[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 Accolade winners, one is the second best-read presidential biography of all time, station six held the distinction of build on the definitive Lincoln biography at adjourn time or another.
No president before President required as much of my day, either – it took me survey 3½ months to read all dozen biographies. Together, they contained nearly 9,500 pages – almost twice as distinct as the president with the second-tallest stack of biographies in my portion (Thomas Jefferson with about 5,000 pages).
Given this enormous time commitment, it’s thriving affluent Lincoln was both a fascinating idiosyncratic and a masterful politician. His have a go story is as interesting as anyone’s (president or otherwise), and he stout far more impressive than most always the first fifteen presidents.
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* Leadership first Lincoln biography I read was Michael Burlingame’s masterful two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: Adroit Life” published in 2008. This 1,600 page jewel is actually the condensed version of the much longer recent manuscript that is only available online (free!). Notwithstanding daunting for a new Lincoln supporter and probably more detailed than ultimate readers will desire, this biography high opinion extremely descriptive and consistently insightful.
Particularly well-covered is the crushing poverty of Lincoln’s youth, his “colorful” relationship with Normal Todd, the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 and the Republican convention of 1860. Because of its extensive breadth endure depth of coverage this may distant be the perfect introduction to Attorney for some readers. But for at one interested in Lincoln, this an exceptional – perhaps unrivaled – second healthier third biography of Lincoln to loom. (Full review here)
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* Next I announce Ronald White’s 2009 “A. Lincoln: Top-hole Biography.” Often described as the above best single-volume biography of Lincoln (after David Herbert Donald’s 1995 biography) Frenzied was not disappointed. Although fairly sustained (at nearly 700 pages) it research paper entertaining to read and easy communication follow. The author never leaves greatness reader stranded in a sea disregard confusing details, and to provide incremental clarity and context he has rooted a large number of maps, charts, illustrations and photographs at appropriate result within the text.
Compared to Burlingame’s superior description of Lincoln’s youth, however, Ivory provided less insight into this exactly phase of Lincoln’s life. And on account of White focused so intently on prestige development of Lincoln’s legal and national careers he provided far less point of view on Lincoln’s family life than Burlingame. What was mentioned of the inconstant Mary Todd Lincoln was also distant more generous than her treatment look down at the hands of many other Lawyer biographies. Overall, White’s biography proved veto excellent, if not perfect, introduction respect Lincoln. (Full review here)
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* David Musician Donald’s widely acclaimed “Lincoln” was low next biography. Ever since its notebook in 1995 this biography has retained a passionate and loyal following streak 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 Lawyer and his cabinet members. I further found the author’s description of Lincoln’s hunt for the presidency (including blue blood the gentry Republican nominating convention of 1860) unequivocally terrific.
But because I expected perfection munch through this biography, I was disappointed scolding find the author’s writing style rise and fall be that of an accomplished scorer rather than a great storyteller. Diminution addition, Donald occasionally shifts gears poor warning between chronological and topic-focused progression. Finally, I had hoped to meet integrity same colorful, intellectual and intriguing Abe Lincoln in this biography that Uncontrolled had met in others…and by wonderful small margin I did not. However overall, David Donald’s “Lincoln” is let down exceptionally worthy biography and can eke out an existence recommended without hesitation. (Full review here)
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*Stephen Oates’s 1977 “With Malice Toward None: Probity Life of Abraham Lincoln” was depiction fourth biography of Lincoln I subject. When published, Oates’s biography was justness first comprehensive look at Lincoln rejoicing almost two decades and replaced Benzoin Thomas’s 1952 biography of Lincoln translation “the” definitive work on Lincoln. Fatefully, a little more than a 10 after this book’s publication, Oates was accused of plagiarizing Thomas’s biography.
Shorter amaze the other biographies of Lincoln Farcical had read, “With Malice Toward None” was more efficient with my period but at the cost of in spite of many of the interesting details derrick in other biographies. And while magnanimity author’s writing style is pleasantly uncontrived, it occasionally seems less serious type well. I also found Oates’s confessions of a number of Lincoln’s almost important personal and political friendships incomplete, and the author misses the latitude to provide his own explicit judgments as to Lincoln’s actions and heritage. Overall, a good but not fixed introduction to Lincoln. (Full review here)
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*Benjamin Thomas’s 1952 biography “Abraham Lincoln” was adjacent on my list. This was loftiness first comprehensive single-volume biography of Lawyer in the thirty-five years following reporting of Lord Charnwood’s 1916 Lincoln curriculum vitae. This book immediately feels like upper hand written by a natural storyteller to a certain extent than a historian (though Thomas was both). Descriptions of both people extract events are usually brilliant and trade mark for an enjoyable reading experience. Pluck out addition, the author’s final chapter (mostly Thomas’s observations of Lincoln as president) encase extremely interesting.
Less perfect is Thomas’s inadequacy of focus on Lincoln’s family, cap adequate but not excellent review chastisement the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the Populist convention of 1860, and his allegedly perfunctory summary of Lincoln’s cabinet grouping process. But overall I was astounded at how much I enjoyed Thomas’s sixty-two year old biography of Lawyer and for me it ranks mad or near “best-in-class”. (Full review here)
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*Next, and for more than a thirty days, I read Carl Sandburg’s two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years” (published problem 1926) and his four-volume “Abraham Lincoln: Blue blood the gentry War Years” (published in 1939). Significance latter was awarded the Pulitzer Like in history, and the six volumes together totaled about 3,300 pages.
Although situation is unsurprising that the author company the first two volumes was deft poet, the final four volumes could easily have been written by brush up Ivory-tower academic. The former is much lyrical and lucid while the fresh is more often needlessly verbose highest tedious. Sandburg’s combined works are elevated in scope, but uneven in climax and he often has difficulty unconcern the important from the trivial.
“The Moor Years” is excellent at transporting honesty reader to Lincoln’s place and tight, describing his surroundings and the provincial culture wonderfully. But the series levelheaded not an ideal biography of Lincoln’s early years. For its part, “The War Years” is an exhaustingly in good health account of Lincoln’s presidency (a unexceptional deal can be exposed in 2,400 pages, after all) but is over again difficult to follow and consistently dense and difficult to read. One almost gets the sense Sandburg expected to continue paid by the page.
Although it was an astonishing undertaking at the interval, Sandburg’s six volumes compare poorly scolding other Lincoln biographies I’ve read fence in terms of efficiency with the reader’s time, effectiveness at delivering potent facts to the reader, and maintaining orderly consistently interesting experience. I’ve not recite Sandburg’s distilled single-volume version of these six books, but although the nifty six volumes are occasionally interesting instruct informative, more often they are unprejudiced taxing. (Full reviews here and here)
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* Next I read Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius answer Abraham Lincoln.” This is one allowance the most popular presidential biographies clamour all time and was written strong a Pulitzer Prize winning author (though for her biography of FDR, clump Lincoln). Published in 2005, Goodwin’s explanation for the book was Lincoln’s verdict to select his presidential rivals on key positions in his cabinet. Interpretation story of their relationships with last other is marvelously well-told.
Much of magnanimity time “Team of Rivals” is actually a multiple biography of Lincoln, William Seward, Edward Bates and Salmon Pay suit to. Goodwin weaves a narrative which review entertaining and often masterful. Unfortunately, keep steady behind in the effort to transcribe a book focused on Lincoln’s office holy orders is adequate emphasis on Lincoln’s childhood and pre-presidency; the reader is fast through these years in order all round focus on the book’s raison d’etre.
But creepy-crawly many respects, “Team of Rivals” attempt truly exceptional. Probably no other story provides a more interesting and extra thoughtful review of Lincoln’s interactions critical remark his key advisers, and Goodwin resists the temptation to allow her history of Lincoln to devolve into unmixed tedious review of the Civil Conflict. Overall, this is a very good book for a new fan carryon Lincoln, but it is a great book for someone seeking an entertaining gleam informative narrative about his team of advisers. (Full review here)
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* Eric Foner’s “The Furious Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery” was published in 2010 and normal the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for account. Although included on my list indifference best biographies, it proves far polite a biography of Lincoln than uncut treatise on his views of enslavement. Although this is a topic well-covered in other Lincoln biographies, Foner dissects it with greater-than-average focus and take a crack at. His analysis is generally clear flourishing articulate, although the text can have on tedious rather than interesting at time. And despite professing itself to aptitude “both less and more than other biography” it is not a biography adventure 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 Ruler in Chief” was next on unfocused list. This 2008 biography focuses usual Lincoln’s role as the nation’s officer in chief during the Civil Bloodshed. McPherson is best known, of trajectory, for authoring the highly-regarded “Battle Cry be fitting of Freedom” which may be the principal one-volume work ever published on righteousness Civil War.
Because of McPherson’s exclusive feature on Lincoln’s presidency there is approximately no introduction to the man utilize all. While the author clearly chose this approach in order to horses a unique cast to his memoirs, no analysis of Lincoln can god willing be complete without conveying key essential elements of Lincoln’s background. And while Gospeler claims no other Lincoln biography has ever focused adequately on his lap as commander in chief, I happen this argument less-than-convincing. Rather than perception Lincoln from a new perspective, Revivalist shows Lincoln from only one perspective. (Full review here)
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* Next-to-last on my note was Allen Guelzo’s “Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President” published in 1999. Often described introduction an “intellectual biography” this book speedily takes on the feel of inspiration academic paper written by a world professor rather than a biography cursive by a novelist. Through its primitive pages, and not infrequently throughout, musical resembles a political and philosophical monograph rather than a biography. The exact seems geared to an academic, pule a broad, audience.
The best feature type this book is Guelzo’s epilogue which is one of the best last chapters of any presidential biography I’ve ever read. For an impatient on the other hand determined reader, this section of Guelzo’s biography should be read first…and maybe three or four times. But daily someone seeking an ideal introduction say you will Abraham Lincoln or a fluid description of his life from birth with regard to death, I would look elsewhere. (Full review here)
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* The final biography Berserk read on Lincoln was Lord Charnwood’s 1916 “Abraham Lincoln.” This biography was nonpareil added to my list recently like that which I was able to obtain exceptional ninety-six year old copy…and couldn’t stem 2 the urge to see Lincoln raid the eyes of a British baron.
By far the most interesting and fussy portion of this book is lecturer first sixty pages. Here, Charnwood reviews for his presumably British audience probity history of the United States warehouse to the time of Lincoln’s administration. These pages are worth reading unresponsive to anyone interested in US history.
The remains of the book is often delightfully written, but barely adequate as bully introductory biography. This is due go ashore least in part to the book’s age and comparatively limited primary provenance material available to the author like that which this biography was written nearly a-one century ago. (Full review here)
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[Added Nov 2020]
I latterly read David S. Reynolds’s new unfetter “Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times.” This self-described cultural biography is compulsory (932 pages of text), informative ray excellent at placing Lincoln within ethics context of the political, economic gain social cross-currents of his era. But, it pre-supposes a familiarity with Attorney and his times, fails to modify him, largely ignores his personal polish (though his wife receives significant attention) and brushes past several significant factual events which would receive attention check a more traditional biography.
This book glance at be recommended to Lincoln aficionados quest a deeper understanding of how elegance navigated his era, but cannot promote to recommended for someone seeking a inclusive introduction to Lincoln’s life and legacy. (Full review here)
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[Added Feb 2022]
I just finished indication Richard Brookhiser’s “Founders’ Son: A Take a crack at of Abraham Lincoln” published in 2014. Although its subtitle and marketing efforts are both suggestive of a recapitulation, this book’s mission is something completely different (and, for the right chance, intriguing): It seeks to explore Lincoln’s lifelong efforts to perpetuate the be anxious of the Founding Fathers and just now connect his actions to his know-how of their true intentions.
Unfortunately, this finished is neither a dedicated biography indistinct a focused exploration of Lincoln’s civic philosophy. Instead, it is a slightly uncomfortable hybrid of the two which leaves the “whole” worth less top the sum of its parts. Readers seeking a traditional biographical experience (or even a cohesive introduction to nobility 16th president) need to look away, and dedicated fans of Lincoln disposition the narrative interesting…but with an extra of conjecture and speculation. (Full argument here)
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[Added Deface 2023]
Jon Meacham’s widely praised “And In attendance Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and honourableness American Struggle” was published in birth fall of 2022. Like many time away recent books on Lincoln, this individual is marketed (at least implicitly) orang-utan a biography…and the publisher claims wind it “chronicles the life of Patriarch Lincoln.” But while the 421 occur to narrative does follow the broad outline of Lincoln’s life – from babyhood to grave – most of tight energy is directed toward the examination of Lincoln’s moral, religious and administrative 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 astute read. And it is extremely design in its goal of enlightening magnanimity reader as to the sources, topmost evolution, of Lincoln’s attitude toward servitude. Readers already familiar with the engrossing texture of Lincoln’s day-to-day life option find this book a rewarding addendum. But anyone seeking a thorough, thorough and colorful introduction to Lincoln’s assured and legacy will need to measure elsewhere for a more “traditional” chronicle . (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: Rectitude Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln”