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Lincoln's Youth: Indiana Years, Seven to Twenty-One, 1816-1830
First published in 1959 to mark the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, Louis A. Warren's classic study of Lincoln's formative years in Indiana tracks his growth from awkward boy to serious young man poised on the brink of a brilliant career. Here are fascinating glimpses of Lincoln's family life, the people he knew, the places he visited, his physical development, and the tragedies he suffered. Perhaps most revealing is Warren's treatmnet of Lincoln's education, both in the schools he briefly attended and in the books he read, and the influence of Thomas Lincoln in forming the character of his son.
- GenresBiography
298 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1959
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 24, 2023
Finally a Lincoln historian who questioned Herndon, thank you!
My review here is a good-bad thing: Warren questioned previous historians and cited other sources and delved further into researching certain points of which he deemed uncertain. Good so far.
On other points, however, he seemed to skip over the above process so there appears to be subjectivity on which points he thought required further research.
He quoted sources closer to Lincoln directly but also included when the quotes were obtained as one given forty or fifty years post assassination would possibly be more open to embellishment.
He questioned Herndon (William Herndon, Lincoln ‘s law junior, who wrote his own biography), and included his reasons for questioning- something I have not read many historians doing, especially the more modern ones.
The book, as the title suggests, covers only Lincoln’s early years through turning 21 when he and his family left Indiana.
It isn’t without this author’s own assumptions, however. Something that denigrates an otherwise interesting read. Still, I enjoyed it. There were plenty of quotes, information from land and church records I’d not seen before.
Best of all this biography painted a much more positive version of Lincoln’s father, Thomas and his influence on his own. Plenty of modern historians often portray Thomas Lincoln as shiftless, even as abusive to his son, without providing quotes about his improved standard of living and quotes on his kindness, story telling and good relationship with his son.
This was, over all, one of the more informative if less known biographies I’ve read on Lincoln in a long time.
My review here is a good-bad thing: Warren questioned previous historians and cited other sources and delved further into researching certain points of which he deemed uncertain. Good so far.
On other points, however, he seemed to skip over the above process so there appears to be subjectivity on which points he thought required further research.
He quoted sources closer to Lincoln directly but also included when the quotes were obtained as one given forty or fifty years post assassination would possibly be more open to embellishment.
He questioned Herndon (William Herndon, Lincoln ‘s law junior, who wrote his own biography), and included his reasons for questioning- something I have not read many historians doing, especially the more modern ones.
The book, as the title suggests, covers only Lincoln’s early years through turning 21 when he and his family left Indiana.
It isn’t without this author’s own assumptions, however. Something that denigrates an otherwise interesting read. Still, I enjoyed it. There were plenty of quotes, information from land and church records I’d not seen before.
Best of all this biography painted a much more positive version of Lincoln’s father, Thomas and his influence on his own. Plenty of modern historians often portray Thomas Lincoln as shiftless, even as abusive to his son, without providing quotes about his improved standard of living and quotes on his kindness, story telling and good relationship with his son.
This was, over all, one of the more informative if less known biographies I’ve read on Lincoln in a long time.
March 22, 2014
A very interesting look at Abraham Lincoln's coming of age in Indiana. Lincoln moved there with his family at the age of seven and moved with them again to Illinois when he was twenty-one, so this period covers the most important growing up years in his life. After an introductory chapter, the rest of the book is set up with one chapter for each year of his life. Each chapter has its chapter number, Lincoln's age, the date (year), and a one word title that tries to capture the main event(s) of his life that year. Early years include "Wonder" (Age 7, 1816), "Loyalty" (Age 10, 1819), and "Ambition" (Age 11, 1820). Later years include "Adventure" (Age 19, 1828, his first flatboat trip to New Orleans), "Awareness" (Age 20, 1829, becoming politically aware), and "Independence" (Age 21, 1830, planning for his going out on his own).
The author was the Director of the Lincoln National Life Foundation for twenty-eight years, prior to which he lived near Lincoln's hometown in Kentucky and wrote Lincoln's Parentage and Childhood in 1926. The current book was begun soon after but was put on hold until his retirement, after which he finished and published it in 1959. He provides a valuable look into a little discussed, but hugely important, period of Lincoln's life. The writing is clear and sometimes folksy, but gives us a window into the events that shaped Lincoln's character and intellect. The writing is clear and sometimes folksy, but gives us a window into the events that shaped Lincoln's character and intellect.
Through extensive research and notes, we discover the books Lincoln read, the roughness of frontier life, and the influences of Lincoln’s father, mother, step-mother, sister and others. We get a glimpse of his inquisitiveness and search for knowledge, though I would have liked a more in-depth treatment of this aspect. Still, the book does a good job of letting us into a little-know part of Lincoln’s life.
The author was the Director of the Lincoln National Life Foundation for twenty-eight years, prior to which he lived near Lincoln's hometown in Kentucky and wrote Lincoln's Parentage and Childhood in 1926. The current book was begun soon after but was put on hold until his retirement, after which he finished and published it in 1959. He provides a valuable look into a little discussed, but hugely important, period of Lincoln's life. The writing is clear and sometimes folksy, but gives us a window into the events that shaped Lincoln's character and intellect. The writing is clear and sometimes folksy, but gives us a window into the events that shaped Lincoln's character and intellect.
Through extensive research and notes, we discover the books Lincoln read, the roughness of frontier life, and the influences of Lincoln’s father, mother, step-mother, sister and others. We get a glimpse of his inquisitiveness and search for knowledge, though I would have liked a more in-depth treatment of this aspect. Still, the book does a good job of letting us into a little-know part of Lincoln’s life.
January 24, 2016
I finished reading Bill O'Reilly's Killing Lincoln and then found this book among my Dad's books. I read a little now and then and became fascinated with the book. I wouldn't have thought that a book about Lincoln's Indiana years would be great reading but it is rather intriguing. There is some genealogy, some neighbor information, family life and a whole lot about the books Lincoln and his family owned or borrowed, including school books. For a person who loves to read, this was down right a dream. It's getting to know this great President from his books and reading list. Fascinating and fantastic. Not for everyone, but if you are a reader and like history, this is a must read.
Well, I finished this book. Now it may look like this was a slow read but it really wasn't. I just loved it so much I read it slowly to get the whole feeling of the book. Louis A. Warren does a great job of bringing the reader back to Lincoln's childhood years. He is good at sorting out "ledgend" from fact without taking away from the fasination of Lincoln's childhood. Lincoln has an ordinary childhood for the time but since it was different and yet often very much like most of our childhoods, it gave Lincoln a more earthy image. He was a boy and he was a young man full of adventure with a hunger to know more.
Well, I finished this book. Now it may look like this was a slow read but it really wasn't. I just loved it so much I read it slowly to get the whole feeling of the book. Louis A. Warren does a great job of bringing the reader back to Lincoln's childhood years. He is good at sorting out "ledgend" from fact without taking away from the fasination of Lincoln's childhood. Lincoln has an ordinary childhood for the time but since it was different and yet often very much like most of our childhoods, it gave Lincoln a more earthy image. He was a boy and he was a young man full of adventure with a hunger to know more.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews