”