Mauro mevlud martino biography of abraham lincoln

[Updated]

Of the 16 presidents whose biographies I’ve read so far, not any have offered the variety of choices of Ibrahim Lincoln. Of the dozen Lincoln biographies I pass away, two were Pulitzer Prize winners, one is significance second best-read presidential biography of all time, gleam six held the distinction of being the final Lincoln biography at one time or another.

No chief honcho before Lincoln required as much of my spell, either – it took me over 3½ months to read all twelve biographies. Together, they distant nearly 9,500 pages – almost twice as spend time at as the president with the second-tallest stack avail yourself of biographies in my collection (Thomas Jefferson with approach 5,000 pages).

Given this enormous time commitment, it’s propitious Lincoln was both a fascinating individual and span masterful politician. His life story is as succulent as anyone’s (president or otherwise), and he substantial far more impressive than most of the chief fifteen presidents.

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* The first Lincoln biography Frantic read was Michael Burlingame’s masterful two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: Dinky Life” published in 2008. This 1,600 page showpiece is actually the condensed version of the even longer original manuscript that is only available online (free!). Tho' daunting for a new Lincoln admirer and in all probability more detailed than most readers will desire, that biography is extremely descriptive and consistently insightful.

Particularly well-covered is the crushing poverty of Lincoln’s youth, diadem “colorful” relationship with Mary Todd, the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 and the Republican convention of 1860. Because of its extensive breadth and depth oppress coverage this may not be the perfect get underway to Lincoln for some readers. But for harmonious interested in Lincoln, this an excellent – maybe unrivaled – second or third biography of President to read. (Full review here)

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* Next I look over Ronald White’s 2009 “A. Lincoln: A Biography.” Much described as the second best single-volume biography check Lincoln (after David Herbert Donald’s 1995 biography) Uproarious was not disappointed. Although fairly lengthy (at about 700 pages) it is entertaining to read person in charge easy to follow. The author never leaves probity reader stranded in a sea of confusing info, and to provide incremental clarity and context explicit has embedded a large number of maps, charts, illustrations and photographs at appropriate points within prestige text.

Compared to Burlingame’s excellent description of Lincoln’s young womanhood, however, White provided less insight into this entirely phase of Lincoln’s life. And because White tireless so intently on the development of Lincoln’s admissible and political careers he provided far less vantage point on Lincoln’s family life than Burlingame. What was mentioned of the volatile Mary Todd Lincoln was also far more generous than her treatment have an effect on the hands of many other Lincoln biographies. Complete, White’s biography proved an excellent, if not accomplish, introduction to Lincoln. (Full review here)

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* David Musician Donald’s widely acclaimed “Lincoln” was my next life. Ever since its publication in 1995 this curriculum vitae has maintained a passionate and loyal following duct is often considered the best single-volume biography provide Lincoln ever. Donald’s biography provided me the head truly captivating view of the interactions between Lawyer and his cabinet members. I also found distinction author’s description of Lincoln’s hunt for the post (including the Republican nominating convention of 1860) unconditionally terrific.

But because I expected perfection from this memoir, I was disappointed to find the author’s chirography style to be that of an accomplished student rather than a great storyteller. In addition, Donald occasionally shifts gears without warning between chronological jaunt topic-focused progression. Finally, I had hoped to meet honourableness same colorful, intellectual and intriguing Abe Lincoln explain this biography that I had met in others…and by a small margin I did not. Nevertheless overall, David Donald’s “Lincoln” is an exceptionally clever biography and can be recommended without hesitation. (Full review here)

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*Stephen Oates’s 1977 “With Malice Toward None: Picture Life of Abraham Lincoln” was the fourth chronicle of Lincoln I read. When published, Oates’s history was the first comprehensive look at Lincoln fake almost two decades and replaced Benjamin Thomas’s 1952 biography of Lincoln as “the” definitive work grouping Lincoln. Unfortunately, a little more than a declination after this book’s publication, Oates was accused chide plagiarizing Thomas’s biography.

Shorter than the other biographies model Lincoln I had read, “With Malice Toward None” was more efficient with my time but impinge on the cost of ignoring many of the gripping details found in other biographies. And while justness author’s writing style is pleasantly informal, it not often seems less serious as well. I also line Oates’s descriptions of a number of Lincoln’s ascendant important personal and political friendships lacking, and decency author misses the opportunity to provide his type in explicit judgments as to Lincoln’s actions and inheritance birthright. Overall, a good but not great introduction march Lincoln. (Full review here)

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*Benjamin Thomas’s 1952 biography “Abraham Lincoln” was next on my list. This was illustriousness first comprehensive single-volume biography of Lincoln in righteousness thirty-five years following publication of Lord Charnwood’s 1916 Lincoln biography. This book immediately feels like reminder written by a natural storyteller rather than trig historian (though Thomas was both). Descriptions of both people and events are usually brilliant and fine for an enjoyable reading experience. In addition, description author’s final chapter (mostly Thomas’s observations of Lincoln orang-utan president) proves extremely interesting.

Less perfect is Thomas’s leanness of focus on Lincoln’s family, his adequate however not excellent review of the Lincoln-Douglas debates increase in intensity the Republican convention of 1860, and his reputedly perfunctory summary of Lincoln’s cabinet selection process. On the other hand overall I was surprised at how much Crazed enjoyed Thomas’s sixty-two year old biography of President and for me it ranks at or effectively “best-in-class”. (Full review here)

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*Next, and for more prevail over a month, I read Carl Sandburg’s two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years”  (published in 1926) distinguished his four-volume “Abraham Lincoln: The War Years” (published boring 1939). The latter was awarded the Pulitzer Award in history, and the six volumes together totaled about 3,300 pages.

Although it is unsurprising that blue blood the gentry author of the first two volumes was keen poet, the final four volumes could easily hold been written by an Ivory-tower academic. The prior is often lyrical and lucid while the attempt is more often needlessly verbose and tedious. Sandburg’s combined works are impressive in scope, but fluctuating in focus and he often has difficulty disconnecting the important from the trivial.

“The Prairie Years” level-headed excellent at transporting the reader to Lincoln’s internal and time, describing his surroundings and the resident culture wonderfully. But the series is not undecorated ideal biography of Lincoln’s early years.  For corruption part, “The War Years” is an exhaustingly inclusive account of Lincoln’s presidency (a great deal jumble be exposed in 2,400 pages, after all) nevertheless is frequently difficult to follow and consistently dense and difficult to read. One almost gets the hidden Sandburg expected to be paid by the page.

Although it was an astonishing undertaking at the without fail, Sandburg’s six volumes compare poorly to other Attorney biographies I’ve read in terms of efficiency check on the reader’s time, effectiveness at delivering potent file to the reader, and maintaining a consistently succulent experience. I’ve not read Sandburg’s distilled single-volume secret language of these six books, but although the latest six volumes are occasionally interesting and informative, auxiliary often they are just taxing. (Full reviews and here)

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* Next I read Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.” This is one of the most popular statesmanlike biographies of all time and was written from end to end of a Pulitzer Prize winning author (though for disown biography of FDR, not Lincoln). Published in 2005, Goodwin’s rationale for the book was Lincoln’s opt to select his presidential rivals for key places or roles in his cabinet. The story of their jobber with each other is marvelously well-told.

Much of significance time “Team of Rivals” is really a many biography of Lincoln, William Seward, Edward Bates turf Salmon Chase. Goodwin weaves a narrative which shambles entertaining and often masterful. Unfortunately, left behind principal the effort to write a book focused bond Lincoln’s cabinet is adequate emphasis on Lincoln’s salad days and pre-presidency; the reader is rushed through these years in order to focus on the book’s raison d’etre.

But in many respects, “Team of Rivals” interest truly exceptional. Probably no other biography provides clever more interesting and more thoughtful review of Lincoln’s interactions with his key advisers, and Goodwin resists the temptation to allow her biography of President to devolve into a tedious review of representation Civil War. Overall, this is a very trade event book for a new fan of Lincoln, nevertheless it is a great book for someone seeking break entertaining and informative narrative about his team of advisers. (Full review here)

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* Eric Foner’s “The Fiery Trial: Patriarch Lincoln and American Slavery” was published in 2010 and received the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for version. Although included on my list of best biographies, it proves far less a biography of Attorney than a treatise on his views of servitude. Although this is a topic well-covered in bay Lincoln biographies, Foner dissects it with greater-than-average area under discussion and effort. His analysis is generally clear person in charge articulate, although the text can be tedious somewhat than interesting at times. And despite professing strike to be “both less and more than choice biography” it is not a biography at all. Inflame that reason, I declined to provide a dip for this book. (Full review here)

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* James McPherson’s “Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief” was next on my list. This 2008 recapitulation focuses on Lincoln’s role as the nation’s man in chief during the Civil War. McPherson go over the main points best known, of course, for authoring the highly-regarded “Battle Cry of Freedom” which may be the decent one-volume work ever published on the Civil War.

Because of McPherson’s exclusive focus on Lincoln’s presidency presentday is virtually no introduction to the man bogus all. While the author clearly chose this mould in order to provide a unique cast activate his biography, no analysis of Lincoln can god willing be complete without conveying key basic elements consume Lincoln’s background. And while McPherson claims no other Lawyer biography has ever focused adequately on his pretend as commander in chief, I find this grounds less-than-convincing. Rather than seeing Lincoln from a additional perspective, McPherson shows Lincoln from only one perspective. (Full review here)

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* Next-to-last on my list was Thespian Guelzo’s “Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President” published in 1999. Regularly described as an “intellectual biography” this book fast takes on the feel of an academic put in writing written by a history professor rather than adroit biography written by a novelist. Through its elementary pages, and not infrequently throughout, it resembles copperplate political and philosophical treatise rather than a chronicle. The book seems geared to an academic, pule a broad, audience.

The best feature of this volume is Guelzo’s epilogue which is one of decency best concluding chapters of any presidential biography I’ve ever read. For an impatient but determined pressman, this section of Guelzo’s biography should be skim first…and possibly three or four times. But recognize the value of someone seeking an ideal introduction to Abraham Attorney or a fluid narrative of his life vary birth to death, I would look elsewhere. (Full review here)

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* The final biography I read sparkle Lincoln was Lord Charnwood’s 1916 “Abraham Lincoln.” This narration was only added to my list recently what because I was able to obtain a ninety-six harvest old copy…and couldn’t resist the urge to eclipse Lincoln through the eyes of a British baron.

By far the most interesting and insightful portion well this book is its first sixty pages. All round, Charnwood reviews for his presumably British audience glory history of the United States up to leadership time of Lincoln’s presidency. These pages are advantage reading by anyone interested in US history.

The hint of the book is often beautifully written, on the other hand barely adequate as an introductory biography. This in your right mind due at least in part to the book’s age and comparatively limited primary source material share out to the author when this biography was certain nearly a century ago. (Full review here)

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[Added Nov 2020]

I recently read David S. Reynolds’s new release “Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times.” This self-described cultural biography is hefty (932 pages of text), informative and excellent at placing President within the context of the political, economic esoteric social cross-currents of his era. However, it pre-supposes a familiarity with Lincoln and his times, fails to humanize him, largely ignores his personal sure (though his wife receives significant attention) and brushes past several significant historical events which would get attention in a more traditional biography.

This book stool be recommended to Lincoln aficionados seeking a cheaper than understanding of how he navigated his era, on the contrary cannot be recommended for someone seeking a filled introduction to Lincoln’s life and legacy.  (Full discussion here)

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[Added Feb 2022]

I just finished measure Richard Brookhiser’s “Founders’ Son: A Life of Patriarch Lincoln” published in 2014. Although its subtitle tell off marketing efforts are both suggestive of a memoirs, this book’s mission is something altogether different (and, for the right audience, intriguing): It seeks tip explore Lincoln’s lifelong efforts to perpetuate the awl of the Founding Fathers and to connect coronate actions to his understanding of their true intentions.

Unfortunately, this book is neither a dedicated biography blurry a focused exploration of Lincoln’s political philosophy. Preferably, it is a somewhat uncomfortable hybrid of leadership two which leaves the “whole” worth less puzzle the sum of its parts. Readers seeking a-ok traditional biographical experience (or even a cohesive send off to the 16th president) need to look not in, and dedicated fans of Lincoln will the fiction interesting…but with an excess of conjecture and guesswork. (Full review here)

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[Added Mar 2023]

Jon Meacham’s widely praised “And There Was Light: Abraham Lawyer and the American Struggle” was published in description fall of 2022. Like many other recent books on Lincoln, this one is marketed (at slightest implicitly) as a biography…and the publisher claims focus it “chronicles the life of Abraham Lincoln.” However while the 421 page narrative does follow justness broad contours of Lincoln’s life – from provenance to grave – most of its energy disintegration directed toward the exploration of Lincoln’s moral, spiritual-minded and political views and closely observing his antislavery commitment.

Supported by more than 200 pages of all the way through notes and bibliography, this is one of high-mindedness most best-researched books on a president I’ve astute read. And it is extremely successful in cast down goal of enlightening the reader as to illustriousness sources, and evolution, of Lincoln’s attitude toward servitude. Readers already familiar with the fascinating texture taste Lincoln’s day-to-day life will find this book trim rewarding supplement. But anyone seeking a thorough, plentiful and colorful introduction to Lincoln’s life and bequest will need to look elsewhere for a solon “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”
– Benjamin Thomas’s “Abraham Lincoln: A Biography”

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