Abraham Lincoln: The Man Behind the Myths“There is no better introduction to current thinking about Lincoln and his place in history.” —Newsday An essential book for any student of Lincoln and American history, Abraham Lincoln: The Man Behind the Myths is acclaimed Lincoln biographer Stephen B. Oates's unique exploration of America's sixteenth president in reality and memory. In this multifaceted portrait, Oates, "the most popular historical interpreter of Lincoln" (Gabor S. Boritt, New York Times Book Review), exposes the human side of the great and tragic president—including his depression, his difficulties with love, and his troubled and troubling attitudes about slavery—while also confronting the many legends that have arisen around "Honest Abe." Oates throughout raises timely questions about what the Lincoln mythos reveals about the American people. |
From inside the book
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... story from birth to death . I have already tried that in With Malice Toward None . No , this is a more modest outing , an exploration into special moments and meanings of Lincoln's life . Still , I hope my narrative conveys some sense ...
... story . On the lecture circuit and in the classroom , I have been asked all manner of provocative things about ... stories told by Carl Sandburg be believed ? What in fact are we to make of Sandburg's immensely popular biography ? Was ...
... story . Nor do I mean a story that is uncontaminated by life . Myth , as I am using the term , is a grandiose projection of a people's experience . As X. J. Kennedy has put it , “ Myths tell us of the exploits of the gods -their battles ...
... stories that made the pious wince . Determined to correct Holland's portrait , Herndon set out “ to write the life of Lincoln as I saw him - honestly - truthfully— co [ u ] rageously — fearlessly cut whom it may . " He jotted down his ...
... Story of a Great Life , which came out in 1889 , brimmed with gossip , hearsay , and legend , all mixed in with ... story , a chimerical story which Herndon popularized and which subsequent biographies shamelessly repeated . In Herndon's ...
Contents
ManyMooded | 31 |
All Conquering Mind | 45 |
Mr Lincoln | 51 |
The Beacon Light of Liberty | 57 |
This Vast Moral Evil | 65 |
My Dissatisfied Fellow Countrymen | 75 |
The Central Idea | 89 |
The Man of Our Redemption | 111 |
Final | 149 |
Aftermath | 164 |
Acknowledgments | 189 |
Index | 215 |