A. Lincoln: A Biography

Lincoln the President continues to fascinate people, and 2009 being the bicentennial of his birth, will just increase the number of books and TV shows about him, his life and his presidency. The trick will be picking and choosing which book to read, and which to skip. For avid readers of Lincolnia, it will be finding books with new information, insights and conclusions. "A. Lincoln: A Biography" should be on the short-list for anyone interested in spending some quality time, (and, at 800 pages, a commitment of a long weekend), reading the latest, and probably best new biography in the last decade or so. White has used the recently completed Lincoln Legal Papers, along with newly discovered letters and photographs, to give a comprehensive overview of a country lawyer who made connections throughout his career that eventually made him a pivotal player in the newly reformed Republican Party (and almost made him the Vice-Presidential in 1856.) Lincoln often wrote down ideas and thoughts on scraps of paper and filed them in his top hat, or in the bottom drawer of his desk. The surviving notes work almost as a journal (an argument that White makes) and give another view into Lincoln's thoughts, apart from the public speeches and private letters. White also delves into Lincoln's family, particularly Lincoln's complex relationship with his father, and his step-mother Sarah Bush Lincoln, who encouraged him to continue his education however he could. The book is broken up into the years leading up to the Presidency, and Lincoln's time in office. There are a number of pictures, maps and editorial cartoon reprinted among the pages, and not in a series of plates, that adds to the layout and narrative. White's writing style is approachable and easy to read, particularly helpful when the book itself is as long as this one. While there will be other Lincoln biographies released this year, "A. Lincoln" is likely to be a standard for the next several years.

`A. Lincoln' by Ronald C. White Jr. In this extremely well researched and superbly readable biography, Ronald White brings our 16th US President to life with clarity rarely seen among contemporary biographers. Beginning with a breakdown of the subjects family tree - a family tree, I may add, with branches that remained a mystery to Lincoln during his lifetime - through his congressional, senatorial and finally a remarkable presidential campaign. `Father Abraham' comes to life with vivid imagery of his time spent logically analyzing matters, which in retrospect, were monumental in our nations history. Lincoln's compassion, integrity and honesty shine through clearly in his relationships with cabinet members, old friends such as Joshua Speed and luminaries like Frederick Douglass. Mr. White does a splendid job demonstrating the near dazzling likeability this president possessed; rarely, if ever, did a political friend or foe find Lincoln anything but gracious, kind and magnanimous in most trying of times. The second half of this book deals with Lincoln's presidency and devotes significant time to his prosecution of the Civil War. Family life takes somewhat of a backseat in the latter 250 or so pages as this time is spent with Lincoln formulating policy and self-educating on military strategy. However, family tragedies are examined and the effect these events had on the Lincoln family are discussed and analyzed. `A. Lincoln' is an absolutely spellbinding read that I found near impossible to put down. It is as entertaining as it is educational, as comprehensive as it is compelling. Definitely pick it up and enjoy each and every page. Wonderful!

Professor White, a notable expert on Mr. Lincoln, has produced a solid, well-written biography. The book is divided about equally between the years from birth leading up to the presidency and the years in actual office. Professor White rightly, and quite intelligently, devotes a fair deal of time to explaining the writing and political skills that led this man to greatness. The author is also good at explaining the religious influences, especially those of Rev. Gurley, that informed President Lincoln's thinking on the possible purposes of the horrific war. While Professor White keeps family matters largely in the background (where they belong), I do think his view of Mary Lincoln is extremely kind. In my view she was the Hell Cat described by John Hay. All in all, a good purchase for any person seeking the life story of the finest man born 200 years ago (or since).