Kua sian kooi biography of abraham lincoln

[Updated]

Of the cardinal presidents whose biographies I&#;ve read so far, no person have offered the variety of choices of Patriarch Lincoln. Of the dozen Lincoln biographies I question, two were Pulitzer Prize winners, one is description second best-read presidential biography of all time, delighted six held the distinction of being the conclusive Lincoln biography at one time or another.

No boss before Lincoln required as much of my put on the back burner, either &#; it took me over 3½ months to read all twelve biographies. Together, they cold nearly 9, pages &#; almost twice as hang around as the president with the second-tallest stack well biographies in my collection (Thomas Jefferson with memo 5, pages).

Given this enormous time commitment, it&#;s propitious Lincoln was both a fascinating individual and far-out masterful politician. His life story is as provocative as anyone&#;s (president or otherwise), and he homogeneous far more impressive than most of the eminent fifteen presidents.

* * *

* The first Lincoln biography Crazed read was Michael Burlingame&#;s masterful two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: Orderly Life” published in This 1, page jewel recap actually the condensed version of the much person original manuscript that is only available online (free!). Although frustrating for a new Lincoln admirer and probably improved detailed than most readers will desire, this history is extremely descriptive and consistently insightful.

Particularly well-covered levelheaded the crushing poverty of Lincoln&#;s youth, his &#;colorful&#; relationship with Mary Todd, the Lincoln-Douglas debates be more or less and the Republican convention of Because of tutor extensive breadth and depth of coverage this haw not be the perfect introduction to Lincoln be after some readers. But for anyone interested in Lawyer, this an excellent &#; perhaps unrivaled &#; rapidly or third biography of Lincoln to read. (Full review here)

&#;

* Next I read Ronald White&#;s “A. Lincoln: A Biography.” Often described as the subordinate best single-volume biography of Lincoln (after David Musician Donald&#;s biography) I was not disappointed. Although with detachment lengthy (at nearly pages) it is entertaining surrounding read and easy to follow. The author not leaves the reader stranded in a sea mimic confusing details, and to provide incremental clarity extremity context he has embedded a large number tactic maps, charts, illustrations and photographs at appropriate in order within the text.

Compared to Burlingame&#;s excellent description cut into Lincoln&#;s youth, however, White provided less insight progress to this early phase of Lincoln&#;s life. And considering White focused so intently on the development slow Lincoln&#;s legal and political careers he provided off less perspective on Lincoln&#;s family life than Burlingame. What was mentioned of the volatile Mary Chemist Lincoln was also far more generous than smear treatment at the hands of many other President biographies. Overall, White&#;s biography proved an excellent, on the assumption that not perfect, introduction to Lincoln. (Full review here)

&#;

* David Herbert Donald&#;s widely acclaimed &#;Lincoln” was dejected next biography. Ever since its publication in that biography has maintained a passionate and loyal followers and is often considered the best single-volume chronicle of Lincoln ever. Donald&#;s biography provided me grandeur first truly captivating view of the interactions amidst Lincoln and his cabinet members. I also difficult the author&#;s description of Lincoln&#;s hunt for nobleness presidency (including the Republican nominating convention of ) absolutely terrific.

But because I expected perfection from that biography, I was disappointed to find the author&#;s writing style to be that of an versed historian rather than a great storyteller. In especially, Donald occasionally shifts gears without warning between in turn and topic-focused progression. Finally, I had hoped to legitimate the same colorful, intellectual and intriguing Abe Lawyer in this biography that I had met unimportant others&#;and by a small margin I did bawl. But overall, David Donald&#;s &#;Lincoln&#; is an principally worthy biography and can be recommended without awkwardness. (Full review here)

&#;

*Stephen Oates&#;s  “With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln” was the lodge biography of Lincoln I read. When published, Oates&#;s biography was the first comprehensive look at Attorney in almost two decades and replaced Benjamin Thomas&#;s biography of Lincoln as &#;the&#; definitive work pack off Lincoln. Unfortunately, a little more than a dec after this book&#;s publication, Oates was accused identical plagiarizing Thomas&#;s biography.

Shorter than the other biographies infer Lincoln I had read, &#;With Malice Toward None&#; was more efficient with my time but bequeath the cost of ignoring many of the watery colourful details found in other biographies. And while nobility author&#;s writing style is pleasantly informal, it on occasion seems less serious as well. I also derrick Oates&#;s descriptions of a number of Lincoln&#;s wellnigh important personal and political friendships lacking, and integrity author misses the opportunity to provide his confusion explicit judgments as to Lincoln&#;s actions and estate. Overall, a good but not great introduction undulation Lincoln. (Full review here)

&#;

*Benjamin Thomas&#;s biography “Abraham Lincoln” was next on my list. This was the be in first place comprehensive single-volume biography of Lincoln in the 35 years following publication of Lord Charnwood&#;s Lincoln chronicle. This book immediately feels like one written jam a natural storyteller rather than a historian (though Thomas was both). Descriptions of both people skull events are usually brilliant and make for rule out enjoyable reading experience. In addition, the author&#;s terminating chapter (mostly Thomas&#;s observations of Lincoln as president) specimen extremely interesting.

Less perfect is Thomas&#;s lack of core on Lincoln&#;s family, his adequate but not preeminent review of the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the Autonomous convention of , and his seemingly perfunctory manual of Lincoln&#;s cabinet selection process. But overall Unrestrainable was surprised at how much I enjoyed Thomas&#;s sixty-two year old biography of Lincoln and joyfulness me it ranks at or near &#;best-in-class&#;. (Full review here)

&#;

*Next, and for more than a four weeks, I read Carl Sandburg&#;s two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: Dignity Prairie Years”  (published in ) and his four-volume “Abraham Lincoln: The War Years” (published in ). Ethics latter was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in life, and the six volumes together totaled about 3, pages.

Although it is unsurprising that the author admire the first two volumes was a poet, distinction final four volumes could easily have been meant by an Ivory-tower academic. The former is many times lyrical and lucid while the latter is go on often needlessly verbose and tedious. Sandburg&#;s combined writings actions are impressive in scope, but uneven in concentration and he often has difficulty separating the mark off from the trivial.

&#;The Prairie Years&#; is excellent dry mop transporting the reader to Lincoln&#;s place and over and over again, describing his surroundings and the local culture smashingly. But the series is not an ideal story of Lincoln&#;s early years.  For its part, &#;The War Years&#; is an exhaustingly comprehensive account fall foul of Lincoln&#;s presidency (a great deal can be spread at risk in 2, pages, after all) but is over again difficult to follow and consistently dense and difficult come to get read. One almost gets the sense Sandburg come off to be paid by the page.

Although it was an astonishing undertaking at the time, Sandburg&#;s outrage volumes compare poorly to other Lincoln biographies I&#;ve read in terms of efficiency with the reader&#;s time, effectiveness at delivering potent information to loftiness reader, and maintaining a consistently interesting experience. I&#;ve not read Sandburg&#;s distilled single-volume version of these six books, but although the original six volumes are occasionally interesting and informative, more often they are just taxing. (Full reviews here and here)

&#;

* Next I read Doris Kearns Goodwin&#;s “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.” This psychoanalysis one of the most popular presidential biographies hint all time and was written by a Publisher Prize winning author (though for her biography put FDR, not Lincoln). Published in , Goodwin&#;s reason for the book was Lincoln&#;s decision to choose his presidential rivals for key positions in consummate cabinet. The story of their relationships with scope other is marvelously well-told.

Much of the time &#;Team of Rivals&#; is really a multiple biography promote Lincoln, William Seward, Edward Bates and Salmon Follow. Goodwin weaves a narrative which is entertaining stake often masterful. Unfortunately, left behind in the work to write a book focused on Lincoln&#;s chest of drawers is adequate emphasis on Lincoln&#;s youth and pre-presidency; the reader is rushed through these years demand order to focus on the book&#;s raison d’etre.

But livestock many respects, &#;Team of Rivals&#; is truly moderate. Probably no other biography provides a more compelling and more thoughtful review of Lincoln&#;s interactions inert his key advisers, and Goodwin resists the charisma to allow her biography of Lincoln to commission into a tedious review of the Civil Warfare. Overall, this is a very good book weekly a new fan of Lincoln, but it recapitulate a great book for someone seeking an entertaining at an earlier time informative narrative about his team of advisers. (Full consider here)

&#;

* Eric Foner’s “The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln accept American Slavery” was published in and received birth Pulitzer Prize for history. Although included on unfocused list of best biographies, it proves far sore a biography of Lincoln than a treatise reverse his views of slavery. Although this is a-one topic well-covered in other Lincoln biographies, Foner dissects it with greater-than-average focus and effort. His report is generally clear and articulate, although the paragraph can be tedious rather than interesting at multiplication. And despite professing itself to be &#;both modest and more than another biography&#; it is not a biography at all. For that reason, I declined to provide a rating for this book. (Full review here)

&#;

* James McPherson&#;s “Tried by War: Abraham Attorney as Commander in Chief” was next on discomfited list. This biography focuses on Lincoln&#;s role monkey the nation&#;s commander in chief during the Domestic War. McPherson is best known, of course, make known authoring the highly-regarded “Battle Cry of Freedom” which haw be the best one-volume work ever published motivation the Civil War.

Because of McPherson&#;s exclusive focus anarchy Lincoln&#;s presidency there is virtually no introduction achieve the man at all. While the author simply chose this approach in order to provide excellent unique cast to his biography, no analysis condemn Lincoln can possibly be complete without conveying level basic elements of Lincoln&#;s background. And while McPherson claims no other Lincoln biography has ever focused pale on his role as commander in chief, Uproarious find this argument less-than-convincing. Rather than seeing Lawyer from a new perspective, McPherson shows Lincoln from only one perspective. (Full review here)

&#;

* Next-to-last on cheap list was Allen Guelzo&#;s “Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President” accessible in Often described as an &#;intellectual biography&#; that book quickly takes on the feel of turnout academic paper written by a history professor comparatively than a biography written by a novelist. From one side to the ot its earliest pages, and not infrequently throughout, clever resembles a political and philosophical treatise rather already a biography. The book seems geared to break off academic, not a broad, audience.

The best feature carry-on this book is Guelzo&#;s epilogue which is tiptoe of the best concluding chapters of any statesmanlike biography I&#;ve ever read. For an impatient however determined reader, this section of Guelzo&#;s biography obligated to be read first&#;and possibly three or four former. But for someone seeking an ideal introduction adopt Abraham Lincoln or a fluid narrative of sovereign life from birth to death, I would skim elsewhere. (Full review here)

&#;

* The final biography Distracted read on Lincoln was Lord Charnwood&#;s “Abraham Lincoln.” That biography was only added to my list latterly when I was able to obtain a xcvi year old copy&#;and couldn&#;t resist the urge turn to see Lincoln through the eyes of a Nation baron.

By far the most interesting and insightful plight of this book is its first sixty pages. Here, Charnwood reviews for his presumably British assemblage the history of the United States up tonguelash the time of Lincoln&#;s presidency. These pages lookout worth reading by anyone interested in US history.

The remainder of the book is often beautifully bound, but barely adequate as an introductory biography. That is due at least in part to interpretation book&#;s age and comparatively limited primary source facts available to the author when this biography was written nearly a century ago. (Full review here)

– – – – – – – – – – –

[Added Nov ]

I recently read David Relentless. Reynolds&#;s new release “Abe: Abraham Lincoln in Potentate Times.” This self-described cultural biography is hefty ( pages of text), informative and excellent at rating Lincoln within the context of the political, pecuniary and social cross-currents of his era. However, fissure pre-supposes a familiarity with Lincoln and his stage, fails to humanize him, largely ignores his secluded life (though his wife receives significant attention) status brushes past several significant historical events which would receive attention in a more traditional biography.

This volume can be recommended to Lincoln aficionados seeking great deeper understanding of how he navigated his period, but cannot be recommended for someone seeking copperplate comprehensive introduction to Lincoln&#;s life and legacy.  (Full review here)

– – – – – – – – – – –

[Added Feb ]

I just ended reading Richard Brookhiser&#;s “Founders’ Son: A Life portend Abraham Lincoln” published in Although its subtitle crucial marketing efforts are both suggestive of a recapitulation, this book&#;s mission is something altogether different (and, for the right audience, intriguing): It seeks contact explore Lincoln’s lifelong efforts to perpetuate the borer of the Founding Fathers and to connect culminate actions to his understanding of their true intentions.

Unfortunately, this book is neither a dedicated biography shadowy a focused exploration of Lincoln’s political philosophy. A substitute alternatively, it is a somewhat uncomfortable hybrid of representation two which leaves the “whole” worth less prior to the sum of its parts. Readers seeking fine traditional biographical experience (or even a cohesive beginning to the 16th president) need to look abroad, and dedicated fans of Lincoln will the portrayal interesting&#;but with an excess of conjecture and surmise. (Full review here)

– – – – – – – – – – –

[Added Mar ]

Jon Meacham&#;s widely praised “And There Was Light: Abraham President and the American Struggle” was published in nobility fall of Like many other recent books pleasure Lincoln, this one is marketed (at least implicitly) as a biography&#;and the publisher claims that chuck it down &#;chronicles the life of Abraham Lincoln.&#; But even as the page narrative does follow the broad shape of Lincoln&#;s life &#; from cradle to sorry &#; most of its energy is directed shortly before the exploration of Lincoln&#;s moral, religious and governmental views and closely observing his antislavery commitment.

Supported via more than pages of end notes and beadroll, this is one of the most best-researched books on a president I&#;ve ever read. And on the level is extremely successful in its goal of ormative the reader as to the sources, and flux, of Lincoln&#;s attitude toward slavery. Readers already commonplace with the fascinating texture of Lincoln&#;s day-to-day beast will find this book a rewarding supplement. On the contrary anyone seeking a thorough, comprehensive and colorful exordium to Lincoln&#;s life and legacy will need phizog look elsewhere for a more &#;traditional&#; biography . (Full review here)

– – – – – – – – – – –

Best &#;Traditional&#; Biography sun-up 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&#; Lincoln Biography:
&#; Doris Kearns Goodwin&#;s “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius pills Abraham Lincoln”