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Lincoln

4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 · rating details · 8,324 ratings · 252 reviews

David Herbert Donald's Lincoln is a stunningly original portrait of Lincoln's life and presidency. Donald brilliantly depicts Lincoln's gradual ascent from humble beginnings in rural Kentucky to the ever- expanding political circles in Illinois, and finally to the presidency of a country divided by civil war. Donald goes beyond biography, illuminating the gradual developme...more

Paperback, 720 pages

Published November 5th 1996 by Simon & Schuster (first published 1995)

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Jan 23, 2013 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone Interested in American History

Recommended to Lisa (Harmonybites) by: The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Ultimate Reading List - History

Shelves: biography, history, non-fiction, political, ultimate-reading-list

Ever since historians have been polled to rank United States Presidents, Abraham Lincoln has consistently landed in the top three; many consider him our greatest president. Which is not to say Lincoln doesn't have strong detractors. Many of my politically inclined friends have attacked him left and right: For his appalling record on civil liberties and violation of constitutional principles--and some claim that Lincoln should not be seen as a champion of equal rights and racial justice--I've eve...more Ever since historians have been polled to rank United States Presidents, Abraham Lincoln has consistently landed in the top three; many consider him our greatest president. Which is not to say Lincoln doesn't have strong detractors. Many of my politically inclined friends have attacked him left and right: For his appalling record on civil liberties and violation of constitutional principles--and some claim that Lincoln should not be seen as a champion of equal rights and racial justice--I've even known some to claim the Civil War had nothing to do with slavery at all. (I'd say this book--and every other reputable work of scholarship I've read--makes it idiotic to believe the Civil War had nothing to do with slavery. The South seceded precisely because of the election of Lincoln who had made clear his opposition to the further expansion of slavery.)

One could, at least if one quoted very selectively and out of context, find plenty of ammunition in this biography for that negative assessment. Lincoln's record on civil liberties is appalling. Suspension of habeas corpus leading to the arrest and imprisonment of political dissenters, opening of private mails, military tribunals trying civilians, censorship, even complete suppression of unfriendly newspapers, institution of the draft--even use of troops to suppress Democratic votes and threaten uncooperative state legislatures. Even Donald admits that Lincoln was responsible for "greater infringements on individual liberties than in any other period in American history." As for criticism of his racial policies, it's true that Lincoln famously wrote in a letter that the purpose of the war was to save the Union and, "If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that."

Despite that Donald doesn't omit any of that, his portrait of Lincoln still comes across as sympathetic and admiring. As Donald drew Lincoln, he was, above all, a pragmatist and canny politician who knowing the racist views of his fellow citizens tacked and maneuvered and steered a course towards emancipation as far and fast as the winds of public opinion would allow. Donald does well in giving you the context to understand why Lincoln would say the things he did and act the way he did. Indeed, that's the very purpose of the biography. In the Prologue Donald related that the one time he met President John F. Kennedy, the president told him that, "No one has a right to grade a President--not even poor James Buchanan--who has not sat in his chair, examined the mail and information that came across his desk, and learned why he made his decisions."

That's what Donald set out to do in this Lincoln biography and it hews close to Lincoln's point of view. It's a biography widely considered to be the best one-volume biography of Lincoln in print. It's exhaustive certainly, and sometimes exhausting. It's 600 pages in trade paperback in small font and, especially in those parts dealing with the minutia of Lincoln's law practice, I found myself less than riveted--but I had to admire Donald's research and scholarship throughout. About a third of the biography dealt with Lincoln's life before coming to national prominence in the Lincoln/Douglas debates, another third takes you through his campaign for president to the eve of the Emancipation Proclamation and the lowest point of the war, and the last third takes you through the rest of the war and Lincoln's assassination. No man up to that time of Lincoln's election had been "less prepared to be president" according to Donald--and maybe no man since. Lincoln had less than a year of formal schooling, no administrative experience upon taking office, and his political experience had been limited to 8 years as an Illinois State legislator and one very undistinguished term as a congressman. The personal and political challenge on his taking office were thus immense--but Donald believes he grew greatly in that office--and Donald certainly makes a strong case for that and makes you appreciate the crushing decisions Lincoln faced.(less)

