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The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln
In The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln, C.A. Tripp offers a full examination of Lincoln's inner life and relationships that, as Dr. Jean Baker argues in the Introduction, "will define the issue for years to come."
The late C. A. Tripp, a highly regarded sex researcher and colleague of Alfred Kinsey, and author of the runaway bestseller The Homosexual Matrix, devoted the last ten years of his life to an exhaustive study of Abraham Lincoln's writings and of scholarship about Lincoln, in search of hidden keys to his character. Throughout this riveting work, new details are revealed about Lincoln's relations with a number of men. Long-standing myths are debunked convincingly—in particular, the myth that Lincoln's one true love was Ann Rutledge, who died tragically young. Ultimately, Tripp argues that Lincoln's unorthodox loves and friendships were tied to his maverick beliefs about religion, slavery, and even ethics and morals. As Tripp argues, Lincoln was an "invert"—a man who consistently turned convention on its head, who drew his values not from the dominant conventions of society, but from within.
For years, a whisper campaign has mounted about Abraham Lincoln, focusing on his intimate relationships. He was famously awkward around single women. He was engaged once before Mary Todd, but his fiancée called off the marriage on the grounds that he was "lacking in smaller attentions." His marriage to Mary was troubled. Meanwhile, throughout his adult life, he enjoyed close relationships with a number of men. He shared a bed with Joshua Speed for four years as a young man, and—as Tripp details here—he shared a bed with an army captain while serving in the White House, when Mrs. Lincoln was away. As one Washington socialite commented in her diary, "What stuff!"
This study reaches far beyond a brief about Lincoln's sexuality—it is an attempt to make sense of the whole man, as never before. It includes an Introduction by Jean Baker, biographer of Mary Todd Lincoln , and an Afterword containing reactions by two Lincoln scholars and one clinical psychologist and longtime acquaintance of C.A. Tripp. As Michael Chesson explains in one of the Afterword essays, "Lincoln was different from other men, and he knew it. More telling, virtually every man who knew him at all well, long before he rose to prominence, recognized it. In fact, the men who claimed to know him best, if honest, usually admitted that they did not understand him." Perhaps only now, when conventions of intimacy are so different, so open, and so much less rigid than in Lincoln's day, can Lincoln be fully understood.
The late C. A. Tripp, a highly regarded sex researcher and colleague of Alfred Kinsey, and author of the runaway bestseller The Homosexual Matrix, devoted the last ten years of his life to an exhaustive study of Abraham Lincoln's writings and of scholarship about Lincoln, in search of hidden keys to his character. Throughout this riveting work, new details are revealed about Lincoln's relations with a number of men. Long-standing myths are debunked convincingly—in particular, the myth that Lincoln's one true love was Ann Rutledge, who died tragically young. Ultimately, Tripp argues that Lincoln's unorthodox loves and friendships were tied to his maverick beliefs about religion, slavery, and even ethics and morals. As Tripp argues, Lincoln was an "invert"—a man who consistently turned convention on its head, who drew his values not from the dominant conventions of society, but from within.
For years, a whisper campaign has mounted about Abraham Lincoln, focusing on his intimate relationships. He was famously awkward around single women. He was engaged once before Mary Todd, but his fiancée called off the marriage on the grounds that he was "lacking in smaller attentions." His marriage to Mary was troubled. Meanwhile, throughout his adult life, he enjoyed close relationships with a number of men. He shared a bed with Joshua Speed for four years as a young man, and—as Tripp details here—he shared a bed with an army captain while serving in the White House, when Mrs. Lincoln was away. As one Washington socialite commented in her diary, "What stuff!"
This study reaches far beyond a brief about Lincoln's sexuality—it is an attempt to make sense of the whole man, as never before. It includes an Introduction by Jean Baker, biographer of Mary Todd Lincoln , and an Afterword containing reactions by two Lincoln scholars and one clinical psychologist and longtime acquaintance of C.A. Tripp. As Michael Chesson explains in one of the Afterword essays, "Lincoln was different from other men, and he knew it. More telling, virtually every man who knew him at all well, long before he rose to prominence, recognized it. In fact, the men who claimed to know him best, if honest, usually admitted that they did not understand him." Perhaps only now, when conventions of intimacy are so different, so open, and so much less rigid than in Lincoln's day, can Lincoln be fully understood.
396 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 4, 2005
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August 7, 2022
Major Elmer Ellsworth had “a boyish figure… with well-formed, shapely limbs… a magnetic and chivalrous personality… Put this romantic figure in a dashing uniform… and who could resist him?
Lincoln couldn’t. And didn’t."
Ooooooh, do go on! I found this discarded book in a thrift store, and for the price, I couldn’t resist. As a piece of silly, speculative, wish-fulfillment nonsense, this was certainly one of the most entertaining one-star books I’ve ever read, filled with literal laugh-out-loud lines that I’m sure were not intentional.
You can’t prove a negative, so it's impossible to rebut a book claiming Lincoln was gay by proving that he wasn't. So Tripp assumes the inverse is true, and insulates himself from any criticism by making ad hominem attacks against anyone who believes otherwise, claiming they’re too concerned with protecting Lincoln’s image or too homophobic to accept his argument.
So we must trust Tripp when he describes, in this posthumously-published work, how the aforementioned Ellsworth was “procured” for Lincoln by the commander of the local militia, because he "well knew Lincoln's tastes in young men."
The “was Abraham Lincoln gay?” question went mainstream in the 1990s and early 2000s. It’s kind of faded from prominence since then, though it’s seeped into the popular culture enough that most people are aware of it, and many still figure there must be something to it. While some of the early speculation was based on outright fraudulent sources, this book was Tripp’s attempt to provide a definitive, educated, investigative look at the subject that would stand as the final word.
But while it attempts to wrap itself with a scholarly sheen, the book reads like fan-fiction “Tales of Ribaldry”-type fantasy, in which Tripp invites the reader to titter along with him at every suggestive insinuation, and make leaps of logic that invariably end with Lincoln leaping into bed with another young male conquest.
As many have pointed out, written expressions of affection between close male friends, and men sharing beds with men when money and space were tight, were not uncommon in Lincoln’s time. Yes, some of it seems a bit “sus” to our modern sensibilities - Lincoln sharing a bed with Joshua Speed for four whole years, or inviting his presidential bodyguard David Derickson into his bed for want of late-night companionship. But Tripp examines these and other close male friendships by working his way backwards to their initial meeting in an attempt to prove there was a spark from the start:
“It’s clear that almost as soon as (Derickson) entered Lincoln’s carriage for their first ride to the city, their connection was immediate. There was a charged atmosphere… well-primed for moving toward some kind of culmination… [It was] an almost classical seduction scene… and it didn’t take long for both to realize there was mutual interest…”
Oooooh, tell me more!
Well, earlier in life, upon his arrival in New Salem, a 22-year-old Lincoln “promptly fell into an overt homosexual relationship" with the teenaged cousin of an early mentor. You see, Billy Greene had once made a comment about Lincoln having muscular thighs, which clearly means he was eyeing Lincoln as a potential sexual partner. Since he helped Lincoln learn proper grammar (which itself is debatable), he must have been “enthralled with Lincoln.” And, in a wild speculative leap, "the best way to learn a language is in bed," Tripp concludes, so obviously, their "grammar sessions, many of them in bed, ended with sexual contact."
And then there’s Speed, who had his eye on Lincoln "within moments" of his arrival in Springfield, and immediately "targeted him as a desirable bed partner," Tripp writes. "To anyone alert to homosexual propositions it is perhaps obvious" that Speed’s invitation to Lincoln to bunk with him and share his double bed was far from innocent. "Speed was clearly an expert at all this," Tripp writes, going so far as to conclude that Lincoln was most certainly the “top” in the relationship.
It’s not Lincoln hero worship or homophobic to say that all of this is a bunch of hooey. It’s a book-length exercise in confirmation bias, as all of Tripp’s arguments assume the predetermined conclusion that he wants to reach. He cites Alfred Kinsey, who found a greater likelihood of homosexual activity among boys growing up in rural areas, and among boys who reached puberty early. Lincoln was both of those things, so there you have it.
Tripp also treats some potentially apocryphal (non-sexual) Lincoln stories as fact when it suits him. He takes William Herndon at his word when it’s convenient, but dismisses his stories as fabricated when it’s not, blaming him for being oblivious and "fail(ing) to detect any of Lincoln's homosexual trends" due to "heterosexual bias." He calls experts "esteemed Lincoln scholars" when he agrees with them, but attacks those with whom he disagrees - Michael Burlingame at one point is called out for "sounding as if he were too early back from an unfinished incarceration in a Viennese insane asylum"(?) Jean Baker, meanwhile, compromised whatever scholarly integrity she had, by lending her imprimatur to this silliness with her fawning introduction.
