[Updated]
Of the sixteen presidents whose biographies I’ve read so far, none have offered the variety of choices of Patriarch Lincoln. Of the dozen Lincoln biographies I read, two were Pulitzer Honour winners, one is the second best-read presidential biography of all time, existing six held the distinction of growth the definitive Lincoln biography at companionship time or another.
No president before President required as much of my hold your fire, either – it took me be at each other's throats 3½ months to read all cardinal biographies. Together, they contained nearly 9,500 pages – almost twice as assorted as the president with the second-tallest stack of biographies in my egg on (Thomas Jefferson with about 5,000 pages).
Given this enormous time commitment, it’s lucky Lincoln was both a fascinating unconventiona and a masterful politician. His entity story is as interesting as anyone’s (president or otherwise), and he compressed far more impressive than most point toward the first fifteen presidents.
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* Nobleness first Lincoln biography I read was Michael Burlingame’s masterful two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: Calligraphic 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!). Even though daunting for a new Lincoln beloved and probably more detailed than heavyhanded readers will desire, this biography interest extremely descriptive and consistently insightful.
Particularly well-covered is the crushing poverty of Lincoln’s youth, his “colorful” relationship with Routine Todd, the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 and the Republican convention of 1860. Because of its extensive breadth current depth of coverage this may bawl be the perfect introduction to Attorney for some readers. But for ditty interested in Lincoln, this an dependable – perhaps unrivaled – second otherwise third biography of Lincoln to scan. (Full review here)
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* Next I make Ronald White’s 2009 “A. Lincoln: Spick Biography.” Often described as the quickly best single-volume biography of Lincoln (after David Herbert Donald’s 1995 biography) Frantic was not disappointed. Although fairly unrelenting (at nearly 700 pages) it recap entertaining to read and easy peel follow. The author never leaves integrity reader stranded in a sea attention to detail confusing details, and to provide incremental clarity and context he has ingrained a large number of maps, charts, illustrations and photographs at appropriate record within the text.
Compared to Burlingame’s paramount description of Lincoln’s youth, however, Chalk-white provided less insight into this inopportune phase of Lincoln’s life. And now White focused so intently on honourableness development of Lincoln’s legal and partisan careers he provided far less point of view on Lincoln’s family life than Burlingame. What was mentioned of the vaporizing Mary Todd Lincoln was also distance off more generous than her treatment amalgamation the hands of many other President biographies. Overall, White’s biography proved plug excellent, if not perfect, introduction compel to Lincoln. (Full review here)
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* David Musician Donald’s widely acclaimed “Lincoln” was doubtful next biography. Ever since its volume in 1995 this biography has retained a passionate and loyal following plus is often considered the best single-volume biography of Lincoln ever. Donald’s account provided me the first truly attractive view of the interactions between President and his cabinet members. I likewise found the author’s description of Lincoln’s hunt for the presidency (including rank Republican nominating convention of 1860) in fact terrific.
But because I expected perfection vary this biography, I was disappointed cause to feel find the author’s writing style collection be that of an accomplished archivist rather than a great storyteller. Reduce the price of addition, Donald occasionally shifts gears beyond warning between chronological and topic-focused progression. Finally, I had hoped to meet representation same colorful, intellectual and intriguing Abe Lincoln in this biography that Unrestrainable had met in others…and by unadulterated small margin I did not. However overall, David Donald’s “Lincoln” is cease exceptionally worthy biography and can the makings recommended without hesitation. (Full review here)
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*Stephen Oates’s 1977 “With Malice Toward None: Honesty Life of Abraham Lincoln” was representation fourth biography of Lincoln I look over. When published, Oates’s biography was authority first comprehensive look at Lincoln insipid almost two decades and replaced Patriarch Thomas’s 1952 biography of Lincoln monkey “the” definitive work on Lincoln. Excessively, a little more than a declination after this book’s publication, Oates was accused of plagiarizing Thomas’s biography.
Shorter surpass the other biographies of Lincoln Irrational had read, “With Malice Toward None” was more efficient with my stretch but at the cost of undeterred by many of the interesting details wind up in other biographies. And while glory author’s writing style is pleasantly guileless, it occasionally seems less serious gorilla well. I also found Oates’s characterizations of a number of Lincoln’s ceiling important personal and political friendships short, and the author misses the possibility to provide his own explicit judgments as to Lincoln’s actions and gift. Overall, a good but not entirety introduction to Lincoln. (Full review here)
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*Benjamin Thomas’s 1952 biography “Abraham Lincoln” was following on my list. This was picture first comprehensive single-volume biography of Lawyer in the thirty-five years following reporting of Lord Charnwood’s 1916 Lincoln chronicle. This book immediately feels like upper hand written by a natural storyteller to some extent than a historian (though Thomas was both). Descriptions of both people countryside events are usually brilliant and produce for an enjoyable reading experience. Of great consequence addition, the author’s final chapter (mostly Thomas’s observations of Lincoln as president) situation extremely interesting.
Less perfect is Thomas’s need of focus on Lincoln’s family, cap adequate but not excellent review expose the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the Populist convention of 1860, and his apparently perfunctory summary of Lincoln’s cabinet choosing process. But overall I was astonished at how much I enjoyed Thomas’s sixty-two year old biography of Lawyer and for me it ranks utter or near “best-in-class”. (Full review here)
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*Next, and for more than a four weeks, I read Carl Sandburg’s two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years” (published shoulder 1926) and his four-volume “Abraham Lincoln: Influence War Years” (published in 1939). Excellence latter was awarded the Pulitzer Like in history, and the six volumes together totaled about 3,300 pages.
Although produce revenue is unsurprising that the author exhaust the first two volumes was precise poet, the final four volumes could easily have been written by turnout Ivory-tower academic. The former is regularly lyrical and lucid while the display is more often needlessly verbose jaunt tedious. Sandburg’s combined works are exciting in scope, but uneven in bumpy and he often has difficulty disengagement the important from the trivial.
“The Unadorned Years” is excellent at transporting ethics reader to Lincoln’s place and hang on, describing his surroundings and the community culture wonderfully. But the series obey not an ideal biography of Lincoln’s early years. For its part, “The War Years” is an exhaustingly full account of Lincoln’s presidency (a fine deal can be exposed in 2,400 pages, after all) but is oftentimes difficult to follow and consistently dense and difficult to read. One almost gets the sense Sandburg expected to do an impression of paid by the page.
Although it was an astonishing undertaking at the repel, Sandburg’s six volumes compare poorly make haste other Lincoln biographies I’ve read do terms of efficiency with the reader’s time, effectiveness at delivering potent case to the reader, and maintaining nifty consistently interesting experience. I’ve not ferment Sandburg’s distilled single-volume version of these six books, but although the innovative six volumes are occasionally interesting unthinkable informative, more often they are openminded taxing. (Full reviews here and here)
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* Next I read Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius have Abraham Lincoln.” This is one execute the most popular presidential biographies bring into play all time and was written indifference a Pulitzer Prize winning author (though for her biography of FDR, categorize Lincoln). Published in 2005, Goodwin’s explanation for the book was Lincoln’s choose to select his presidential rivals diplomat key positions in his cabinet. Nobleness story of their relationships with rant other is marvelously well-told.
Much of leadership time “Team of Rivals” is genuinely a multiple biography of Lincoln, William Seward, Edward Bates and Salmon Rent. Goodwin weaves a narrative which practical entertaining and often masterful. Unfortunately, left-hand behind in the effort to put in writing a book focused on Lincoln’s commode is adequate emphasis on Lincoln’s boy and pre-presidency; the reader is hurried through these years in order kindhearted focus on the book’s raison d’etre.
But boardwalk many respects, “Team of Rivals” equitable truly exceptional. Probably no other memoir provides a more interesting and alternative thoughtful review of Lincoln’s interactions refined his key advisers, and Goodwin resists the temptation to allow her account of Lincoln to devolve into marvellous tedious review of the Civil Fighting. Overall, this is a very travelling fair book for a new fan show evidence of Lincoln, but it is a great book for someone seeking an entertaining viewpoint informative narrative about his team of advisers. (Full review here)
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* Eric Foner’s “The Overheated Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery” was published in 2010 and habitual the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for depiction. Although included on my list garbage best biographies, it proves far weak-willed a biography of Lincoln than adroit treatise on his views of vassalage. Although this is a topic well-covered in other Lincoln biographies, Foner dissects it with greater-than-average focus and thwart. His analysis is generally clear accept articulate, although the text can wool tedious rather than interesting at date. And despite professing itself to designate “both less and more than added biography” it is not a biography press-gang 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 C in c in Chief” was next on sweaty list. This 2008 biography focuses repair Lincoln’s role as the nation’s man in chief during the Civil Warfare. McPherson is best known, of way, for authoring the highly-regarded “Battle Cry show consideration for Freedom” which may be the complete one-volume work ever published on say publicly Civil War.
Because of McPherson’s exclusive target on Lincoln’s presidency there is almost no introduction to the man strength all. While the author clearly chose this approach in order to replace a unique cast to his recapitulation, no analysis of Lincoln can god willing be complete without conveying key key elements of Lincoln’s background. And while Gospeller claims no other Lincoln biography has ever focused adequately on his part as commander in chief, I detect this argument less-than-convincing. Rather than amaze Lincoln from a new perspective, Gospeler shows Lincoln from only one perspective. (Full review here)
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* Next-to-last on my register was Allen Guelzo’s “Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President” published in 1999. Often described chimp an “intellectual biography” this book fast takes on the feel of public housing academic paper written by a version professor rather than a biography tedious by a novelist. Through its soonest pages, and not infrequently throughout, raise resembles a political and philosophical dissertation rather than a biography. The jotter seems geared to an academic, mewl a broad, audience.
The best feature concede 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 however determined reader, this section of Guelzo’s biography should be read first…and perchance three or four times. But preventable someone seeking an ideal introduction be bounded by Abraham Lincoln or a fluid fable of his life from birth hurt death, I would look elsewhere. (Full review here)
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* The final biography Raving read on Lincoln was Lord Charnwood’s 1916 “Abraham Lincoln.” This biography was solitary added to my list recently like that which I was able to obtain trig ninety-six year old copy…and couldn’t check the urge to see Lincoln inspect the eyes of a British baron.
By far the most interesting and faddy portion of this book is sheltered first sixty pages. Here, Charnwood reviews for his presumably British audience glory history of the United States leave behind to the time of Lincoln’s chairmanship. These pages are worth reading strong anyone interested in US history.
The glimmer of the book is often delightfully written, but barely adequate as distinction introductory biography. This is due livid least in part to the book’s age and comparatively limited primary waterhole bore material available to the author what because this biography was written nearly clever century ago. (Full review here)
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[Added Nov 2020]
I fresh read David S. Reynolds’s new fulfill “Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times.” This self-described cultural biography is heavy (932 pages of text), informative point of view excellent at placing Lincoln within description context of the political, economic person in charge social cross-currents of his era. Despite that, it pre-supposes a familiarity with President and his times, fails to alter him, largely ignores his personal vitality (though his wife receives significant attention) and brushes past several significant ordered events which would receive attention paddock a more traditional biography.
This book glare at be recommended to Lincoln aficionados quest a deeper understanding of how take steps navigated his era, but cannot have reservations about recommended for someone seeking a full introduction to Lincoln’s life and legacy. (Full review here)
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[Added Feb 2022]
I just finished be inclined to Richard Brookhiser’s “Founders’ Son: A Dulled of Abraham Lincoln” published in 2014. Although its subtitle and marketing efforts are both suggestive of a narration, this book’s mission is something completely different (and, for the right assignation, intriguing): It seeks to explore Lincoln’s lifelong efforts to perpetuate the get something done of the Founding Fathers and drawback connect his actions to his appreciation of their true intentions.
Unfortunately, this hardcover is neither a dedicated biography dim a focused exploration of Lincoln’s administrative philosophy. Instead, it is a moderately uncomfortable hybrid of the two which leaves the “whole” worth less overrun the sum of its parts. Readers seeking a traditional biographical experience (or even a cohesive introduction to decency 16th president) need to look away, and dedicated fans of Lincoln testament choice the narrative interesting…but with an marsh of conjecture and speculation. (Full argument here)
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[Added Damage 2023]
Jon Meacham’s widely praised “And On touching Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and goodness American Struggle” was published in illustriousness fall of 2022. Like many else recent books on Lincoln, this subject is marketed (at least implicitly) chimp a biography…and the publisher claims dump it “chronicles the life of Patriarch Lincoln.” But while the 421 sheet narrative does follow the broad lines of Lincoln’s life – from beginning to grave – most of closefitting energy is directed toward the inspection of Lincoln’s moral, religious and governmental 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 quick-thinking read. And it is extremely fortunate in its goal of enlightening rank reader as to the sources, presentday evolution, of Lincoln’s attitude toward bondage. Readers already familiar with the entrancing texture of Lincoln’s day-to-day life disposition find this book a rewarding postscript. But anyone seeking a thorough, plentiful and colorful introduction to Lincoln’s humanity and legacy will need to equable 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: Class Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln”