Lincoln | David Herbert Donald | Stellar biography ...

Lincoln | David Herbert Donald | THE Book on Lincoln

books:

Lincoln

	Lincoln David Herbert Donald Simon & Schuster, 1996 - 720 pages average customer review:based on 108 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Stellar biography ...

This is a superb history written by a brilliant historian. If you want to learn about Lincoln's life in depth, this is the place to start. You not only get an exemplary biography, but you also get the notes, references, and citations that Donald has assembled from a lifetime of research, study, and teaching.

Most of us got little more about Lincoln in our school history classes than a thumbnail sketch. This magnificent work corrects that. I came away completely awestruck at Lincoln's life history. Donald's biography succeeds in bringing home to the reader the magnitude of Lincoln's rise from desperate poverty and frontier circumstances to become one of America's greatest Presidents.

Reward yourself and read this book: It's an unbelievable story well told.

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THE Book on Lincoln

Not much more to say about this book except for this: it's THE book about Lincoln. Period. End of story.

Dr. Vernon M
Cambridge, MA

well-written and well-researched

Donald has written a very satisfying biography of Abraham Lincoln. As he concedes in his preface, it is not a history of the Civil War. In fact, Donald devotes the first 250 pages of the book to Lincoln's career and life prior to becoming president - some of it in very excruciating and dry detail. The latter 350 pages were a much quicker and enjoyable read, but although set in the context of secession and war, Donald focuses largely on the Washington political scene.

"Lincoln" reminds us of the intense disharmony and discord in both the government and the country during the war, and Lincoln's deftness in keeping the diverse coalitions together and balancing both the altruistic and selfish agendas of the myriad of factions. Even our greatest president was forced to embrace the petty politics so evident today, both to run the government as well as to stay elected. The book is full of imagery of Lincoln coolly, calmly and patiently handling the complaining from all over the country, infighting among his political family, and rival Congressmen trying to topple and undermine his administration. Ironically, much of the spiteful conflict Lincoln dealt with was the result of the rivalry for his esteem and affections, whether it was Seward and Chase, Stanton and Welles, or Mary and Herndon. As Donald said, "it was a problem that Lincoln, like other men of enormous personal magnetism, had dealt with throughout his life." And while conflict physically took its toll, Lincoln also appeared to draw energy from it.

Also amazing is Lincoln's capacity to forgive and dismiss grudges, as evidenced by his appointment of Stanton to Secretary of War after a severe personal slight years earlier, appointment of Chase to Supreme Court justice despite his disloyal and scheming to steal the 1864 nomination, and continued friendship with Sumner despite frequent opposition to Lincoln's policy. And of course, there is his boundless patience with his own wife's selfishness, immaturity, and impetuousness which appeared to be a constant source of torment and embarrassment for him.

While Donald perpetuated the Lincoln myth of greatness, he avoided deification of his subject. He did not hesitate to identify Lincoln's shortcomings, such as the neglecting of Robert Lincoln during the childhood years, his meddling in his generals' military matters, his impractical ideas for colonization, and the disorganized management of his cabinet and administration.

Although the preface made it clear that Donald "focuses on Lincoln himself - on what he knew, when he knew it, and why he made his decisions", the reader may be shocked at the book's abrupt ending at Lincoln's death. Readers may be left desperately wanting more information on what happened next, at least like an epilogue type chapter similar to how Doris Kearns Goodwin ended "Team of Rivals".

Regardless, Donald's biography is well-written and well-researched and well worth a read for those interested in Lincoln.

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Very good, but flawed.

Donald has written a defining biography of Lincoln. For once, we get to know the man.

But Donald's approach sometimes seeks to make Lincoln banal simply to demythologize him. Telling the story straight would have been enough.

As an example of how he does this and presupposes much more than he could possibly know, Donald states that Abraham and Mary Lincoln only had four children after many years of marriage so they must have used birth control (forgive me for not having the page number handy).

This is just silly. Grinding axes, or trying to shock with sexual speculation is bad history.

The book is very good, and well worth the read. But bring a critical mind so you can sort some of the author's overstretch.

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Disappointing Book from Brilliant Author

David Donald has for years produced many brilliant histories. This volume is not one of them. It may have been written with "Best Seller" tag in mind, it may be meant for the largest popular readership. If so it succeeds. It is not written for the student of Lincoln and the civil War who is looking for dresh insight into the man and his times.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, page 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

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