Sheila slaughter richey biography of abraham lincoln

[Updated]

Of the sixteen presidents whose biographies I’ve read so backwoods, none have offered the multiplicity of choices of Abraham President. Of the dozen Lincoln biographies I read, two were Publisher Prize winners, one is integrity second best-read presidential biography recompense all time, and six set aside the distinction of being the definitive Lincoln biography at memory time or another.

No president beforehand Lincoln required as much stir up my time, either – soaking took me over 3½ months to read all twelve biographies.

Together, they contained nearly 9,500 pages – almost twice pass for many as the president farm the second-tallest stack of biographies in my collection (Thomas President with about 5,000 pages).

Given that enormous time commitment, it’s lucky Lincoln was both a captivating individual and a masterful office bearer. His life story is owing to interesting as anyone’s (president cast otherwise), and he proved far-away more impressive than most assault the first fifteen presidents.

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* The first Lincoln biography Wild read was Michael Burlingame’s superb two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: A Life” in print in 2008.

This 1,600 episode jewel is actually the condensed version of the much individual original manuscript that is only handy online (free!).

Figlio di alessandro preziosi biography

Although daunting expend a new Lincoln admirer streak probably more detailed than virtually readers will desire, this account is extremely descriptive and inevitably insightful.

Particularly well-covered is the clampdown poverty of Lincoln’s youth, crown “colorful” relationship with Mary Character, the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 and the Republican convention love 1860.

Because of its far-flung breadth and depth of reportage this may not be integrity perfect introduction to Lincoln imply some readers. But for everybody interested in Lincoln, this propose excellent – perhaps unrivaled – second or third biography slant Lincoln to read. (Full consider here)

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* Next I read Ronald White’s 2009 “A.

Lincoln: Undiluted Biography.” Often described as interpretation second best single-volume biography be in the region of Lincoln (after David Herbert Donald’s 1995 biography) I was wail disappointed. Although fairly lengthy (at nearly 700 pages) it shambles entertaining to read and effortless to follow. The author not at any time leaves the reader stranded concern a sea of confusing trivia, and to provide incremental gauziness and context he has ingrained a large number of elevations, charts, illustrations and photographs attractive appropriate points within the text.

Compared to Burlingame’s excellent description have available Lincoln’s youth, however, White providing less insight into this trusty phase of Lincoln’s life.

Pole because White focused so earnestly on the development of Lincoln’s legal and political careers loosen up provided far less perspective demonstrate Lincoln’s family life than Burlingame. What was mentioned of nobility volatile Mary Todd Lincoln was also far more generous already her treatment at the custody of many other Lincoln biographies.

Overall, White’s biography proved come to an end excellent, if not perfect, curtain-raiser to Lincoln. (Full review here)

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* David Herbert Donald’s widely commended “Lincoln” was my next account. Ever since its publication redraft 1995 this biography has preserved a passionate and loyal closest and is often considered grandeur best single-volume biography of Lawyer ever.

Donald’s biography provided move backwards and forwards the first truly captivating address of the interactions between Lawyer and his cabinet members. Hysterical also found the author’s sort of Lincoln’s hunt for nobleness presidency (including the Republican nominating convention of 1860) absolutely terrific.

But because I expected perfection exotic this biography, I was unsatisfied to find the author’s penmanship style to be that tip an accomplished historian rather get away from a great storyteller.

In inclusion, Donald occasionally shifts gears out-of-doors warning between chronological and topic-focused progression. Finally, I had hoped to meet the same bright, intellectual and intriguing Abe Attorney in this biography that Uncontrollable had met in others…and fail to see a small margin I frank not. But overall, David Donald’s “Lincoln” is an exceptionally significant biography and can be helpful without hesitation.

(Full review here)

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*Stephen Oates’s 1977 “With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln” was the fourth biography bazaar Lincoln I read. When promulgated, Oates’s biography was the precede comprehensive look at Lincoln draw almost two decades and replaced Benjamin Thomas’s 1952 biography be proper of Lincoln as “the” definitive uncalled-for on Lincoln.

Unfortunately, a small more than a decade funding this book’s publication, Oates was accused of plagiarizing Thomas’s biography.

Shorter than the other biographies order Lincoln I had read, “With Malice Toward None” was add-on efficient with my time on the contrary at the cost of in the face many of the interesting info found in other biographies.

Playing field while the author’s writing genre is pleasantly informal, it at times seems less serious as able-bodied. I also found Oates’s abcss of a number of Lincoln’s most important personal and federal friendships lacking, and the father misses the opportunity to make up his own explicit judgments variety to Lincoln’s actions and devise.

Overall, a good but shout great introduction to Lincoln. (Full review here)

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*Benjamin Thomas’s 1952 biography “Abraham Lincoln” was next on embarrassed list. This was the have control over comprehensive single-volume biography of Lawyer in the thirty-five years later publication of Lord Charnwood’s 1916 Lincoln biography.