At times, Tripp ostentatiously announces that he will avoid speculation, as if to say that every other bit of wild speculation he’s offered is somehow ironclad in comparison. And it shows a rich lack of self awareness when he criticizes a Lincoln documentary whose interviewees' comments "appear to have been cherry picked to fit the saga being told."
Yes, Lincoln had a tempestuous marriage, but probably not because he wishes he was married to Speed instead. Yes, he shared beds with men, but was rather open about it, so he certainly wasn’t acting like he had something to hide. And it’s hard to believe that a homely, ungainly guy who was not popular with the ladies would somehow be so attractive and irresistible to young men, having numerous same-sex relationships in small communities without it becoming the talk of the town.
Or maybe Tripp is right and all of this is true. But his argument is far more titillating than it is convincing.
There’s probably good reason the “Lincoln was gay” quasi-scholarship seemed to ebb soon after this book’s publication. Outing prominent figures, even historical ones, is more unseemly today than it was then. And Tripp never attempts any argument about why any of this is even important, beyond simple prurience. But hey, if you want to read about Lincoln bedding attractive young swains, this book just might be for you - though a halfway decent historical fantasy writer could probably do a whole lot better, without having to pretend their work isn’t pure fiction.
August 2, 2017
The book is unfinished as C Tripp is now dead. C A Tripp was a sexologist in the tradition of Kinsey. C Tripp included a sexual and the relgion, morals, and ethics in his psychological biography of Lincoln. Interesting how biographies of women contain information about personal and sexual relationships but how men generally do not. I understand that a traditional way of understanding men is that their work is their almost entirely focus, so that is what biographers traditionally focus on. I wondered what a closer, more intimate look at a man, prominent man would be like. I have found out. I just feel like I know Lincoln better in the way now that I have now read an intimate biography of Lincoln.
February 20, 2021
I've never heard anything about Abraham Lincoln possible being gay or bisexual until I found this book. I'm not totally convinced but in truth I don't really care much about he's sexuality as it has nothing to do with him being president. But it was interesting to think about, if Abraham would have been the first known homosexual president, would be a cool history. The book it self felt rather dry and kind of rambling on. But it was good nevertheless.
February 9, 2020
Well. I appreciate that Tripp gives us a heavily researched and deeply nuanced study of Abraham Lincoln's intimate history .... but honestly I must say this book is rather dry and does go on, and on, and on. However, the author died just a few weeks after completing this book back in 2005 so I suspect it would have benefited from some heavy editing had he had the chance. Also, I will readily admit that I'm not the ideal audience for this purely academic work, so please take my review with a grain of salt.
Tripp, a psychologist, writer, and researcher for Alfred Kinsey, presents his belief that Lincoln was at least bisexual and probably homosexual. As evidence, he extensively analyses contemporary reports of Lincoln's very close relationships with a large number of men which may or may not have been sexual in nature, but relationships that were - none the less - very intimate and important in Lincoln's life. He contends that Lincoln reached puberty very early which can be an indicator of homosexuality, and also highlights Lincoln's love of very dirty stories and his lack of any interest in women as potential partners. He also thoroughly debunks the story of Lincoln's supposed love for Ann Rutledge.
Tripp forces readers to examine Lincoln's relationships without all the prejudices of past historians. "They were just close friends .... they only slept together because of necessity .... their relationship was more father/son ......" Presented as a whole over Lincoln's lifetime, it does appear that where there is smoke, there is fire. Or at least, we can't ignore evidence that Lincoln had deeply intimate relationships with many men over his life. 3.5 stars for very academic and long, but ultimately eye-opening, biography.
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Tripp, a psychologist, writer, and researcher for Alfred Kinsey, presents his belief that Lincoln was at least bisexual and probably homosexual. As evidence, he extensively analyses contemporary reports of Lincoln's very close relationships with a large number of men which may or may not have been sexual in nature, but relationships that were - none the less - very intimate and important in Lincoln's life. He contends that Lincoln reached puberty very early which can be an indicator of homosexuality, and also highlights Lincoln's love of very dirty stories and his lack of any interest in women as potential partners. He also thoroughly debunks the story of Lincoln's supposed love for Ann Rutledge.
Tripp forces readers to examine Lincoln's relationships without all the prejudices of past historians. "They were just close friends .... they only slept together because of necessity .... their relationship was more father/son ......" Presented as a whole over Lincoln's lifetime, it does appear that where there is smoke, there is fire. Or at least, we can't ignore evidence that Lincoln had deeply intimate relationships with many men over his life. 3.5 stars for very academic and long, but ultimately eye-opening, biography.
Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
September 6, 2011
We are a society which enjoys gossip, “juicy”, naughty events, and at times: slander. Why else would those steamy tabloids make so much money? I expected a sharp yet well-researched expose regarding Lincoln and rumors of his supposed homo/bi-sexuality. Sadly, that was not the case.
Immediately, my face creased into a worried scowl as the book began with a long and harrowing introduction and equally unbearable prologue. I suggest skipping this as it almost caused me to quit prematurely. The first chapter will somewhat redeem itself.
In this work (which Tripp never got to edit, as he passed away two weeks after he finished his manuscript); he seems to insinuate that MOST men are either gay or bisexual during the era of Lincoln’s pre-teen development, due to the “way life was” (such as the fact that most male children in rural areas and on farms weren’t allowed to socialize with females during their important sexual developmental years). However, these links did not convince me that Lincoln was indeed homosexual. These links used to “prove” the hypotheses weren’t very strong. Tripp had a career background in the science and psychological fields, but his arguments appeared to be more speculation and thus didn’t transfer over into fact. If I was a college professor and was grading a paper, I would say in my comments to the student that the arguments were persuasive in either direction.
Further, the piece seemed more of a description on the behaviors of homosexuality and “why” males “become” homosexual versus really relating this information to Lincoln. Then, every now and then, in more or less words Tripp seemed to exclaim, “Oh yeah! So, Lincoln was gay too!” and left it at that.
On the plus side, the text is understandable and not overly scientific with its terminology. Yet, it contains graphs for deeper diving. Tripp also included photographs and several letters (in their entirety) of Lincoln’s letters to a supposed lover which will allow the reader to make his or her own justification by reading in between the lines of the letters.
Tripp convinced me more that males experienced a homosexual relationship at some point in their lives during that time period (versus anything to do with Lincoln) but even that leads to ask, “Where is the proof?” I needed more than provided.
The Intimate Life of Abraham Lincoln is more of a college paper without the “oomph” to prove its point.
Immediately, my face creased into a worried scowl as the book began with a long and harrowing introduction and equally unbearable prologue. I suggest skipping this as it almost caused me to quit prematurely. The first chapter will somewhat redeem itself.
In this work (which Tripp never got to edit, as he passed away two weeks after he finished his manuscript); he seems to insinuate that MOST men are either gay or bisexual during the era of Lincoln’s pre-teen development, due to the “way life was” (such as the fact that most male children in rural areas and on farms weren’t allowed to socialize with females during their important sexual developmental years). However, these links did not convince me that Lincoln was indeed homosexual. These links used to “prove” the hypotheses weren’t very strong. Tripp had a career background in the science and psychological fields, but his arguments appeared to be more speculation and thus didn’t transfer over into fact. If I was a college professor and was grading a paper, I would say in my comments to the student that the arguments were persuasive in either direction.
Further, the piece seemed more of a description on the behaviors of homosexuality and “why” males “become” homosexual versus really relating this information to Lincoln. Then, every now and then, in more or less words Tripp seemed to exclaim, “Oh yeah! So, Lincoln was gay too!” and left it at that.
On the plus side, the text is understandable and not overly scientific with its terminology. Yet, it contains graphs for deeper diving. Tripp also included photographs and several letters (in their entirety) of Lincoln’s letters to a supposed lover which will allow the reader to make his or her own justification by reading in between the lines of the letters.
Tripp convinced me more that males experienced a homosexual relationship at some point in their lives during that time period (versus anything to do with Lincoln) but even that leads to ask, “Where is the proof?” I needed more than provided.
The Intimate Life of Abraham Lincoln is more of a college paper without the “oomph” to prove its point.
November 21, 2012
It is very hard for me to approach this objectively, the author is writing from the perspective of a sociologist/sexologist and I am reading from the perspective of a historian, so bear with me. Basically this book is meant to have shock appeal: One of the greatest American Presidents is gay! Ooo, Aaahh! Everything you think you know is a lie, etc. My critiques come not from Tripp is arguing, but for the way he uses the evidence (although he did pass away before completely editing). *Spoiler Alert*
Critiques:
(1) Tripp does acknowledge that homosexuality was not an identity during this time period, but does not acknowledge that bisexuality was also not a classified identity, I feel that exploring this would have given more strength to the argument.
(2) Ad Hominem arguments: Saying Lincoln didn't like fat women is not a credible piece of evidence. I would have explored Lincoln's feelings towards the institution of marriage rather than exploring the physical characteristics of Ann Rutledge and Mary Owens. Attraction is such a subjective quality that it is very difficult to explore it in historical context.
(3) Not enough attention to context. We're dealing with an entirely different era here. The Victorian Era is categorized by many strange things going on in political, economic and social spheres. Trying to deduce who someone was has to be placed in context of how and when they lived. Lincoln was in a position of power during arguably one of the most chaotic moments in American history. This had to have shaped him in some way.
In any event, this book gives us a fascinating new Lincoln debate. Would have liked to see evidence detailed and applied better.
Critiques:
(1) Tripp does acknowledge that homosexuality was not an identity during this time period, but does not acknowledge that bisexuality was also not a classified identity, I feel that exploring this would have given more strength to the argument.
(2) Ad Hominem arguments: Saying Lincoln didn't like fat women is not a credible piece of evidence. I would have explored Lincoln's feelings towards the institution of marriage rather than exploring the physical characteristics of Ann Rutledge and Mary Owens. Attraction is such a subjective quality that it is very difficult to explore it in historical context.
(3) Not enough attention to context. We're dealing with an entirely different era here. The Victorian Era is categorized by many strange things going on in political, economic and social spheres. Trying to deduce who someone was has to be placed in context of how and when they lived. Lincoln was in a position of power during arguably one of the most chaotic moments in American history. This had to have shaped him in some way.
In any event, this book gives us a fascinating new Lincoln debate. Would have liked to see evidence detailed and applied better.
Read
February 5, 2009Here's a book that provokes more rebuttals than reviews. Every critic breaks out the textbooks to dispute, distort, and dismiss the evidence. Only The Advocate comes out with unabashed praise. Otherwise, the critical consensus is that the late Tripp, a former therapist, psychologist, Kinsey associate, and author of The Homosexual Matrix (1975), twists well-known evidence with an eye on an agenda rather than historical accuracy. More importantly, he doesn't attempt to answer the trickier question of how Lincoln's sexual predilections affected his role in American history. Reviewers also mourn Tripp, who passed away in 2003, with wishes that he'd been around to edit the manuscript's jumpy, uneven prose.
This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.
July 21, 2019
This was a bit of a disappointment and a good lesson for authors: don’t allow anything to be published after your death unless you can enlist a good editor. There are some good parts to this book, but it’s overshadowed by a lot of conjecture. To use the theory that boys who go through puberty early are more likely to be gay than others is just bizarre; the whole thing feels a bit dated (and it is, having been written in 1996.) I think there are better resources on this topic out there.
January 2, 2011
Really interesting biography. I'm not sure I was that convinced by all his evidence (Lincoln was tall! Tall men hit puberty early! Men who hit puberty early are gay! QED! -- Uh, no.), but I'm delighted this book was written and published.
March 14, 2017
Gay readers will feel a surge of joy after they finish C.A. Tripp’s “The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln.” After hearing for years that the only possibly gay U.S. president was one of our worst – James Buchanan – they now can rejoice that a rainbow medal can be pinned on our best president ever, Honest Abe himself.
In one fascinating, easily readable chapter after another, Tripp lays out a strong case that Lincoln was at least bisexual, and, more likely, predominantly gay – the psychologist author puts him at No. 5 on Kinsey’s 6-point scale of homosexuality. Of course, most Lincoln biographers still refuse to go as far as Tripp. They cling to the myth that Lincoln preferred women and bonded to men only platonically.
But Tripp argues persuasively that Lincoln’s bed-sharing with Joshua Fry Speed, continuing on for four years, was hardly due to poverty or Lincoln being new in town and lacking a place to stay. Later infatuations and further periods of bed-sharing with two soldiers came about after Lincoln had ascended to the White House and was enduring a hellish marriage with Mary Todd Lincoln. After reading the nightmarish chapter on Mary, I concluded that if Lincoln wasn’t fully gay as a bachelor, she certainly pushed him over the edge.
Tripp acknowledges all his evidence is just circumstantial. He has no letter or diary in which Lincoln or his male partners plainly admit sexual relations. Nor were any other 19th century politicians, no matter how honest, forthcoming about their sex lives; it just wasn’t discussed. But for modern readers with even a trace of gaydar, the message seems clear: mysterious, brooding Lincoln, always ill at ease with young single women, definitely preferred the company of men. For the naysayers, how would they explain newlywed attorney Lincoln leaving his bride to spend weeks at a time traveling out of town on cases, not even coming home on Sundays?
Some parts of Tripp’s recital seem weak. I was dubious of Tripp’s estimate that Lincoln entered puberty as young as 9, based on the lad’s early growth spurt, or that Lincoln remained “sex-minded,” i.e. sex-obsessed, from that point onward. I thought it more likely that Lincoln’s sex drive may have been average, or maybe even weak, but perhaps fired up by frequent visits to taverns, a habit Tripp touches on just lightly. I also wasn’t convinced of Lincoln’s passion for telling off-color stories, since Tripp had only a couple of documented examples to support that point.
Tripp’s style is mostly conversational and sometimes humorous and arch, a welcome break from stiff, measured academese. But he often skips around in his jumbled narrative, sometimes getting ahead of himself in his story. “As we shall see in a later chapter” is a phrase that frequently mucks up his chronology. One chapter, dealing with the personalities of FDR, Churchill and Alan Turing, seemed totally out of place, and probably should have been omitted.
Tripp died in 2003, before the book was completely finished, and I appreciate that editor Lewis Gannett chose to include an afterword with commentary, both pro and con, from other historians. Gannett’s preface, plus an introduction by Jean Baker, also serve to lay out the many challenges to Tripp’s conclusions. So the reader is afforded a fair overview of the issue, and can draw his own conclusions without necessarily having to read a half-dozen other biographies.
In one fascinating, easily readable chapter after another, Tripp lays out a strong case that Lincoln was at least bisexual, and, more likely, predominantly gay – the psychologist author puts him at No. 5 on Kinsey’s 6-point scale of homosexuality. Of course, most Lincoln biographers still refuse to go as far as Tripp. They cling to the myth that Lincoln preferred women and bonded to men only platonically.
But Tripp argues persuasively that Lincoln’s bed-sharing with Joshua Fry Speed, continuing on for four years, was hardly due to poverty or Lincoln being new in town and lacking a place to stay. Later infatuations and further periods of bed-sharing with two soldiers came about after Lincoln had ascended to the White House and was enduring a hellish marriage with Mary Todd Lincoln. After reading the nightmarish chapter on Mary, I concluded that if Lincoln wasn’t fully gay as a bachelor, she certainly pushed him over the edge.
Tripp acknowledges all his evidence is just circumstantial. He has no letter or diary in which Lincoln or his male partners plainly admit sexual relations. Nor were any other 19th century politicians, no matter how honest, forthcoming about their sex lives; it just wasn’t discussed. But for modern readers with even a trace of gaydar, the message seems clear: mysterious, brooding Lincoln, always ill at ease with young single women, definitely preferred the company of men. For the naysayers, how would they explain newlywed attorney Lincoln leaving his bride to spend weeks at a time traveling out of town on cases, not even coming home on Sundays?
Some parts of Tripp’s recital seem weak. I was dubious of Tripp’s estimate that Lincoln entered puberty as young as 9, based on the lad’s early growth spurt, or that Lincoln remained “sex-minded,” i.e. sex-obsessed, from that point onward. I thought it more likely that Lincoln’s sex drive may have been average, or maybe even weak, but perhaps fired up by frequent visits to taverns, a habit Tripp touches on just lightly. I also wasn’t convinced of Lincoln’s passion for telling off-color stories, since Tripp had only a couple of documented examples to support that point.
Tripp’s style is mostly conversational and sometimes humorous and arch, a welcome break from stiff, measured academese. But he often skips around in his jumbled narrative, sometimes getting ahead of himself in his story. “As we shall see in a later chapter” is a phrase that frequently mucks up his chronology. One chapter, dealing with the personalities of FDR, Churchill and Alan Turing, seemed totally out of place, and probably should have been omitted.
Tripp died in 2003, before the book was completely finished, and I appreciate that editor Lewis Gannett chose to include an afterword with commentary, both pro and con, from other historians. Gannett’s preface, plus an introduction by Jean Baker, also serve to lay out the many challenges to Tripp’s conclusions. So the reader is afforded a fair overview of the issue, and can draw his own conclusions without necessarily having to read a half-dozen other biographies.
June 8, 2020
Just re-read this book, and I think I may have enjoyed it more the second time than the first. The first time had all the excitement of discovery, and although it had been long enough that I remembered only bits and pieces, it was more like spending time with an old friend you haven't seen lately.
With so many traumatic events going on around us right now (boundless police brutality and racism; a president who thinks that's just great, and wants to encourage more; a deadly pandemic; economic collapse; etc. - how can there be an etc. to that list?) it was a welcome distraction to read about Lincoln, who was such a complex and compelling person, really unknowable according to those who knew him best!
With so many traumatic events going on around us right now (boundless police brutality and racism; a president who thinks that's just great, and wants to encourage more; a deadly pandemic; economic collapse; etc. - how can there be an etc. to that list?) it was a welcome distraction to read about Lincoln, who was such a complex and compelling person, really unknowable according to those who knew him best!
August 8, 2024
A deeply bizarre book whose purpose is to assert Lincoln was gay. Almost entirely unconvincing mainly because of preposterous readings of "evidence" revolving around things like comments about Lincoln's perfect thighs. One thing is undeniable though: very odd that Lincoln should sleep for 4 yrs or so straight with a man (Joshua Speed). Yes, men slept with men in those days; no, not for 4 years! I read the book for its cheeky prose which never failed to amuse. Plus, some good stuff about *other* aspects of Lincoln's life, such as Mary Todd Lincoln's deviousness. Throughout I kept imagining Paul Lynde as the author....
September 15, 2024
A must read for Queers and all Americans with an understanding of Queerness
February 22, 2015
Thin stuff. It's an interesting read in that it tries to tackle the question of Lincoln's homosexuality, but the evidence Tripp uses is mostly circumstantial and suggestive. Do I think Lincoln had homosexual encounters? Absolutely. How can you sleep in the same bed with someone for an extended period of time and NOT experiment? But this does not necessarily translate to a homosexual orientation. So, as history, it's weak stuff. As a suggestive read, it's provocative and researched enough to warrant serious questioning. It does demystify the mythology of Lincoln a bit, and that in itself is good. But it just leaves a serious scholar a bit wanting for more concrete evidence.
August 15, 2007
I have been fascinated with Abraham Lincoln since I was a kid (I have no idea why either) and read a lot about him in the past. This was pretty good, and would be even if you don't really know that much about him, but it does tend to get dry quickly. Half of the thickness is the book, the other half is composed of the letters to and from Joshua Fry Speed, Lincoln's lover; a rebuttal, and some of Lincoln's letters.
March 3, 2009
Was Lincoln Gay? I did not draw that conclusion from this book. Did he have some homosexual experiences? Maybe he did. According to this book he did. I wish there was more evidence out there. It does make one say Hmmmmm.
Was Mary Lincoln a self serving not nice person who happened to be a compulsive shopper? Maybe. I would like to read more about her.
This book was interesting and worth reading even though the author died before completing it and it ended on a big huge tangent.
Was Mary Lincoln a self serving not nice person who happened to be a compulsive shopper? Maybe. I would like to read more about her.
This book was interesting and worth reading even though the author died before completing it and it ended on a big huge tangent.
September 7, 2013
So, he was kinda gay. Or bisexual. Or however it may have been classified back then. I got the message about halfway through the book. Tripp died before the book was finished, so it could have used another edit/going over. For a book about a president's intimate life, it was a bit laborious to read at times.
May 3, 2007
There is a lot of circumstantial evidence that Lincoln may have been gay, and Mary Todd was an evil cow. That really about sums it up.
September 5, 2014
wasn't convinced.author didn't really have sufficient evidence to claim that Lincoln was gay. There were enough questionable things to question, but not enough for much else.
May 13, 2009
This was an incredible book! The author analyzes Lincoln's sexuality through his relationships with close friends and others' observations (basically through their letters). Very fun read.
January 13, 2013
I wish I had time to read this entire book. It's dense, but fascinating. I read bits and pieces. One day when I have more time I'm going to read the entire thing!
September 1, 2009
I could not get into this book written by Kinsey's assistant.
December 20, 2013
Speculative gobbledy-gook.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews