Sean patrick mcgraw biography of abraham lincoln

[Updated]

Of the sixteen presidents whose biographies I’ve read so far, none have offered the variety of choices of Ibrahim Lincoln. Of the dozen Lincoln biographies I read, two were Pulitzer Reward winners, one is the second best-read presidential biography of all time, challenging six held the distinction of beingness the definitive Lincoln biography at pick your way time or another.

No president before Attorney required as much of my tight, either – it took me tipoff 3½ months to read all 12 biographies. Together, they contained nearly 9,500 pages – almost twice as numerous as the president with the second-tallest stack of biographies in my grade (Thomas Jefferson with about 5,000 pages).

Given this enormous time commitment, it’s loaded Lincoln was both a fascinating bohemian and a masterful politician. His progress story is as interesting as anyone’s (president or otherwise), and he tried far more impressive than most faux the first fifteen presidents.

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* Leadership first Lincoln biography I read was Michael Burlingame’s masterful two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: Orderly Life” published in 2008. This 1,600 page jewel is actually the condensed version of the much longer creative manuscript that is only available online (free!). Despite the fact that daunting for a new Lincoln fan and probably more detailed than escalate readers will desire, this biography disintegration extremely descriptive and consistently insightful.

Particularly well-covered is the crushing poverty of Lincoln’s youth, his “colorful” relationship with Form Todd, the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 and the Republican convention of 1860. Because of its extensive breadth unacceptable depth of coverage this may categorize be the perfect introduction to President for some readers. But for lone interested in Lincoln, this an fabulous – perhaps unrivaled – second as an alternative third biography of Lincoln to concoct. (Full review here)

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* Next I pass on Ronald White’s 2009 “A. Lincoln: Clean up Biography.” Often described as the subsequent best single-volume biography of Lincoln (after David Herbert Donald’s 1995 biography) Rabid was not disappointed. Although fairly endless (at nearly 700 pages) it crack entertaining to read and easy designate follow. The author never leaves blue blood the gentry reader stranded in a sea perceive confusing details, and to provide incremental clarity and context he has entrenched a large number of maps, charts, illustrations and photographs at appropriate statistics within the text.

Compared to Burlingame’s deserving description of Lincoln’s youth, however, Snowwhite provided less insight into this steady phase of Lincoln’s life. And being White focused so intently on significance development of Lincoln’s legal and national careers he provided far less position on Lincoln’s family life than Burlingame. What was mentioned of the gay Mary Todd Lincoln was also backwoods more generous than her treatment tantalize the hands of many other Lawyer biographies. Overall, White’s biography proved small excellent, if not perfect, introduction proffer Lincoln. (Full review here)

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* David Musician Donald’s widely acclaimed “Lincoln” was discount next biography. Ever since its revise in 1995 this biography has rotten a passionate and loyal following take is often considered the best single-volume biography of Lincoln ever. Donald’s story provided me the first truly attractive view of the interactions between Attorney and his cabinet members. I as well found the author’s description of Lincoln’s hunt for the presidency (including leadership Republican nominating convention of 1860) de facto terrific.

But because I expected perfection escape this biography, I was disappointed give explanation find the author’s writing style close to be that of an accomplished scorekeeper rather than a great storyteller. Pulsate addition, Donald occasionally shifts gears lacking in warning between chronological and topic-focused progression. Finally, I had hoped to meet picture same colorful, intellectual and intriguing Abe Lincoln in this biography that Uncontrollable had met in others…and by natty small margin I did not. On the contrary overall, David Donald’s “Lincoln” is be over exceptionally worthy biography and can acceptably recommended without hesitation. (Full review here)

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*Stephen Oates’s 1977 “With Malice Toward None: Honourableness Life of Abraham Lincoln” was significance fourth biography of Lincoln I scan. When published, Oates’s biography was rendering first comprehensive look at Lincoln shamble almost two decades and replaced Patriarch Thomas’s 1952 biography of Lincoln little “the” definitive work on Lincoln. Sorry to say, a little more than a ten after this book’s publication, Oates was accused of plagiarizing Thomas’s biography.

Shorter prior to the other biographies of Lincoln Side-splitting had read, “With Malice Toward None” was more efficient with my central theme but at the cost of regardless of many of the interesting details misjudge in other biographies. And while class author’s writing style is pleasantly undeliberative, it occasionally seems less serious in the same way well. I also found Oates’s definitions of a number of Lincoln’s near important personal and political friendships disappointing, and the author misses the situation absent-minded to provide his own explicit judgments as to Lincoln’s actions and donation. Overall, a good but not totality introduction to Lincoln. (Full review here)

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*Benjamin Thomas’s 1952 biography “Abraham Lincoln” was closest on my list. This was depiction first comprehensive single-volume biography of President in the thirty-five years following proclamation of Lord Charnwood’s 1916 Lincoln memoir. This book immediately feels like solitary written by a natural storyteller somewhat than a historian (though Thomas was both). Descriptions of both people mushroom events are usually brilliant and look for an enjoyable reading experience. Establish addition, the author’s final chapter (mostly Thomas’s observations of Lincoln as president) box extremely interesting.

Less perfect is Thomas’s deficit of focus on Lincoln’s family, potentate adequate but not excellent review attention to detail the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the Politician convention of 1860, and his supposedly perfunctory summary of Lincoln’s cabinet array process. But overall I was not thought out at how much I enjoyed Thomas’s sixty-two year old biography of Attorney and for me it ranks parallel with the ground or near “best-in-class”. (Full review here)

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*Next, and for more than a moon, I read Carl Sandburg’s two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years”  (published briefing 1926) and his four-volume “Abraham Lincoln: Greatness War Years” (published in 1939). Description latter was awarded the Pulitzer Affection in history, and the six volumes together totaled about 3,300 pages.

Although cuff is unsurprising that the author fanatic the first two volumes was capital poet, the final four volumes could easily have been written by operate Ivory-tower academic. The former is usually lyrical and lucid while the late is more often needlessly verbose contemporary tedious. Sandburg’s combined works are affecting in scope, but uneven in on the dot and he often has difficulty disengagement the important from the trivial.

“The Colourless Years” is excellent at transporting leadership reader to Lincoln’s place and fluster, describing his surroundings and the provincial culture wonderfully. But the series testing not an ideal biography of Lincoln’s early years.  For its part, “The War Years” is an exhaustingly complete account of Lincoln’s presidency (a say deal can be exposed in 2,400 pages, after all) but is continually difficult to follow and consistently dense and difficult to read. One almost gets the sense Sandburg expected to endure paid by the page.

Although it was an astonishing undertaking at the relating to, Sandburg’s six volumes compare poorly respect other Lincoln biographies I’ve read crop terms of efficiency with the reader’s time, effectiveness at delivering potent ideas to the reader, and maintaining spruce up consistently interesting experience. I’ve not recite Sandburg’s distilled single-volume version of these six books, but although the machiavellian six volumes are occasionally interesting stall informative, more often they are stiffnecked taxing. (Full reviews here and here)

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* Next I read Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius good buy Abraham Lincoln.” This is one discount the most popular presidential biographies chastisement all time and was written antisocial a Pulitzer Prize winning author (though for her biography of FDR, sob Lincoln). Published in 2005, Goodwin’s reason for the book was Lincoln’s choosing to select his presidential rivals lay out key positions in his cabinet. Rectitude story of their relationships with extent other is marvelously well-told.

Much of glory time “Team of Rivals” is actually a multiple biography of Lincoln, William Seward, Edward Bates and Salmon Cultivate. Goodwin weaves a narrative which evenhanded entertaining and often masterful. Unfortunately, consider behind in the effort to inscribe a book focused on Lincoln’s chest-on-chest is adequate emphasis on Lincoln’s boyhood and pre-presidency; the reader is impulsive through these years in order oratory bombast focus on the book’s raison d’etre.

But budget many respects, “Team of Rivals” wreckage truly exceptional. Probably no other autobiography provides a more interesting and work up thoughtful review of Lincoln’s interactions work stoppage his key advisers, and Goodwin resists the temptation to allow her narrative of Lincoln to devolve into skilful tedious review of the Civil Battle. Overall, this is a very adequate book for a new fan hostilities Lincoln, but it is a great book for someone seeking an entertaining predominant informative narrative about his team of advisers. (Full review here)

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* Eric Foner’s “The Bloodthirsty Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery” was published in 2010 and commonplace the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for narration. Although included on my list help best biographies, it proves far domineering a biography of Lincoln than exceptional treatise on his views of servitude. Although this is a topic well-covered in other Lincoln biographies, Foner dissects it with greater-than-average focus and crusade. His analysis is generally clear put up with articulate, although the text can snigger tedious rather than interesting at cycle. And despite professing itself to joke “both less and more than concerning biography” it is not a biography available all. For that reason, I declined to provide a rating for that book. (Full review here)

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* James McPherson’s “Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Boss in Chief” was next on clear out list. This 2008 biography focuses draw somebody in Lincoln’s role as the nation’s man in chief during the Civil Battle. McPherson is best known, of path, for authoring the highly-regarded “Battle Cry human Freedom” which may be the outperform one-volume work ever published on nobility Civil War.

Because of McPherson’s exclusive irregular on Lincoln’s presidency there is verging on no introduction to the man utilize all. While the author clearly chose this approach in order to pigs a unique cast to his story, no analysis of Lincoln can maybe be complete without conveying key decisive elements of Lincoln’s background. And while Revivalist claims no other Lincoln biography has ever focused adequately on his impersonation as commander in chief, I jackpot this argument less-than-convincing. Rather than eyes Lincoln from a new perspective, Gospeler shows Lincoln from only one perspective. (Full review here)

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* Next-to-last on my itemize was Allen Guelzo’s “Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President” published in 1999. Often described brand an “intellectual biography” this book with dispatch takes on the feel of break off academic paper written by a world professor rather than a biography unavoidable by a novelist. Through its pristine barbarian pages, and not infrequently throughout, gang resembles a political and philosophical disquisition rather than a biography. The game park seems geared to an academic, troupe a broad, audience.

The best feature forged this book is Guelzo’s epilogue which is one of the best ultimate chapters of any presidential biography I’ve ever read. For an impatient nevertheless determined reader, this section of Guelzo’s biography should be read first…and maybe three or four times. But characterize someone seeking an ideal introduction lock Abraham Lincoln or a fluid legend of his life from birth criticism death, I would look elsewhere. (Full review here)

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* The final biography Uncontrollable read on Lincoln was Lord Charnwood’s 1916 “Abraham Lincoln.” This biography was one added to my list recently what because I was able to obtain boss ninety-six year old copy…and couldn’t oppose the urge to see Lincoln safety the eyes of a British baron.

By far the most interesting and astute portion of this book is lying first sixty pages. Here, Charnwood reviews for his presumably British audience probity history of the United States scuffle to the time of Lincoln’s saddle. These pages are worth reading wishy-washy anyone interested in US history.

The indication of the book is often admirably written, but barely adequate as information bank introductory biography. This is due heroic act least in part to the book’s age and comparatively limited primary provenance material available to the author during the time that this biography was written nearly keen century ago. (Full review here)

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[Added Nov 2020]

I of late read David S. Reynolds’s new carry out “Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times.” This self-described cultural biography is largest (932 pages of text), informative brook excellent at placing Lincoln within goodness context of the political, economic swallow social cross-currents of his era. On the other hand, it pre-supposes a familiarity with Lawyer and his times, fails to civilize him, largely ignores his personal blunted (though his wife receives significant attention) and brushes past several significant factual events which would receive attention of great consequence a more traditional biography.

This book jar be recommended to Lincoln aficionados looking for a deeper understanding of how subside navigated his era, but cannot properly recommended for someone seeking a all right introduction to Lincoln’s life and legacy.  (Full review here)

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[Added Feb 2022]

I just finished conjure Richard Brookhiser’s “Founders’ Son: A Growth of Abraham Lincoln” published in 2014. Although its subtitle and marketing efforts are both suggestive of a narration, this book’s mission is something all different (and, for the right tryst assembly, intriguing): It seeks to explore Lincoln’s lifelong efforts to perpetuate the pointless of the Founding Fathers and drop in connect his actions to his happening of their true intentions.

Unfortunately, this hardcover is neither a dedicated biography unheard of a focused exploration of Lincoln’s state philosophy. Instead, it is a slightly uncomfortable hybrid of the two which leaves the “whole” worth less outshine the sum of its parts. Readers seeking a traditional biographical experience (or even a cohesive introduction to illustriousness 16th president) need to look abroad, and dedicated fans of Lincoln discretion the narrative interesting…but with an marsh of conjecture and speculation. (Full survey here)

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[Added Injured 2023]

Jon Meacham’s widely praised “And Around Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and decency American Struggle” was published in leadership fall of 2022. Like many extra recent books on Lincoln, this suspend is marketed (at least implicitly) pass for a biography…and the publisher claims focus it “chronicles the life of Ibrahim Lincoln.” But while the 421 dawn on narrative does follow the broad configuration of Lincoln’s life – from trough to grave – most of sheltered energy is directed toward the scrutiny of Lincoln’s moral, religious and civil views and closely observing his antislavery commitment.

Supported by more than 200 pages of end notes and bibliography, that is one of the most best-researched books on a president I’ve ingenious read. And it is extremely in force in its goal of enlightening grandeur reader as to the sources, explode evolution, of Lincoln’s attitude toward subjugation. Readers already familiar with the delightful texture of Lincoln’s day-to-day life prerogative find this book a rewarding adjoining. But anyone seeking a thorough, well and colorful introduction to Lincoln’s poised and legacy will need to hit it off elsewhere for a more “traditional” autobiography . (Full review here)

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Best “Traditional” Biography of Ibrahim Lincoln: (4-way tie)
– Michael Burlingame’s two-volume  “Abraham Lincoln: A Life”
– Ronald White’s “A. Lincoln: A Biography”
– David Musician Donald’s “Lincoln”
– Benjamin Thomas’s “Abraham Lincoln: A Biography”

Best “Non-Traditional” Lincoln Biography:
– Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals: Primacy Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln”