Lincoln's Devotional

by Abraham Lincoln, Carl Sandburg (Introduction)

Originally published in 1852, this book is a faithful textual reproduction of the spiritual book of days carried by President Abraham Lincoln.

Genres: History, Religion, Spirituality, Christian, Presidents, Devotional

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 15, 1995

About the author

Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States from 1861 and led the country during the Civil War.

Lincoln, a moderate, navigated a contentious array of factions with friends and opponents from the Democratic Party and Republican Party. He exploited mutual enmity of the factions, carefully distributing political patronage, and appealed to the American people.

Lincoln closely supervised the strategy and tactics in the war effort, including the selection of generals, and implemented a naval blockade of the trade. He suspended habeas corpus in Maryland and elsewhere, and averted British intervention by defusing the Trent Affair. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared free all enslaved persons in states "in rebellion against the United States." It also directed the Navy to "recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons" and to receive them "into the armed service." Lincoln promoted the thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery, except as punishment for a crime.

Lincoln managed his own successful re-election campaign and sought to heal the war-torn nation through reconciliation. On April 14, 1865, just five days after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox, he attended a play at theater of Ford in Washington, District of Columbia, with Mary Todd Lincoln, his wife, when Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Boothe fatally assassinated him.

Lincoln is remembered as a martyr and a national hero for for his efforts to preserve the union and abolish slavery. Popular and scholarly polls often rank Lincoln as the greatest president in American history.

Reviews

[Nathan Hardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Features a verse of scripture and a corresponding verse of poetry. The poetry is often beautiful! Takes about 30 seconds to read the day's entry. Cool to think Lincoln read the same material, some 9 score years ago. I'm sure I'll use again in a few years.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to return to library. Fascinating to read the same book they know Lincoln read daily.

[Read1000books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each month has a theme (such as "Privileges of the Believer", "Joys of the Believer", and "Temptations of the Believer"), with a single, appropriate verse of Scripture and poem for each day of the year. Perfect for either the breakfast table or nightstand to begin or end your day with an inspirational thought.

[Andrea]

I remember reading Carl Sandburg's introduction to this book while in college. He ends with a quote by Lincoln on reading the Bible. "Take all this book upon reason that you can, and the balance on faith, and you will live and die a better man."

[Bradthad Codgeroger · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing he carried. A talisman of a guy who needed 20 more.

[Derek Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not a fan of the poems, and the old King James is sometimes hard to understand.

[Matthew Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives you a verse a day with a coinciding poem. Really has nothing to do with Lincoln except that he was rumored to carry this devotional around.

[TC · Rating 3 out of 5]

This devotional includes a great introduction by Carl Sandburg, followed by black and white photographs of Lincoln's actual devotional, called The Believer's Daily Treasure. This is a fairly short book. The entries for each calender day through the year include a short verse of scripture followed by a brief poem.