Lincoln on LincolnPaul M. Zall Though Abraham Lincoln has been the subject of numerous biographies, his personality remains an enigma. During his lifetime, Lincoln prepared two sketches of his life for the 1860 presidential race. These brief campaign portraits serve as the core around which Paul Zall weaves extracts from correspondence, speeches, and interviews to produce an in-depth biography. Lincoln's writing about himself offers a window into the soul and mind of one of America's greatest president. His words reveal an emotional evolution typically submerged in political biographies. Lincoln on Lincoln shows a man struggling to reconcile personal ambition and civic virtue, conscience and Constitution, and ultimately the will of God and the will of the people. Zall frames Lincoln's words with his own illuminating commentary, providing a continuous, compelling narrative. Beginning with Lincoln's thoughts on his parents, the story moves though his youth and early successes and failures in law and politics, and culminates in his clashes and conflicts—internal as well as external—as president of a divided country. Through his writings, Lincoln said much more about himself than is commonly recognized, and Zall uses this material to create a unique portrait of this pivotal figure. |
From inside the book
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... course of this work, three of my greatest resources have died—Don Fehrenbacher, Robert Gray Gunderson, and Helene Wickham Koon. Their loss diminishes the joy of finishing. But I owe a deep debt of gratitude for aid and comfort to the ...
... course, weakens the integrity of Lincoln's documents, but I have tried to retain the integrity of his style. To have indicated omissions (...) would have resulted in polka dotted pages, so ellipses were used sparingly and then only to ...
... course, in plowing and harvesting seasons. FEBRUARY 1817 At this place A. took an early start as a hunter, which was never much improved afterwards. A few days before the completion of his eigth year, in the absence of his father, a ...
... course when I came of age I did not know much. Still somehow, I could read, write, and cipher to the Rule of Three; but that was all.11 The earliest days of my being able to read, I got hold of a small book, Weems' “Life of Washington ...
... course, but so as to speak and write as well as he now does. He studied and nearly mastered the Six-books of Euclid, since he was a member of Congress. He regrets his want of education, and does what he can to supply the want.13 Opening ...
Contents
Making His Way with Wit and Wisdom | |
Stumping the State and the Nation | |
Preserving Protecting Defending | |
Making Peace All Passion Spent | |
Notes | |