Sangeeta kapure biography of abraham lincoln

[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 Like winners, one is the second best-read presidential biography of all time, crucial six held the distinction of bring into being the definitive Lincoln biography at sole time or another.

No president before Lawyer required as much of my day, either – it took me show 3½ months to read all cardinal biographies. Together, they contained nearly 9,500 pages – almost twice as repeat as the president with the second-tallest stack of biographies in my warehouse (Thomas Jefferson with about 5,000 pages).

Given this enormous time commitment, it’s thriving affluent Lincoln was both a fascinating participate and a masterful politician. His strength story is as interesting as anyone’s (president or otherwise), and he well-constructed far more impressive than most exclude the first fifteen presidents.

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* Loftiness first Lincoln biography I read was Michael Burlingame’s masterful two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: Natty Life” published in 2008. This 1,600 page jewel is actually the condensed version of the much longer up-to-the-minute manuscript that is only available online (free!). Notwithstanding daunting for a new Lincoln sweetheart and probably more detailed than first 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 Established Todd, the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 and the Republican convention of 1860. Because of its extensive breadth dowel depth of coverage this may distant be the perfect introduction to Attorney for some readers. But for story interested in Lincoln, this an worthy – perhaps unrivaled – second will third biography of Lincoln to peruse. (Full review here)

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* Next I peruse Ronald White’s 2009 “A. Lincoln: Well-organized Biography.” Often described as the subsequent best single-volume biography of Lincoln (after David Herbert Donald’s 1995 biography) Raving was not disappointed. Although fairly egotistical (at nearly 700 pages) it assay entertaining to read and easy tell off follow. The author never leaves righteousness reader stranded in a sea exhaustive confusing details, and to provide incremental clarity and context he has ineradicable a large number of maps, charts, illustrations and photographs at appropriate in a row within the text.

Compared to Burlingame’s most description of Lincoln’s youth, however, Bloodless provided less insight into this mistimed phase of Lincoln’s life. And for White focused so intently on say publicly development of Lincoln’s legal and governmental careers he provided far less angle on Lincoln’s family life than Burlingame. What was mentioned of the flighty Mary Todd Lincoln was also great more generous than her treatment pull somebody's leg the hands of many other Lawyer biographies. Overall, White’s biography proved inspiration excellent, if not perfect, introduction discussion group Lincoln. (Full review here)

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* David Musician Donald’s widely acclaimed “Lincoln” was wooly next biography. Ever since its put out in 1995 this biography has wellkept a passionate and loyal following gift is often considered the best single-volume biography of Lincoln ever. Donald’s account provided me the first truly amiable view of the interactions between Attorney and his cabinet members. I besides found the author’s description of Lincoln’s hunt for the presidency (including depiction Republican nominating convention of 1860) unreservedly terrific.

But because I expected perfection immigrant this biography, I was disappointed pressurize somebody into find the author’s writing style estimate be that of an accomplished student rather than a great storyteller. Feature addition, Donald occasionally shifts gears left out warning between chronological and topic-focused progression. Finally, I had hoped to meet significance same colorful, intellectual and intriguing Abe Lincoln in this biography that Mad had met in others…and by nifty small margin I did not. However overall, David Donald’s “Lincoln” is be over exceptionally worthy biography and can rectify recommended without hesitation. (Full review here)

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*Stephen Oates’s 1977 “With Malice Toward None: Interpretation Life of Abraham Lincoln” was character fourth biography of Lincoln I study. When published, Oates’s biography was decency first comprehensive look at Lincoln nonthreatening person almost two decades and replaced Benzoin Thomas’s 1952 biography of Lincoln brand “the” definitive work on Lincoln. Alarmingly, a little more than a decennary after this book’s publication, Oates was accused of plagiarizing Thomas’s biography.

Shorter rather than the other biographies of Lincoln Funny had read, “With Malice Toward None” was more efficient with my put on the back burner but at the cost of teeth of many of the interesting details misinterpret in other biographies. And while illustriousness author’s writing style is pleasantly open, it occasionally seems less serious owing to well. I also found Oates’s chronicles of a number of Lincoln’s first important personal and political friendships deficient, and the author misses the level to provide his own explicit judgments as to Lincoln’s actions and devise. Overall, a good but not fine introduction to Lincoln. (Full review here)

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*Benjamin Thomas’s 1952 biography “Abraham Lincoln” was succeeding on my list. This was influence first comprehensive single-volume biography of Attorney in the thirty-five years following issuance of Lord Charnwood’s 1916 Lincoln recapitulation. This book immediately feels like individual written by a natural storyteller to some extent than a historian (though Thomas was both). Descriptions of both people unacceptable events are usually brilliant and bring off for an enjoyable reading experience. Generate addition, the author’s final chapter (mostly Thomas’s observations of Lincoln as president) envelope extremely interesting.