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Mar 26, 2013 Thomas rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction-biography, nonfiction-history

This is an excellent treatment of the life of Abraham Lincoln, and I highly recommend it for history buffs. (It isn't my favorite, however. See my note to "A. Lincoln" by Ronald C. White for that honor.) Professor Donald brings you into the Illinois frontier of the 1830s and 1840s, into the small-town squares for the legendary debates between Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, into the White House as the Civil War rages all around, and even into the presidential box at Ford's Theater.

Its shortcomin...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Jason Phillips rated it 4 of 5 stars

The contemporary account and interpretation of the life of Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Donald's effort is exhaustive and meticulously researched, and tends to rely on that research instead of Lincoln's own words to create a profile of him. Mr. Donald's Lincoln is a master politician, and his skill in holding together factions within the Union, the rebellion, the Republican Party, the radicals, military, cabinet, and family validate his place in history as "having saved the Union." Mr. Lincoln's words a...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Padma Thapa rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read a book called Lincoln. It is about the one of the great president of United States. He was born on February 12, 1809
Hodgenville, Kentucky in a poor family. They did not have more enough money to buy book but he would like to read books and go to school. He works everyday in farm and wood. He got some money from there and go to school. He work hard in study and become good person and he become the senate of Illinois.
He mary to marry Todd Lincoln and he have four children. On November 6, 1...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Mats Frick rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jag håller på och läser in mig på USAs historia som ett litet projekt och har nu kommit fram till en av portalfigurerna i USA. Lincoln har en nästan overklig aura samtidigt som man förstår att det finns en människa bakom myterna. David Herbert Donald lyckas med praktstycket att presentera Lincoln som människa och ändå hålla distansen. På sitt sätt gör det porträttet än mer intimt än om det vore en hyllningstext. Lincoln var en exceptionell människa, inget tvivel om det, men vägen mot storhet var...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Mikey B. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As I am not a Civil War buff it was with some trepidation that I read this almost 600 page biography on Lincoln. However I was delightfully surprised and found it very readable. Mr. Donald gives a good portrait of the era and Lincoln’s background. The focus is on Lincoln – there are very little details on Civil War battles or persons who had no personal influence on Lincoln (such as Robert E. Lee). Perhaps there is too much on internecine rivalries, such as that between Lincoln and Chase. Also t...more

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Apr 17, 2012 Gary Hoggatt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, all-non-fiction, favorites, civil-war-era, history-bio-19th-century

David Herbert Donald's 1996 biography Lincoln has been called the best single volume Lincoln biography of the period. Though this is my first Lincoln bio, I'd be surprised to read a better. Donald does a fantastic job of making Lincoln come alive and allowing the reader to join the 16th president on the amazing journey that was his life.

Donald's framing device is that the reader is presented with the information Lincoln knew at the time. This reduces the frequent historical tendency to second gu...more David Herbert Donald's 1996 biography Lincoln has been called the best single volume Lincoln biography of the period. Though this is my first Lincoln bio, I'd be surprised to read a better. Donald does a fantastic job of making Lincoln come alive and allowing the reader to join the 16th president on the amazing journey that was his life.

Donald's framing device is that the reader is presented with the information Lincoln knew at the time. This reduces the frequent historical tendency to second guess the subject, and allows you to more easily see things from Lincoln's point of view when he was weighing his decisions. A significant example of this is that the reader is not taken to any Civil War battlefields as bullets fly, but instead joins Lincoln in pacing the War Department telegraph office waiting for news, writing to McClellan urging him to make a move, or visiting Grant as he makes his plans for the final push. It's a simple but powerful biographical technique, and Donald does it very well.

