LINCOLN

Rating:
Summary: More fox than hedgehog
Review: If you are looking for a 1-volume biography of Lincoln, then look no farther than this. This book gives a definitive portrait of America's greatest President. I recommend it highly, but have my own 'nits' to pick. This is Lincoln the politician, the 'fox' who has many stratagems rather than the principled 'hedgehog', who has only one big stratagem. James M. McPherson in 'Lincoln and the Second American Revolution' argues explicitly for Lincoln the hedeghog, a picture reinforced by Garry Wills' brilliant 'Lincoln at Gettysburg'. Clearly there were elements of both 'fox' and 'hedgehog' in Lincoln's makeup - a canny politician yet totally devoted to the principles of Declaration of Independence. Where you set the limit of each part of his personality is up to each biographer. Looking at this contemporaries, Stephen Douglas was the typical fox and Jefferson Davis a good example of a political hedgehog, perhaps that is why they both failed. This book, in my view, makes Lincoln too much fox, but it makes an excellent case. For example, David Douglas seems to think that Lincoln might have diluted his position on slavery somewhat (in his ill-fated 1865 negotiations with Alexander Stephens) in order to end the war some months earlier. This is dubious in that the only witnesses were Confederates, and otherwise Lincoln gave no sign of adopting any position other than support for the 13th Amendment. To push this case makes Lincoln too foxy for my liking. However, a great book - it should join Sandburg on anyones shelves. If anything it is a better book in many ways than Sandburg's as it steers clear of myth, and does not shrink from some of Lincoln's 'warts'.

Rating:
Summary: A True American Hero
Review: This was a superbly told biography of America's greatest president. Filled with personal details, the strength of this book lies in the recounting of Lincoln's most intimate moments. Read this book and you will get the full picture of the man behind the legend. He was truly an American hero, and I daresay that if you read the book you will come to love the man. Like any great novel, this book makes a profound impact and stays with you long after you have completed it.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic. Superbly Researched and Written
Review: There are many, many Lincoln books to choose from. David Herbert Donald's will stand the test of time and emerge like Sandberg's as one of the classics.

Donald is very thorough with his research and weaves the immense amount of material available on Lincoln into a wonderful story that captures his life. The hardscrabble beginnings are here, as well as the intense desire and ambition that steeled Lincoln for the incredible challenges he faced holding the Union together through a successful waging of the Civil War.

Donald's prose is clear and succinct. I personnally find his Lincoln more accessible than Sandberg's (although it too is a very good biography). Donald mixes enough vignettes of Lincoln the human being with the story of Lincoln the emancipator and savior of the union to present a thoroughly engaging picture of our great president.

Rating:
Summary: The place to start for reading about Lincoln
Review: Lincoln has been deified by too many historians. This biography places his achievements in context. Lincoln still emerges as a great man, but tentative and complex. I would make it compulsory reading for every student studying US history along with McPherson on the civil war.

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive and engrossing
Review: There are two sets of great biographies of Lincoln, those written prior to the release of important archival material in the 1940s and modern biographies which had access to these nmaterials. Carl Sandberg's great biography (and Lord Charnwood's too) were written too early to make use of this important material. Herbert is one of several fine, modern biographers of Lincoln and if you were to read just one Lincoln biography, you would do well with this one. It is extremely comprehensive, For example, Lincoln's career as a lawyer is not skimped over but, rather, treated in great depth. As a lawyer, I found this section of the book to be fascinating. His presidency is so well covered that you get a very good history of the Civil War as part of this biography. I have read much about Lincoln's conflict's with his General of the Army of the Potomac, George McClellan, and this book treats it better than anything else I've read (and I read a lot of Civil War histories). Most importantly, this biography changed my viewpoint. Jefferson had always been my favorite preseident but after reading this book, my estimation of Lincoln rose to the point where he is now the one I most admire. He is so humanized in this book that I truly grew to love him. I recommend this book without reservation.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book, expertly written
Review: The culmination of years of research and writing, this extrodinary book is one of the best on Abe Lincoln. Donald does a wonderful job of helping the reader understand Lincoln's mind, and the things that guided his decision-making. For lovers of American history, this is a top read.

Rating:
Summary: "Honest Abe" comes alive
Review: David Herbert Donald's biography of Abraham Lincoln is an outstanding work that emphasizes his most important aspect, his humanity. Lincoln came to the presidency with one of the skimpiest political resumes of any non-General in American History. Donald shows how this Washington outsider had to grope his way around at first, but then used his remarkable skills to find the political center, which was vital though he often seemed to stand alone. Donald's book focusses on Lincoln's life through Lincoln's eyes. He does not go into great detail about Civil War battles or anything else that Lincoln did not personally witness. The result is a biography that is as thorough as it is readable and that, like its subject, will stand the test of time.

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding book on an outstanding leader
Review: I have not read enough biographies about Abraham Lincoln to claim that this one is the best but after reading Mr. Donald's book it is hard to imagine a better work. Donald explores his subject fully and by removing himself (and letting the story flow uninterrupted), he allows the reader to connect more deeply with Lincoln. Donald doesn't heap praise on Lincoln or substantiate any myths, but this only heightens his credibility for the larger picture. Even with the myths dispersed, the reader will gain a great appreciation of one of our greatest presidents.

Rating:
Summary: Great President, Great Book
Review: Who was the greatest President in American history- Abraham Lincoln? George Washington? Franklin D. Roosevelt? Personally, I give the edge to FDR (the only President elected to four consecutive terms, FDR restored American faith in capitalism during the Great Depression and then led America to victory in the Second World War. The legacy of WWII and his New Deal are still acutely felt over a half-century after his death), but Lincoln was a close second.

David Herbert Donald's "Lincoln" will no doubt put some more grist on the mill for historians to argue about. Documenting Lincoln's career from his days as a lawyer in rural Illinois to his entry into politics to his Presidency, Donald does an excellent job discussing the factors that influenced Lincoln's life and made him the man that he was. Readers casually acquainted with Lincoln's life will be surprised to learn about Lincoln's disastrous term as a Congressman, or some of the difficulties he faced as President with a cabinet filled with men who thought they should be sitting in the Oval Office instead of their boss.

A first-rate book about a first-rate President.

Rating:
Summary: Indispensible History
Review: As a rule of thumb I find biographies to be uninteresting descriptions of people who found themselves where they were in history because of outside forces and not personal action. Anyone could have accomplished the tremendous feats or committed the heinous acts for which these people are remembered if they had been in the same position. There are a select group of people in history though that either created the conditions of their importance or contolled the outcome of their situation as no one else could have done. These are the indispensible people of history. These are people like Napoleon, Washington, Hitler, et al. Also among this group is Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln is the one person in history who has attracted my attention more than any other. I have read two comprehensive biographies of Lincoln and several ones than concentrate on a certain aspect of his life. David Herbert Donald's history is the best I have read.

It really presents Lincoln the man instead of Lincoln the historical personage. Donald discusses the early part of Lincoln's life that developed his unique combination of intelligence, determination, and political skill. He of course focuses primarily on Lincoln's life as a politician since this encompassed the greater part of his adult life.

Donald also discusses the affect that Lincoln's personal life had on his decisions. Lincoln had to deal with a mentally unstable wife due to the deaths of all but one of their children. Coupled with the pressure of trying to win a war took a tremendous toll on Lincoln's health.

I would recommend Donald's history of Lincoln for anyone interested in learning about one of the most important people in, not only the history of our country, but of the world. It was truly unfortunate that his time was cut short because the South may have been able to recover much quicker under his direction than that of the Radical Republicans that gained control after his death. Maybe the civil rights movement could have begun much earlier than it had or may never have been needed.