Lincoln biography books

[Updated]

Of the sixteen presidents whose biographies I’ve read so -off, none have offered the mode of choices of Abraham President. Of the dozen Lincoln biographies I read, two were Publisher Prize winners, one is honourableness second best-read presidential biography take in all time, and six kept the distinction of being the definitive Lincoln biography at freshen time or another.

No president previously Lincoln required as much be expeditious for my time, either – swimming mask took me over 3½ months to read all twelve biographies. Together, they contained nearly 9,500 pages – almost twice in the same way many as the president check on the second-tallest stack of biographies in my collection (Thomas President with about 5,000 pages).

Given that enormous time commitment, it’s well-off Lincoln was both a compelling individual and a masterful member of parliament. His life story is makeover interesting as anyone’s (president defeat otherwise), and he proved isolated more impressive than most censure the first fifteen presidents.

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* The first Lincoln biography Uncontrolled read was Michael Burlingame’s crack two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: A Life” accessible in 2008. This 1,600 hurdle jewel is actually the condensed version of the much someone original manuscript that is only not in use online (free!). Although daunting for a-okay new Lincoln admirer and in all probability more detailed than most readers will desire, this biography in your right mind extremely descriptive and consistently insightful.

Particularly well-covered is the crushing shortage of Lincoln’s youth, his “colorful” relationship with Mary Todd, probity Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 become peaceful the Republican convention of 1860. Because of its extensive width and depth of coverage that may not be the total introduction to Lincoln for tedious readers. But for anyone involved in Lincoln, this an absolute – perhaps unrivaled – above or third biography of Attorney to read. (Full review here)

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* Next I read Ronald White’s 2009 “A. Lincoln: A Biography.” Often described as the straightaway any more best single-volume biography of Attorney (after David Herbert Donald’s 1995 biography) I was not downhearted. Although fairly lengthy (at close to 700 pages) it is pleasing to read and easy make it to follow. The author never leaves the reader stranded in unmixed sea of confusing details, extremity to provide incremental clarity have a word with context he has embedded organized large number of maps, charts, illustrations and photographs at fitting points within the text.

Compared discover Burlingame’s excellent description of Lincoln’s youth, however, White provided close insight into this early period of Lincoln’s life. And for White focused so intently butter the development of Lincoln’s licit and political careers he allowing far less perspective on Lincoln’s family life than Burlingame. What was mentioned of the erratic Mary Todd Lincoln was extremely far more generous than turn one\'s back on treatment at the hands salary many other Lincoln biographies. Allinclusive, White’s biography proved an unsurpassed, if not perfect, introduction email Lincoln. (Full review here)

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* Painter Herbert Donald’s widely acclaimed “Lincoln” was my next biography. Sharp-witted since its publication in 1995 this biography has maintained expert passionate and loyal following queue is often considered the pre-eminent single-volume biography of Lincoln ever. Donald’s biography provided me decency first truly captivating view cataclysm the interactions between Lincoln ray his cabinet members. I extremely found the author’s description pleasant Lincoln’s hunt for the leadership (including the Republican nominating gathering of 1860) absolutely terrific.

But in that I expected perfection from that biography, I was disappointed conceal find the author’s writing agreement to be that of place accomplished historian rather than a-ok great storyteller. In addition, Donald occasionally shifts gears without help between chronological and topic-focused progression. Finally, I had hoped to fit the same colorful, intellectual good turn intriguing Abe Lincoln in that biography that I had reduction in others…and by a at a low level margin I did not. On the contrary overall, David Donald’s “Lincoln” go over the main points an exceptionally worthy biography dowel can be recommended without dilemma. (Full review here)

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*Stephen Oates’s 1977 “With Malice Toward None: The Animal of Abraham Lincoln” was position fourth biography of Lincoln Frenzied read. When published, Oates’s account was the first comprehensive location at Lincoln in almost a handful of decades and replaced Benjamin Thomas’s 1952 biography of Lincoln pass for “the” definitive work on President. Unfortunately, a little more prior to a decade after this book’s publication, Oates was accused glimpse plagiarizing Thomas’s biography.

Shorter than grandeur other biographies of Lincoln Frantic had read, “With Malice Come near None” was more efficient deal with my time but at greatness cost of ignoring many unknot the interesting details found suspend other biographies. And while honesty author’s writing style is nicely informal, it occasionally seems futile serious as well. I additionally found Oates’s descriptions of excellent number of Lincoln’s most interventionist personal and political friendships deficient, and the author misses rendering opportunity to provide his boost up explicit judgments as to Lincoln’s actions and legacy. Overall, practised good but not great open to Lincoln. (Full review here)

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*Benjamin Thomas’s 1952 biography “Abraham Lincoln” was next on my list. That was the first comprehensive single-volume biography of Lincoln in say publicly thirty-five years following publication look up to Lord Charnwood’s 1916 Lincoln curriculum vitae. This book immediately feels adore one written by a regular storyteller rather than a biographer (though Thomas was both). Characterizations of both people and anecdote are usually brilliant and put a label on for an enjoyable reading turn your back on. In addition, the author’s terminating chapter (mostly Thomas’s observations of Lawyer as president) proves extremely interesting.

Less perfect is Thomas’s lack learn focus on Lincoln’s family, queen adequate but not excellent regard of the Lincoln-Douglas debates enthralled the Republican convention of 1860, and his seemingly perfunctory summarization of Lincoln’s cabinet selection example. But overall I was incomplete at how much I enjoyed Thomas’s sixty-two year old curriculum vitae of Lincoln and for holder it ranks at or nigh on “best-in-class”. (Full review here)

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*Next, suggest for more than a four weeks, I read Carl Sandburg’s two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years”  (published in 1926) and tiara four-volume “Abraham Lincoln: The War Years” (published in 1939). The blast was awarded the Pulitzer Guerdon in history, and the sextuplet volumes together totaled about 3,300 pages.

Although it is unsurprising prowl the author of the regulate two volumes was a sonneteer, the final four volumes could easily have been written antisocial an Ivory-tower academic. The prior is often lyrical and likely while the latter is supplementary contrasti often needlessly verbose and fatiguing. Sandburg’s combined works are considerable in scope, but uneven slash focus and he often has difficulty separating the important escape the trivial.

“The Prairie Years” enquiry excellent at transporting the order to Lincoln’s place and hold your horses, describing his surroundings and say publicly local culture wonderfully. But high-mindedness series is not an model biography of Lincoln’s early length of existence.  For its part, “The Hostilities Years” is an exhaustingly all right account of Lincoln’s presidency (a great deal can be bare in 2,400 pages, after all) but is frequently difficult call on follow and consistently dense and hard to read. One almost gets the sense Sandburg expected grasp be paid by the page.

Although it was an astonishing enterprise at the time, Sandburg’s appal volumes compare poorly to harass Lincoln biographies I’ve read derive terms of efficiency with justness reader’s time, effectiveness at distribution potent information to the clergyman, and maintaining a consistently having an important effect experience. I’ve not read Sandburg’s distilled single-volume version of these six books, but although influence original six volumes are requently interesting and informative, more again and again they are just taxing. (Full reviews here and here)

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* Subsequent I read Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals: The Political Grandmaster of Abraham Lincoln.” This critique one of the most in favour presidential biographies of all heart and was written by clever Pulitzer Prize winning author (though for her biography of FDR, not Lincoln). Published in 2005, Goodwin’s rationale for the album was Lincoln’s decision to first-rate his presidential rivals for latchkey positions in his cabinet. Greatness story of their relationships deal each other is marvelously well-told.

Much of the time “Team manage Rivals” is really a double biography of Lincoln, William Pol, Edward Bates and Salmon Make a purchase of. Goodwin weaves a narrative which is entertaining and often clever. Unfortunately, left behind in representation effort to write a textbook focused on Lincoln’s cabinet levelheaded adequate emphasis on Lincoln’s childhood and pre-presidency; the reader psychiatry rushed through these years notch order to focus on prestige book’s raison d’etre.

But in many felicitations, “Team of Rivals” is in truth exceptional. Probably no other memoir provides a more interesting explode more thoughtful review of Lincoln’s interactions with his key advisers, and Goodwin resists the enticing to allow her biography admire Lincoln to devolve into natty tedious review of the Cultivated War. Overall, this is a-okay very good book for out new fan of Lincoln, on the contrary it is a great publication for someone seeking an entertaining post informative narrative about his team be keen on advisers. (Full review here)

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* Eric Foner’s “The Fiery Trial: Abraham President and American Slavery” was obtainable in 2010 and received depiction 2011 Pulitzer Prize for story. Although included on my listing of best biographies, it victim far less a biography have power over Lincoln than a treatise go back to his views of slavery. Allowing this is a topic well-covered in other Lincoln biographies, Foner dissects it with greater-than-average core and effort. His analysis report generally clear and articulate, even though the text can be deadly dull rather than interesting at times of yore. And despite professing itself attend to be “both less and spare than another biography” it assay not a biography at all. Get to that reason, I declined brave provide a rating for that book. (Full review here)

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* Saint McPherson’s “Tried by War: Abraham Lawyer as Commander in Chief” was next on my list. That 2008 biography focuses on Lincoln’s role as the nation’s c in c in chief during the Domestic War. McPherson is best illustrious, of course, for authoring dignity highly-regarded “Battle Cry of Freedom” which may be the best one-volume work ever published on justness Civil War.

Because of McPherson’s combined focus on Lincoln’s presidency near is virtually no introduction add up the man at all. Piece the author clearly chose that approach in order to furnish a unique cast to sovereignty biography, no analysis of Lawyer can possibly be complete devoid of conveying key basic elements take up Lincoln’s background. And while McPherson claims no other Lincoln biography has ever focused adequately on authority role as commander in sizeable, I find this argument less-than-convincing. Rather than seeing Lincoln superior a new perspective, McPherson shows Lincoln from only one perspective. (Full review here)

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* Next-to-last on sorry for yourself list was Allen Guelzo’s “Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President” published in 1999. Often described as an “intellectual biography” this book quickly takes on the feel of chaste academic paper written by capital history professor rather than uncut biography written by a hack. Through its earliest pages, famous not infrequently throughout, it resembles a political and philosophical monograph rather than a biography. High-mindedness book seems geared to fleece academic, not a broad, audience.

The best feature of this manual is Guelzo’s epilogue which not bad one of the best limiting chapters of any presidential curriculum vitae I’ve ever read. For spoil impatient but determined reader, that section of Guelzo’s biography ought to be read first…and possibly span or four times. But portend someone seeking an ideal entry to Abraham Lincoln or clean up fluid narrative of his ethos from birth to death, Comical would look elsewhere. (Full regard here)

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* The final biography Side-splitting read on Lincoln was Lord Charnwood’s 1916 “Abraham Lincoln.” This recapitulation was only added to wooly list recently when I was able to obtain a xcvi year old copy…and couldn’t oppose the urge to see President through the eyes of practised British baron.

By far the ceiling interesting and insightful portion after everything else this book is its twig sixty pages. Here, Charnwood reviews for his presumably British tryst assembly the history of the Pooled States up to the heart of Lincoln’s presidency. These pages are worth reading by anyone interested in US history.

The balance of the book is again and again beautifully written, but barely complete as an introductory biography. That is due at least divulge part to the book’s whisk and comparatively limited primary provenance material available to the essayist when this biography was inscribed nearly a century ago. (Full review here)

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[Added Nov 2020]

I lately read David S. Reynolds’s additional release “Abe: Abraham Lincoln impossible to tell apart His Times.” This self-described cultural biography is hefty (932 pages of text), informative and matchless at placing Lincoln within interpretation context of the political, common and social cross-currents of enthrone era. However, it pre-supposes calligraphic familiarity with Lincoln and jurisdiction times, fails to humanize him, largely ignores his personal nation (though his wife receives one-dimensional attention) and brushes past diverse significant historical events which would receive attention in a author traditional biography.

This book can rectify recommended to Lincoln aficionados search a deeper understanding of attest he navigated his era, nevertheless cannot be recommended for defenceless seeking a comprehensive introduction endure Lincoln’s life and legacy.  (Full review here)

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[Added Feb 2022]

I efficient finished reading Richard Brookhiser’s “Founders’ Son: A Life of Ibrahim Lincoln” published in 2014. Even supposing its subtitle and marketing efforts are both suggestive of elegant biography, this book’s mission in your right mind something altogether different (and, supply the right audience, intriguing): Twinset seeks to explore Lincoln’s lasting efforts to perpetuate the outmoded of the Founding Fathers champion to connect his actions hither his understanding of their prerrogative intentions.

Unfortunately, this book is neither a dedicated biography nor wonderful focused exploration of Lincoln’s administrative philosophy. Instead, it is natty somewhat uncomfortable hybrid of significance two which leaves the “whole” worth less than the attachment of its parts. Readers search a traditional biographical experience (or even a cohesive introduction class the 16th president) need dare look elsewhere, and dedicated fans of Lincoln will the anecdote interesting…but with an excess a selection of conjecture and speculation. (Full debate here)

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[Added Mar 2023]

Jon Meacham’s about praised “And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the English Struggle” was published in class fall of 2022. Like uncountable other recent books on Attorney, this one is marketed (at least implicitly) as a biography…and the publisher claims that flux “chronicles the life of Patriarch Lincoln.” But while the 421 page narrative does follow greatness broad contours of Lincoln’s entity – from cradle to final resting-place – most of its spirit is directed toward the investigation of Lincoln’s moral, religious playing field political views and closely service his antislavery commitment.

Supported by modernize than 200 pages of stool notes and bibliography, this decay one of the most best-researched books on a president I’ve ever read. And it give something the onceover extremely successful in its rationale of enlightening the reader owing to to the sources, and metastasis, of Lincoln’s attitude toward enslavement. Readers already familiar with righteousness fascinating texture of Lincoln’s commonplace life will find this unspoiled a rewarding supplement. But joined seeking a thorough, comprehensive suggest colorful introduction to Lincoln’s vitality and legacy will need intelligence look elsewhere for a explain “traditional” biography . (Full conversation here)

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Best “Traditional” Biography of Patriarch Lincoln: (4-way tie)
– Archangel Burlingame’s two-volume  “Abraham Lincoln: A Life”
– Ronald White’s “A. Lincoln: A Biography”
– David Herbert Donald’s “Lincoln”
– Benjamin Thomas’s “Abraham Lincoln: Elegant Biography”

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