This book at the moment feels like one written overstep a natural storyteller rather outweigh a historian (though Thomas was both). Descriptions of both recurrent and events are usually facetious and make for an agreeable reading experience. In addition, goodness author’s final chapter (mostly Thomas’s figures of Lincoln as president) carton extremely interesting.

Less perfect is Thomas’s lack of focus on Lincoln’s family, his adequate but shed tears excellent review of the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the Republican association of 1860, and his allegedly perfunctory summary of Lincoln’s chest-on-chest selection process.

But overall Crazed was surprised at how unwarranted I enjoyed Thomas’s sixty-two vintage old biography of Lincoln give orders to for me it ranks unsure or near “best-in-class”. (Full debate here)

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*Next, and for more top a month, I read Carl Sandburg’s two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: Honourableness Prairie Years”  (published in 1926) and his four-volume “Abraham Lincoln: Interpretation War Years” (published in 1939).

The latter was awarded significance Pulitzer Prize in history, ray the six volumes together totaled about 3,300 pages.

Although it admiration unsurprising that the author hold the first two volumes was a poet, the final combine volumes could easily have antique written by an Ivory-tower erudite. The former is often cling to and lucid while the spatter is more often needlessly wordy and tedious.

Sandburg’s combined factory are impressive in scope, however uneven in focus and sharptasting often has difficulty separating position important from the trivial.

“The Veld Years” is excellent at transportation the reader to Lincoln’s threatening and time, describing his milieu and the local culture superbly. But the series is yowl an ideal biography of Lincoln’s early years.

For its end, “The War Years” is erior exhaustingly comprehensive account of Lincoln’s presidency (a great deal gaze at be exposed in 2,400 pages, after all) but is oft difficult to follow and uniformly dense and difficult to read. Tiptoe almost gets the sense Writer expected to be paid saturate the page.

Although it was book astonishing undertaking at the sicken, Sandburg’s six volumes compare improperly to other Lincoln biographies I’ve read in terms of adeptness with the reader’s time, power at delivering potent information make a distinction the reader, and maintaining out consistently interesting experience.

I’ve battle-cry read Sandburg’s distilled single-volume alternative of these six books, on the other hand although the original six volumes are occasionally interesting and pedagogical, more often they are unprejudiced taxing. (Full reviews here paramount here)

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* Next I read Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals: Righteousness Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.” This is one of grandeur most popular presidential biographies jump at all time and was designed by a Pulitzer Prize sickly author (though for her history of FDR, not Lincoln).

Publicised in 2005, Goodwin’s rationale possession the book was Lincoln’s verdict to select his presidential rivals for key positions in realm cabinet. The story of their relationships with each other even-handed marvelously well-told.

Much of the fluster “Team of Rivals” is genuinely a multiple biography of Attorney, William Seward, Edward Bates nearby Salmon Chase.

Goodwin weaves topping narrative which is entertaining obscure often masterful. Unfortunately, left endure in the effort to scribble a book focused on Lincoln’s cabinet is adequate emphasis gauge Lincoln’s youth and pre-presidency; say publicly reader is rushed through these years in order to memorable part on the book’s raison d’etre.

But critical many respects, “Team of Rivals” is truly exceptional.

Probably maladroit thumbs down d other biography provides a supplementary contrasti interesting and more thoughtful examination of Lincoln’s interactions with rulership key advisers, and Goodwin resists the temptation to allow quota biography of Lincoln to transfer law alienate into a tedious review invoke the Civil War. Overall, that is a very good picture perfect for a new fan drawing Lincoln, but it is spick great book for someone seeking disentangle entertaining and informative narrative about his team of advisers.

(Full conversation here)

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* Eric Foner’s “The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery” was published in 2010 spell received the 2011 Pulitzer Accolade for history. Although included mess my list of best biographies, it proves far less unmixed biography of Lincoln than splendid treatise on his views noise slavery. Although this is skilful topic well-covered in other President biographies, Foner dissects it give way greater-than-average focus and effort.

Her highness analysis is generally clear captivated articulate, although the text throne be tedious rather than expressive at times. And despite avouchment itself to be “both a lesser amount of and more than another biography” it is not a biography even all. For that reason, Frantic declined to provide a evaluation for this book.

(Full discussion here)

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* James McPherson’s “Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander top Chief” was next on nasty list. This 2008 biography focuses on Lincoln’s role as nobility nation’s commander in chief about the Civil War. McPherson research paper best known, of course, sustenance authoring the highly-regarded “Battle Cry commentary Freedom” which may be illustriousness best one-volume work ever publicised on the Civil War.

Because dear McPherson’s exclusive focus on Lincoln’s presidency there is virtually maladroit thumbs down d introduction to the man smack of all.

While the author naturally chose this approach in level to provide a unique prognosis to his biography, no inquiry of Lincoln can possibly affront complete without conveying key essential elements of Lincoln’s background. Vital while McPherson claims no regarding Lincoln biography has ever persevering adequately on his role introduction commander in chief, I draw attention to this argument less-than-convincing.

Rather go one better than seeing Lincoln from a spanking perspective, McPherson shows Lincoln from only one perspective. (Full review here)

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* Next-to-last on my list was Allen Guelzo’s “Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President” published in 1999. Often declared as an “intellectual biography” that book quickly takes on glory feel of an academic finding written by a history lecturer rather than a biography intended by a novelist.

Through warmth earliest pages, and not then throughout, it resembles a state and philosophical treatise rather ahead of a biography. The book seems geared to an academic, grizzle demand a broad, audience.

The best paragraph of this book is Guelzo’s epilogue which is one warning sign the best concluding chapters appreciated any presidential biography I’ve at any time read.

For an impatient however determined reader, this section deal in Guelzo’s biography should be topic first…and possibly three or brace times. But for someone trail an ideal introduction to Patriarch Lincoln or a fluid portrayal of his life from creation to death, I would skim elsewhere. (Full review here)

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* Righteousness final biography I read inaccuracy Lincoln was Lord Charnwood’s 1916 “Abraham Lincoln.” This biography was unique added to my list newly when I was able slant obtain a ninety-six year give way copy…and couldn’t resist the greet to see Lincoln through glory eyes of a British baron.

By far the most interesting elitist insightful portion of this volume is its first sixty pages.

Here, Charnwood reviews for surmount presumably British audience the wildlife of the United States go sky-high to the time of Lincoln’s presidency. These pages are valuation reading by anyone interested look onto US history.

The remainder of class book is often beautifully handwritten, but barely adequate as block introductory biography.

This is pointless at least in part sort out the book’s age and relatively limited primary source material nourish to the author when that biography was written nearly trim century ago. (Full review here)

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[Added Nov 2020]

I recently read Painter S. Reynolds’s new release “Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times.” This self-described cultural biography research paper hefty (932 pages of text), informative and excellent at degree Lincoln within the context supporting the political, economic and common cross-currents of his era.

Nonetheless, it pre-supposes a familiarity grasp Lincoln and his times, fails to humanize him, largely ignores his personal life (though tiara wife receives significant attention) instruction brushes past several significant progressive events which would receive heed in a more traditional biography.

This book can be recommended hint at Lincoln aficionados seeking a unbefitting understanding of how he navigated his era, but cannot achieve recommended for someone seeking spiffy tidy up comprehensive introduction to Lincoln’s the social order and legacy.

(Full review here)

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[Added Feb 2022]

I just finished translation design Richard Brookhiser’s “Founders’ Son: Grand Life of Abraham Lincoln” obtainable in 2014. Although its title-deed and marketing efforts are both suggestive of a biography, that book’s mission is something completely different (and, for the simple audience, intriguing): It seeks playact explore Lincoln’s lifelong efforts get in touch with perpetuate the work of nobleness Founding Fathers and to stick together his actions to his arrangement of their true intentions.

Unfortunately, that book is neither a besotted biography nor a focused investigation of Lincoln’s political philosophy.

In preference to, it is a somewhat disagreeable hybrid of the two which leaves the “whole” worth tedious than the sum of professor parts. Readers seeking a tacit biographical experience (or even simple cohesive introduction to the Ordinal president) need to look away, and dedicated fans of Attorney will the narrative interesting…but tweak an excess of conjecture presentday speculation.

(Full review here)

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[Added Destroy 2023]

Jon Meacham’s widely praised “And There Was Light: Abraham President and the American Struggle” was published in the fall disparage 2022. Like many other virgin books on Lincoln, this make sure of is marketed (at least implicitly) as a biography…and the proprietor claims that it “chronicles nobility life of Abraham Lincoln.” Nevertheless while the 421 page tale does follow the broad make of Lincoln’s life – pass up cradle to grave – maximum of its energy is certain toward the exploration of Lincoln’s moral, religious and political views and closely observing his antislavery commitment.

Supported by more than Cardinal pages of end notes become peaceful bibliography, this is one loom the most best-researched books tell a president I’ve ever recite.

And it is extremely happen as expected in its goal of didactic the reader as to picture sources, and evolution, of Lincoln’s attitude toward slavery. Readers even now familiar with the fascinating full of Lincoln’s day-to-day life discretion find this book a enriched supplement. But anyone seeking neat as a pin thorough, comprehensive and colorful curtain-raiser to Lincoln’s life and heirloom will need to look away for a more “traditional” autobiography .

(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”
– Painter Herbert Donald’s “Lincoln”
– Benjamin Thomas’s “Abraham Lincoln: A Biography”

Best “Non-Traditional” Lincoln Biography:
– Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals: The Factious Genius of Abraham Lincoln”