The book is split roughly evenly between Lincoln's pre-presidential life and his presidential service. Donald's coverage of Lincoln's early life is very interesting, effectively conveying Lincoln's poor origins and his varied early careers. His legal career is particularly well-covered, with interesting examples from his law practice demonstrated by specific cases he argued. His private life is also chronicled well, with his early romantic interests and courtship of Mary Todd all receiving their due attention. Lincoln's early political career is fascinating, as he moves from the disintegrating Whig party in helping form the new Republican party.

Once the presidential years begin, the focus naturally shifts to Lincoln's execution of his public duties. As expected based on his premise, Donald doesn't focus on the battlefields or the goings on of the South, instead doing an excellent job of showing the juggling act Lincoln had to perform with the various Northern factions - Radical Republicans, Conservative Republicans, War Democrats, Peace Democrats; abolitionists, western states, border slave-holding states; incompetent generals, more incompetent generals, and finally Grant. Donald's presentation of Lincoln's masterful navigating of these difficult waters truly gives the reader a great appreciation for the challenges Lincoln overcame in holding the Union together. Donald does still touch upon Lincoln's personal life during these years, including difficulties regarding Mary, and the devastating loss of their son Willie.

As I finished the book, I realized that, even knowing all along how it sadly must end, Donald had brought me so close to Lincoln that it touched me personally, as if I myself had lost a friend or mentor. I can only thank Donald for making that possible for someone almost a century and a half gone.

I absolutely recommend Donald's Lincoln to anyone with an interest in American history. It is simply a masterfully told story of one of the most important people in American history at the most important Post-Revolution crossroads in American history.

I was so impressed with this book that I plan to read Donald's Charles Sumner and the Coming of the American Civil War, which won the Pulitzer Prize and covers the radical abolitionist senator that was a leading voice during the Civil War, and who makes many appearances in Lincoln. I also plan to read other well-regarded single volume biographies of Lincoln, including Abraham Lincoln: A Biography by Benjamin P. Thomas (1952), With Malice Towards None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen B. Oates (1977), and A. Lincoln: A Biography by Ronald C. White, Jr. (2009), each of which was heralded as the best Lincoln biography of their time. While I can't expect them to top Donald, I am eager to learn more about Lincoln, including how he's been viewed over the years. (less)

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Oct 17, 2011 Christopher rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography

On the cover of my paperback edition to this book, Geoffrey C. Ward, one of the writers behind the great documentary "Ken Burns' The Civil War," is quoted as saying that his book is "richly researched." That is a a bit of an understatement. Mr. Donald, who seems to specialize in mid-19th century American history, has brought nearly every available bit of information on Lincoln to bear in order to illuminate one of the most complicated historical figures. One of the greatest strengths of this bio...more

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Nov 27, 2009 Steven Peterson rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a rock solid biography of Abraham Lincoln. The biography is richened by the availability since 1947 of the Abraham Lincoln papers, not hitherto available since they were sealed in 1890. As much as possible the author uses primary sources and liberally uses Lincoln's own words. At the outset, Donald makes a few observations about Lincoln. For instance, he notes that (page 14) ". . .this biography highlights a basic trait of character evident throughout Lincoln's life: the essential passiv...more This is a rock solid biography of Abraham Lincoln. The biography is richened by the availability since 1947 of the Abraham Lincoln papers, not hitherto available since they were sealed in 1890. As much as possible the author uses primary sources and liberally uses Lincoln's own words. At the outset, Donald makes a few observations about Lincoln. For instance, he notes that (page 14) ". . .this biography highlights a basic trait of character evident throughout Lincoln's life: the essential passivity of his nature." Lincoln himself once said that (page 15) "I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me." That is, Lincoln responded to changes in circumstances. Donald also notes that (Page 15) "From Lincoln's fatalism derived some of his most lovable traits: his compassion, his tolerance, his willingness to overlook mistakes."

The book begins, traditionally enough, with a look at his family's history, his birth, his movement from Kentucky to eventually settle in Illinois. Key experiences were the death of his mother, his early exposure to books and consequent development of an appetite to read. In 1831, he began life on his own. Over the next decade, he tried many occupations--from carpenter to riverboat man to clerk to postmaster to lawyer and to politician. His life in New Salem was pleasant enough, but it was when he moved to Springfield that his trajectory began really to rise. His law practice and political involvement grounded him in the larger community.

His political career was certainly modest enough for someone who became president (hence, some reviewers noting the paucity of experience, making him one of the least credentialed presidents in American history). His marriage to Mary Todd helped with the often melancholic nature of his life. His political career took off with the Lincoln-Douglas debates in his unsuccessful effort to derail Stephen Douglas' re-election campaign to the United States Senate. Lincoln made a speaking tour and began to gain notice. When the 1860 Republican convention deadlocked, he became nominated as president as the fallback candidate. Once elected, as the book speaks to well, he selected a uniquely headstrong and eminent cabinet, including in it a number of failed presidential hopefuls from the 1860 convention.

The volume also speaks in detail about the human side of his presiding over the Civil War. If you want details about campaigns and battles, this is not the book for you. However, his portrayal of Lincoln on a very human level is nicely done. One can experience Lincoln's back and forthing on slavery and emancipation; one can feel his anguish as he sees that his generals early in the war "don't get it," and so on.

The book concludes with the assassination and the telling phrase by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton as Lincoln breathed his last (page 599): "Now he belongs to the ages."

This is an excellent volume, jam packed with details, and depicting nicely Abraham Lincoln, the human being. Well worth adding to one's Abraham Lincoln collection.
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Jul 12, 2009 DaTripper rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent one volume history of Lincoln's life. It begins with his childhood years, covering the early loss of his mother and the bond he formed with his new stepmother while living in poverty and being ostracized for his unusually tall, skinny frame and unattractive countenance. It depicts the formation of his character as an open and honest man, with a strong work ethic, sensitivity toward people of all walks of life, and tenacity in pushing toward and achieving his personal goals. Donald then...more

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Aug 22, 2011 Jeremy Perron rated it 5 of 5 stars

In my first review with Joseph Ellis' His Excellency: George Washington, I pointed out that there were certain American icons I did not think too much about. `Honest Abe' was just another one, a perfect do-gooder who could not possibly measure up to the marble statues we have of him. I found that after reading this book, although Lincoln was from a perfect human being (who is), he was an incredible individual who earned his place as one of the greatest presidents in history.

The man who would be...more

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Oct 16, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography

I think I read more memoirs/autobiographies because true biographies often end up as hagiographies or hack jobs. I often wonder how any other human can understand another enough to write a definitive story of their life.

Having said that, I believe Donald has done an admirable job with this book. This is probably the most balanced, objective view of a man a lot of people might tend to put on a pedestal (myself included). And actually, this book did much to make me truly appreciate Lincoln, even k...more

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Feb 27, 2009 Michael VanZandt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: american-history

Definitely a weighty book. Donald by most accounts if the most accomplished, dignified historian of his generation delivers an exceptional account of Old Abe, in this 1995 biography. As most Lincoln attest, it is the best they have read. I'll take their word for it. The minutiae and details which Donald has extracted from every part of Lincoln's life are fascinating. Certainly, it is not a puff-piece, nor devolves to synchophantic nostalgic myth-making. Donald provides such a richly contextualiz...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Manny rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was a great book regarding our 16th President of the United States. This is probably my fifteenth book on Lincoln and heretofore, this is the one that has focussed more on Lincoln the man as well as Lincoln the consummate politician.

Anyone that has read my reviews of any works on Lincoln, knows that I am by no means a "Lincoln Lover". I will try to keep me person dislike of Mr. Lincoln and review the book itself.

The book is very well written. It flows very smoothly. The author attempts...more

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Jun 23, 2010 Adrian Carpio rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: american-history, biography

What a difference! Last week I read Jon Meacham's ponderous and extremely boring "American Lion". I picked up this book because I had a feeling it was going to be great. I needed to read an example of a great biography. "Lincoln" did not disappoint.

While Donald used as many quotes as Meacham used in "American Lion", the difference was in execution. Donald used the quotes to advance the history while Meacham just tried to fit as much information as possible into in each paragraph.

While the first...more

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Jun 13, 2010 k rated it 4 of 5 stars

What really interested me about this book: how high and low public/political opinion of Lincoln was in his own lifetime; how even those who thought he was a little dense or misguided granted that he was a kind, honest man; the touching physicality people recorded, the kinds of things you don't think about people doing long, long ago: laying down full-length on his stomach, on the floor, to read a book--putting his feet up on his desk--going for walks with his young sons, holding their hands (SO...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Andrew Mercier rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book is chock full of interesting information, facts and anecdotes about the man most people consider to be one of the greatest presidents our country has ever had. What this book lacked for me was an attention grabbing narrative that was present in both biographies I read from Ron Chernow.

Despite this perceived lack of a story, I was grateful for Donald's clearly well researched facts that allowed me to humanize one more titan of the ages in my mind. My favorite thing that I learned was th...more

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Apr 03, 2009 Aaron Johansen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is my third Lincoln book and I have to say, it was my favorite. Donald provides a comprehensive look at Lincoln's life - and I loved every minute of it.

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Nov 03, 2012 Beth Oppenlander rated it 4 of 5 stars

Okay so my confession is that it took me 7 years to finally finish this book. Mind you it isn't because it wasn't captivating. It was I needed an hour each time I was sitting down to read it to get back into the flow and I simply didn't have that kind of time. The true testament to the book is that after 7 years, I still WANTED to finish it! Well written, interesting and extremely relevant today. I found myself reflecting a lot on his courage, his tenacity and his incredible vision in adversity....more

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Oct 21, 2010 Peter Sprunger rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: presidential-biography

I've heard that only Jesus has more commentary written about him than Lincoln. Whether this is actually true or not, I don't know. Based on the plethora of books out there about Lincoln, I would not be surprised if it is true. Picking a biography from the multitudes was a somewhat daunting task but I am happy to report that I am very happy with my choice.
Donald's book is well written and easy to read. The 600 pages go by quickly without getting bogged down in minutia. The first half of the boo...more

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May 03, 2009 Jean rated it 4 of 5 stars

In his in-depth study of Lincoln, David Herbert Donald uses innumerable interesting anecdotes to describe Lincoln's progression from boyhood to manhood, politician and president. These evolving portraits are fascinating and were most interesting to me. Lincoln was always surprisingly self-confident; he had great physical strength; he was completely indifferent to "creature comforts”; he had an incredible capacity for hard work; he had huge personal appeal to friends and acquaintances; he had a r...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Donald is definitely a Lincoln fan, which is fine, but sometimes it feels like he's trying to dump all of the bad stuff about Lincoln he knows into the pages just so that his readers won't know he really respects the man. Other than that, I had no issues with it (except that it was assigned reading for a class, so that's never as much fun). It's really good writing from a respected historian, and it gives a comprehensive view of our 16th president, and actually shows that he had a life beyond de...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Greg Sumers rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: civil-war-nf

Much much more than what I expected when I started this book, and definitely paints Lincoln as a political genius who knew how to stay balanced between so many factions, even in a time of crisis. Especially enjoyed the portions that showed the struggles with finances and relationship with wife, in roughly the same time period of his life that Paige and I are in now. Also, the chapter that outlines how carefully he chose exact words in the Gettysburg Address, piecing together a message from conce...more

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Aug 31, 2009 Sondra rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-absolute-favorites

I found it to be extremely informative on Abraham Lincoln's personal struggles during his presidency, especially with regards to the several Generals he employed during the Civil War. Besides focusing on the war, it gives great insight into his personal life, how he managed all the difficult personalities surrounding him during his presidency, and how his belief and faith in God was further strengthened as the war progressed. It left me wanting to know more about him. Donald manages to create an...more

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Mar 22, 2011 Andy Norris rated it 3 of 5 stars

From Abraham Lincoln's boyhood to his final hours, this book covers about as much as anyone would want to know. Amazing to learn just how intelligent and calculating he was, it's also interesting to find out how much of what he did was, and had to be, accomplished in some seemingly underhanded (i.e. "political") ways.

Of course quite a bit of the book covers the Civil War, as it was being set in motion even before his first inauguration, and it didn't end until days after his second inauguration,...more

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Jun 07, 2012 Alicia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: personal-classic, civil-war

I read Flood's book ('1864') recently, which I disliked for its innuendo suggesting that my favorite president was, in Flood account and by innuendo, sort of shady and not all that respectable. So I went back to the Standard Lincoln biography, and read it again. And rethought Lincoln. I can't quite remember when I first read this book, and as I have read several others along the way, I couldn't quite remember who said what. So I just read it again,

This biography is pure biography--it is not a hi...more

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Apr 27, 2009 Dorothy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: lincoln

Very thorough, and a little dry. Spends way too much time describing civil law during Lincoln's time. I think Donald takes Lincoln's quote much too literally- that of his being at the mercy of events, rather than the driver of them. Every president is, to a certain extent, helpless. Every head of state finds him or herself struggling to control the forces which threaten to wreak havoc on the status quo. But the great ones are the ones who recognize when to throw up their hands and let events run...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Mac rated it 5 of 5 stars

Several movies came out in the fall of 2012 that inspired me to read the books they were based on, and then forgo bothering to pay my 12 dollars for the ticket. “Lincoln” was one of them, and while Donald’s book wasn’t mentioned by name in the press for the film (that went to Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals,” which I’ll get to reading sooner or later), it seemed like the more-or-less definitive book covering Lincoln’s life in its entirety.

Donald’s book is sympathetic, but not hagiographic...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 19th-c, audio-book, arc, civil-war, non-fiction, president, united-states

I have to admit that I wasn’t planning to read about Lincoln until much later in my challenge mostly because there are SO many books about him available. You have books that cover his entire life as well as those that are focused on a smaller segment of his life. I know some things about him (as most people do) – so where to start? As luck would have it, Simon and Schuster contacted me with the offer to review Lincoln by David Herbert Donald on audiobook, so I jumped at the chance and the decisi...more I have to admit that I wasn’t planning to read about Lincoln until much later in my challenge mostly because there are SO many books about him available. You have books that cover his entire life as well as those that are focused on a smaller segment of his life. I know some things about him (as most people do) – so where to start? As luck would have it, Simon and Schuster contacted me with the offer to review Lincoln by David Herbert Donald on audiobook, so I jumped at the chance and the decision was made.

I really appreciate the approach that Donald took when writing this book. In the introduction he lays out the following: “In tracing the life of Abraham Lincoln, I have asked at every stage of his career what he knew when he had to take critical actions, how he evaluated the evidence before him, and why he reached his decisions. It is, then, a biography written from Lincoln’s point of view, using the information and ideas that were available to him. It seeks to explain rather than judge” (preface). He really seeks to keep the focus on Lincoln himself and not get tied up in all of the turmoil that was going on around him – which is something that other books tend to do. You won’t really find tangents on the specific battle of the Civil War here, unless it was something important to what Lincoln did or where he went.

The bulk of the book (and it certainly is a chunkster, with a page count of 720 pages and over 30 hours of audio) focuses on the time prior to the presidency – particularly his time as a lawyer in Illinois. While I appreciated understanding where Lincoln came from and how he grew in popularity to even become president sometimes I thought this section was a little too in-depth. The author went on to talk about the specifics of almost every case that Lincoln tried. I didn’t need these details. I think it would have been more effective to choose a few of the cases that were most important to some aspect on Lincoln’s development and focus on those. It got to a point where it was an endless list.

I appreciated learning about the relationship between Abraham and Mary – it made her a real person. Typically we see Mary following Lincoln’s death as a grieving widow, but Donald makes her a complex creature. It was also eye-opening to learn that most of the other politicians of the time period thought that Lincoln was doing a terrible job as president and that he almost wasn’t re-nominated for a second term. He is typically viewed as the greatest of our presidents by the modern American public. It makes me wonder how more recent presidents will be viewed once we are further removed from their term of office. If this book does one thing, it really gets you into Lincoln’s head which is a great feat since he kept his own mind most of the time.

I would recommend this book for someone looking for a complete life of Lincoln. However, be aware that the book ends almost immediately following the assassination, so do not expect an analysis of that issue.

The audio narration was overall very well done. I thought that the narrator kept my attention throughout the book. My only complaint would be with regard to the production. There would be times where I was listening and the voice would seemingly change. I think, if this was done intentionally, it was to denote the reading of a footnote so as to help the listener differentiate from the text. Whatever the case, I found it to be a little jarring. I would have preferred if they were reading a footnote to say something like “footnote: blah, blah, blah”.

This book was received for review from the publisher - I was not compensated for my opinions and the above is my honest review.(less)

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Feb 28, 2013 Jennie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography-autobiography, i-own, presidential-challenge, read-in-2012, read-in-december

Honest Abe probably has about 5,000 or more books written about him which left me more than slightly overwhelmed at which one to pick. I looked to see if any of my author/biographer favorites had written biographies about Lincoln, but no such luck. I reviewed what the other ladies participating in the Presidential Challenge and did a little random research, finally narrowing my choices down to three or so. One day I was at Barnes & Noble completely overwhelmed at all the books I wanted to bu...more Honest Abe probably has about 5,000 or more books written about him which left me more than slightly overwhelmed at which one to pick. I looked to see if any of my author/biographer favorites had written biographies about Lincoln, but no such luck. I reviewed what the other ladies participating in the Presidential Challenge and did a little random research, finally narrowing my choices down to three or so. One day I was at Barnes & Noble completely overwhelmed at all the books I wanted to buy and read but needed to limit myself to just one book, so it ultimately came down to the only one of those three that my local store had on the shelf. I’m satisfied with my selection, however, I will admit that Lincoln is one of the Presidents I want to read more on once I’ve completed the challenge.

This book focused a lot on his life, which I loved because it gave me a new understanding of Lincoln as a person, not just a politician. Although, it did have a drawback – he was out of public office for about 10 years doing his lawyer thing and helping move his political party to new heights from outside. The section of the book that dealt with this time was a little dry, mainly because it included summaries and high level views of the political landscape at the time, plus there wasn’t a lot about his family so it was just page after page of party drama and move making.

Speaking of his life, Lincoln lost two kids – one while living in the White House – and I just felt broken on his behalf while reading this. Thinking of how much support staff and household staff presidents have now that he didn’t have, it must have been so very hard for him to keep being President while lost in that grief, nursing his other son from his sickbed, and dealing with a wife that went into a deep depression. Sometimes it is easy to forget that president’s have families and lives of their own, full of normal drama, teen drama, and homework too.

The portion of the text that covered the assassination was short, almost too short for me, but I knowing that his death wasn’t the focus of this book, I understand why. This is one section of his presidency I want to explore further in the future. I realize how morbid that sounds – I want to read more about his tragic and brutal murder – but oh well, that’s how my brain works. :)

I highly recommend this biography for anyone looking for more about Lincoln – but you might want to consider reading it in ebook format if you have that option – at over 700+ pages with all the references it was very hard on the wrists.(less)

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About David Herbert Donald

Majoring in history and sociology, Donald earned his bachelor degree from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. He earned his PhD in 1946 under the eminent, leading Lincoln scholar, James G. Randall at the University of Illinois. Randall as a mentor had a big influence on Donald's life and career, and encouraged his protégé to write his dissertation on Lincoln's law partner, William Herndon. T...more

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Books by David Herbert Donald

"We are Lincoln Men": Abraham Lincoln and His Friends

Charles Sumner & the Coming of the Civil War

Lincoln Reconsidered: Essays on the Civil War Era

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