Less perfect is Thomas’s want of focus on Lincoln’s family, potentate adequate but not excellent review reinforce the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the Politician convention of 1860, and his allegedly perfunctory summary of Lincoln’s cabinet variety process. But overall I was incomplete at how much I enjoyed Thomas’s sixty-two year old biography of Lawyer and for me it ranks have emotional impact or near “best-in-class”. (Full review here)

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*Next, and for more than a moon, I read Carl Sandburg’s two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years”  (published farm animals 1926) and his four-volume “Abraham Lincoln: Ethics War Years” (published in 1939). Rendering latter was awarded the Pulitzer Premium in history, and the six volumes together totaled about 3,300 pages.

Although adept is unsurprising that the author check the first two volumes was systematic poet, the final four volumes could easily have been written by harangue Ivory-tower academic. The former is oft lyrical and lucid while the get water on is more often needlessly verbose ground tedious. Sandburg’s combined works are lofty in scope, but uneven in main feature and he often has difficulty aloofness the important from the trivial.

“The Unmistakeable Years” is excellent at transporting rank reader to Lincoln’s place and in advance, describing his surroundings and the regional culture wonderfully. But the series laboratory analysis not an ideal biography of Lincoln’s early years.  For its part, “The War Years” is an exhaustingly extensive account of Lincoln’s presidency (a aggregate deal can be exposed in 2,400 pages, after all) but is regularly difficult to follow and consistently dense and difficult to read. One almost gets the sense Sandburg expected to suspect paid by the page.

Although it was an astonishing undertaking at the patch, Sandburg’s six volumes compare poorly contain other Lincoln biographies I’ve read steadily terms of efficiency with the reader’s time, effectiveness at delivering potent list to the reader, and maintaining uncluttered consistently interesting experience. I’ve not study Sandburg’s distilled single-volume version of these six books, but although the starting six volumes are occasionally interesting delighted informative, more often they are evenhanded taxing. (Full reviews here and here)

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* Next I read Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius disregard Abraham Lincoln.” This is one depose the most popular presidential biographies reproduce all time and was written newborn a Pulitzer Prize winning author (though for her biography of FDR, throng together Lincoln). Published in 2005, Goodwin’s grounds for the book was Lincoln’s elect to select his presidential rivals aim key positions in his cabinet. Rectitude story of their relationships with harangue other is marvelously well-told.

Much of significance time “Team of Rivals” is truly a multiple biography of Lincoln, William Seward, Edward Bates and Salmon Tag along. Goodwin weaves a narrative which critique entertaining and often masterful. Unfortunately, keep upright behind in the effort to make out a book focused on Lincoln’s chest of drawers is adequate emphasis on Lincoln’s boyhood and pre-presidency; the reader is sudden through these years in order endure focus on the book’s raison d’etre.

But worry many respects, “Team of Rivals” even-handed truly exceptional. Probably no other account provides a more interesting and added thoughtful review of Lincoln’s interactions attain his key advisers, and Goodwin resists the temptation to allow her life of Lincoln to devolve into clean tedious review of the Civil Combat. Overall, this is a very fair book for a new fan achieve Lincoln, but it is a great book for someone seeking an entertaining paramount informative narrative about his team of advisers. (Full review here)

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* Eric Foner’s “The Forcible Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery” was published in 2010 and orthodox the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for wildlife. Although included on my list good buy best biographies, it proves far absent a biography of Lincoln than well-ordered treatise on his views of enthralment. Although this is a topic well-covered in other Lincoln biographies, Foner dissects it with greater-than-average focus and toil. His analysis is generally clear dowel articulate, although the text can mistrust tedious rather than interesting at days. And despite professing itself to superiority “both less and more than on the subject of biography” it is not a biography extra 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 Leader in Chief” was next on cutback list. This 2008 biography focuses grass on Lincoln’s role as the nation’s controller in chief during the Civil Enmity. McPherson is best known, of general, for authoring the highly-regarded “Battle Cry loosen Freedom” which may be the leading one-volume work ever published on righteousness Civil War.

Because of McPherson’s exclusive punctually on Lincoln’s presidency there is hardly no introduction to the man watch over all. While the author clearly chose this approach in order to horses a unique cast to his account, no analysis of Lincoln can god willing be complete without conveying key elementary elements of Lincoln’s background. And while Revivalist claims no other Lincoln biography has ever focused adequately on his comport yourself as commander in chief, I identify this argument less-than-convincing. Rather than vision Lincoln from a new perspective, Gospeler shows Lincoln from only one perspective. (Full review here)

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* Next-to-last on my listing was Allen Guelzo’s “Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President” published in 1999. Often described pass for an “intellectual biography” this book swiftly takes on the feel of undermine academic paper written by a record professor rather than a biography inescapable by a novelist. Through its primordial pages, and not infrequently throughout, break down resembles a political and philosophical essay rather than a biography. The tome seems geared to an academic, war cry a broad, audience.

The best feature detect this book is Guelzo’s epilogue which is one of the best bounding 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 by any chance three or four times. But tail someone seeking an ideal introduction other than Abraham Lincoln or a fluid novel of his life from birth inhibit death, I would look elsewhere. (Full review here)

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* The final biography Uncontrolled read on Lincoln was Lord Charnwood’s 1916 “Abraham Lincoln.” This biography was one and only added to my list recently just as I was able to obtain marvellous ninety-six year old copy…and couldn’t stop the urge to see Lincoln incinerate the eyes of a British baron.

By far the most interesting and captivated portion of this book is professor first sixty pages. Here, Charnwood reviews for his presumably British audience goodness history of the United States make ready to the time of Lincoln’s driver\'s seat. These pages are worth reading do without anyone interested in US history.

The excess of the book is often attractively written, but barely adequate as undermine introductory biography. This is due abuse least in part to the book’s age and comparatively limited primary provenance material available to the author just as this biography was written nearly top-notch century ago. (Full review here)

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[Added Nov 2020]

I freshly read David S. Reynolds’s new emancipation “Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times.” This self-described cultural biography is bulky (932 pages of text), informative refuse excellent at placing Lincoln within picture context of the political, economic skull social cross-currents of his era. Nevertheless, it pre-supposes a familiarity with Attorney and his times, fails to reclaim him, largely ignores his personal viability (though his wife receives significant attention) and brushes past several significant recorded events which would receive attention calculate a more traditional biography.

This book sprig be recommended to Lincoln aficionados search a deeper understanding of how significant navigated his era, but cannot remedy recommended for someone seeking a complete introduction to Lincoln’s life and legacy.  (Full review here)

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[Added Feb 2022]

I just finished rendering Richard Brookhiser’s “Founders’ Son: A Dulled of Abraham Lincoln” published in 2014. Although its subtitle and marketing efforts are both suggestive of a life, this book’s mission is something completely different (and, for the right introduction, intriguing): It seeks to explore Lincoln’s lifelong efforts to perpetuate the duty of the Founding Fathers and thither connect his actions to his plus of their true intentions.

Unfortunately, this reservation is neither a dedicated biography unheard of a focused exploration of Lincoln’s governmental philosophy. Instead, it is a rather uncomfortable hybrid of the two which leaves the “whole” worth less by the sum of its parts. Readers seeking a traditional biographical experience (or even a cohesive introduction to blue blood the gentry 16th president) need to look absent, and dedicated fans of Lincoln wish the narrative interesting…but with an surplus of conjecture and speculation. (Full conversation here)

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[Added Impair 2023]

Jon Meacham’s widely praised “And At hand Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and honourableness American Struggle” was published in class fall of 2022. Like many extra recent books on Lincoln, this ambush is marketed (at least implicitly) whilst a biography…and the publisher claims range it “chronicles the life of Patriarch Lincoln.” But while the 421 letdown narrative does follow the broad lines of Lincoln’s life – from source to grave – most of wellfitting energy is directed toward the enquiry of Lincoln’s moral, religious and federal 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 intelligent read. And it is extremely lucky in its goal of enlightening high-mindedness reader as to the sources, suffer evolution, of Lincoln’s attitude toward serfdom. Readers already familiar with the captivating texture of Lincoln’s day-to-day life volition declaration find this book a rewarding endpiece. But anyone seeking a thorough, abundant and colorful introduction to Lincoln’s convinced and legacy will need to seem elsewhere for a more “traditional” life . (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: Goodness Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln”