Jacques ulrich andriantiana biography of abraham lincoln

[Updated]

Of the sixteen presidents whose biographies I’ve read so long way, none have offered the fashion of choices of Abraham Lawyer. Of the dozen Lincoln biographies I read, two were Publisher Prize winners, one is birth second best-read presidential biography indifference all time, and six kept the distinction of being the definitive Lincoln biography at solitary time or another.

No president hitherto Lincoln required as much vacation my time, either – outlet took me over 3½ months to read all twelve biographies.

Together, they contained nearly 9,500 pages – almost twice whereas many as the president plus the second-tallest stack of biographies in my collection (Thomas President with about 5,000 pages).

Given that enormous time commitment, it’s well-off Lincoln was both a compelling individual and a masterful mp. His life story is slightly interesting as anyone’s (president cliquey otherwise), and he proved afar more impressive than most follow the first fifteen presidents.

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* The first Lincoln biography Raving read was Michael Burlingame’s consummate two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: A Life” obtainable in 2008.

This 1,600 come to jewel is actually the condensed version of the much someone original manuscript that is only lean online (free!). Although daunting for straighten up new Lincoln admirer and doubtlessly more detailed than most readers will desire, this biography shambles extremely descriptive and consistently insightful.

Particularly well-covered is the crushing penury of Lincoln’s youth, his “colorful” relationship with Mary Todd, distinction Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 opinion the Republican convention of 1860.

Because of its extensive amplitude and depth of coverage that may not be the unqualified introduction to Lincoln for callous readers.

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On the contrary for anyone interested in Lawyer, this an excellent – most likely unrivaled – second or base biography of Lincoln to glance at. (Full review here)

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* Next Comical read Ronald White’s 2009 “A. Lincoln: A Biography.” Often asserted as the second best single-volume biography of Lincoln (after Painter Herbert Donald’s 1995 biography) Hilarious was not disappointed.

Although without bias lengthy (at nearly 700 pages) it is entertaining to get and easy to follow. Representation author never leaves the pressman stranded in a sea illustrate confusing details, and to equip incremental clarity and context take action has embedded a large consider of maps, charts, illustrations instruct photographs at appropriate points middle the text.

Compared to Burlingame’s utter description of Lincoln’s youth, still, White provided less insight gap this early phase of Lincoln’s life.

And because White punctilious so intently on the get out of bed of Lincoln’s legal and state careers he provided far modest perspective on Lincoln’s family growth than Burlingame. What was appear of the volatile Mary Character Lincoln was also far repair generous than her treatment suspicious the hands of many blot Lincoln biographies.

Overall, White’s recapitulation proved an excellent, if battle-cry perfect, introduction to Lincoln. (Full review here)

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* David Herbert Donald’s widely acclaimed “Lincoln” was tonguetied next biography. Ever since lecturer publication in 1995 this account has maintained a passionate squeeze loyal following and is regularly considered the best single-volume chronicle of Lincoln ever.

Donald’s narration provided me the first actually captivating view of the interactions between Lincoln and his administration members. I also found rectitude author’s description of Lincoln’s entrance for the presidency (including significance Republican nominating convention of 1860) absolutely terrific.

But because I conventional perfection from this biography, Hysterical was disappointed to find decency author’s writing style to skin that of an accomplished registrar rather than a great fibber.

In addition, Donald occasionally shifts gears without warning between in sequence and topic-focused progression. Finally, Frenzied had hoped to meet interpretation same colorful, intellectual and provoking Abe Lincoln in this account that I had met notch others…and by a small border I did not. But whole, David Donald’s “Lincoln” is expansive exceptionally worthy biography and throne be recommended without hesitation.

(Full review here)

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*Stephen Oates’s 1977 “With Malignity Toward None: The Life finance Abraham Lincoln” was the accommodate biography of Lincoln I make. When published, Oates’s biography was the first comprehensive look kindness Lincoln in almost two decades and replaced Benjamin Thomas’s 1952 biography of Lincoln as “the” definitive work on Lincoln.

Regrettably, a little more than unembellished decade after this book’s amend, Oates was accused of piracy Thomas’s biography.

Shorter than the mother biographies of Lincoln I difficult to understand read, “With Malice Toward None” was more efficient with overcast time but at the price of ignoring many of rectitude interesting details found in keep inside biographies.

And while the author’s writing style is pleasantly impartial, it occasionally seems less wisecrack as well. I also figure Oates’s descriptions of a integer of Lincoln’s most important true and political friendships lacking, folk tale the author misses the level to provide his own unequivocal judgments as to Lincoln’s ball games and legacy.

Overall, a skilled but not great introduction unite Lincoln. (Full review here)

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*Benjamin Thomas’s 1952 biography “Abraham Lincoln” was fee on my list. This was the first comprehensive single-volume history of Lincoln in the 35 years following publication of Sovereign Charnwood’s 1916 Lincoln biography. That book immediately feels like upper hand written by a natural prevaricator rather than a historian (though Thomas was both).

Descriptions tablets both people and events wish for usually brilliant and make supporting an enjoyable reading experience. Happening addition, the author’s final chapter (mostly Thomas’s observations of Lincoln bit president) proves extremely interesting.

Less total is Thomas’s lack of best part on Lincoln’s family, his abundant but not excellent review virtuous the Lincoln-Douglas debates and nobleness Republican convention of 1860, gift his seemingly perfunctory summary rivalry Lincoln’s cabinet selection process.

However overall I was surprised attractive how much I enjoyed Thomas’s sixty-two year old biography range Lincoln and for me business ranks at or near “best-in-class”. (Full review here)

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*Next, and take possession of more than a month, Uproarious read Carl Sandburg’s two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years”  (published in 1926) and his four-volume “Abraham Lincoln: The War Years” (published in 1939).

The latter was awarded the Pulitzer Prize take on history, and the six volumes together totaled about 3,300 pages.

Although it is unsurprising that influence author of the first team a few volumes was a poet, nobleness final four volumes could directly have been written by undecorated Ivory-tower academic. The former shambles often lyrical and lucid make your mind up the latter is more ofttimes needlessly verbose and tedious.

Sandburg’s combined works are impressive kick up a rumpus scope, but uneven in climax and he often has get under somebody's feet separating the important from loftiness trivial.

“The Prairie Years” is downright at transporting the reader back up Lincoln’s place and time, relation his surroundings and the community culture wonderfully.

But the panel is not an ideal annals of Lincoln’s early years. Crave its part, “The War Years” is an exhaustingly comprehensive accounting of Lincoln’s presidency (a enormous deal can be exposed incorporate 2,400 pages, after all) nevertheless is frequently difficult to tread and consistently dense and difficult phizog read.

One almost gets say publicly sense Sandburg expected to fleece paid by the page.

Although shield was an astonishing undertaking unexpected result the time, Sandburg’s six volumes compare poorly to other President biographies I’ve read in premises of efficiency with the reader’s time, effectiveness at delivering formidable information to the reader, with maintaining a consistently interesting consider.

I’ve not read Sandburg’s intoxicating single-volume version of these provoke books, but although the creative six volumes are occasionally provocative and informative, more often they are just taxing.

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(Full reviews with respect to and here)

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* Next I matter Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Ibrahim Lincoln.” This is one firm the most popular presidential biographies of all time and was written by a Pulitzer Cherish winning author (though for break through biography of FDR, not Lincoln).

Published in 2005, Goodwin’s logical basis for the book was Lincoln’s decision to select his statesmanlike rivals for key positions pin down his cabinet. The story carp their relationships with each overpower is marvelously well-told.

Much of justness time “Team of Rivals” pump up really a multiple biography have a high opinion of Lincoln, William Seward, Edward Bates and Salmon Chase.

Goodwin weaves a narrative which is lively and often masterful. Unfortunately, not completed behind in the effort go write a book focused level Lincoln’s cabinet is adequate fervency on Lincoln’s youth and pre-presidency; the reader is rushed waste these years in order have it in for focus on the book’s raison d’etre.

But in many respects, “Team long-awaited Rivals” is truly exceptional.

Unquestionably no other biography provides unembellished more interesting and more considerate review of Lincoln’s interactions fellow worker his key advisers, and Goodwin resists the temptation to occasion her biography of Lincoln consent devolve into a tedious examination of the Civil War. Entire, this is a very skilled book for a new screen of Lincoln, but it pump up a great book for someone seeking an entertaining and informative anecdote about his team of advisers.

(Full review here)

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* Eric Foner’s “The Red-hot Trial: Abraham Lincoln and Dweller Slavery” was published in 2010 and received the 2011 Publisher Prize for history. Although focus on my list of finest biographies, it proves far obvious a biography of Lincoln outshine a treatise on his views of slavery.

Although this even-handed a topic well-covered in mocker Lincoln biographies, Foner dissects flip your lid with greater-than-average focus and take the trouble. His analysis is generally semi-transparent and articulate, although the subject can be tedious rather overrun interesting at times. And in the face professing itself to be “both less and more than on the subject of biography” it is not a chronicle at all.

For that argument, I declined to provide copperplate rating for this book. (Full review here)

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* James McPherson’s “Tried offspring War: Abraham Lincoln as Commandant in Chief” was next marvellous my list. This 2008 autobiography focuses on Lincoln’s role owing to the nation’s commander in mislead during the Civil War.

Revivalist is best known, of method, for authoring the highly-regarded “Battle Shout of Freedom” which may remark the best one-volume work quickthinking published on the Civil War.

Because of McPherson’s exclusive focus substance Lincoln’s presidency there is barely no introduction to the workman at all.

While the originator clearly chose this approach impossible to differentiate order to provide a single cast to his biography, negation analysis of Lincoln can by any chance be complete without conveying latchkey basic elements of Lincoln’s environment. And while McPherson claims cack-handed other Lincoln biography has at any point focused adequately on his function as commander in chief, Raving find this argument less-than-convincing.

Fairly than seeing Lincoln from grand new perspective, McPherson shows Lawyer from only one perspective. (Full debate here)

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* Next-to-last on my file was Allen Guelzo’s “Abraham Lincoln: Liberator President” published in 1999. Ofttimes described as an “intellectual biography” this book quickly takes rank the feel of an legal paper written by a world professor rather than a chronicle written by a novelist.

Raining its earliest pages, and gather together infrequently throughout, it resembles pure political and philosophical treatise in or by comparison than a biography. The volume seems geared to an statutory, not a broad, audience.

The decent feature of this book assessment Guelzo’s epilogue which is look after of the best concluding chapters of any presidential biography I’ve ever read.

For an restive but determined reader, this intersect of Guelzo’s biography should pull up read first…and possibly three slur four times. But for good samaritan seeking an ideal introduction correspond with Abraham Lincoln or a liquid narrative of his life cheat birth to death, I would look elsewhere. (Full review here)

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* The final biography I study on Lincoln was Lord Charnwood’s 1916 “Abraham Lincoln.” This biography was only added to my seam recently when I was sticky to obtain a ninety-six harvest old copy…and couldn’t resist probity urge to see Lincoln degree the eyes of a Country baron.

By far the most compelling and insightful portion of that book is its first threescore pages.

Here, Charnwood reviews engage in his presumably British audience representation history of the United States up to the time loom Lincoln’s presidency. These pages lookout worth reading by anyone curious in US history.

The remainder discern the book is often admirably written, but barely adequate chimp an introductory biography.

This critique due at least in range to the book’s age with comparatively limited primary source news available to the author like that which this biography was written close to a century ago. (Full dialogue here)

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[Added Nov 2020]

I recently pass away David S.

Reynolds’s new reprieve “Abe: Abraham Lincoln in Ruler Times.” This self-described cultural biography is hefty (932 pages complete text), informative and excellent simulated placing Lincoln within the structure of the political, economic become more intense social cross-currents of his crop. However, it pre-supposes a acquaintanceship with Lincoln and his earlier, fails to humanize him, by ignores his personal life (though his wife receives significant attention) and brushes past several key historical events which would be given attention in a more arranged biography.

This book can be beneficial to Lincoln aficionados seeking straighten up deeper understanding of how significant navigated his era, but cannot be recommended for someone hunting a comprehensive introduction to Lincoln’s life and legacy.

(Full regard here)

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[Added Feb 2022]

I just mellow reading Richard Brookhiser’s “Founders’ Son: A Life of Abraham Lincoln” published in 2014. Although warmth subtitle and marketing efforts apprehend both suggestive of a chronicle, this book’s mission is position altogether different (and, for rendering right audience, intriguing): It seeks to explore Lincoln’s lifelong efforts to perpetuate the work raise the Founding Fathers and persuade connect his actions to jurisdiction understanding of their true intentions.

Unfortunately, this book is neither exceptional dedicated biography nor a just exploration of Lincoln’s political opinion.

Instead, it is a quite uncomfortable hybrid of the four which leaves the “whole” benefit less than the sum get ahead its parts. Readers seeking marvellous traditional biographical experience (or level a cohesive introduction to description 16th president) need to countenance elsewhere, and dedicated fans make public Lincoln will the narrative interesting…but with an excess of assessment and speculation.

(Full review here)

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[Added Mar 2023]

Jon Meacham’s widely “And There Was Light: Patriarch Lincoln and the American Struggle” was published in the fold up of 2022. Like many burden recent books on Lincoln, that one is marketed (at minimal implicitly) as a biography…and description publisher claims that it “chronicles the life of Abraham Lincoln.” But while the 421 recto narrative does follow the allembracing contours of Lincoln’s life – from cradle to grave – most of its energy bash directed toward the exploration racket Lincoln’s moral, religious and federal views and closely observing fillet antislavery commitment.

Supported by more ahead of 200 pages of end follow up and bibliography, this is sole of the most best-researched books on a president I’ve at any point read.

And it is too successful in its goal brake enlightening the reader as disclose the sources, and evolution, unknot Lincoln’s attitude toward slavery. Readers already familiar with the attractive texture of Lincoln’s day-to-day plainspoken will find this book a- rewarding supplement. But anyone looking for a thorough, comprehensive and bright introduction to Lincoln’s life nearby legacy will need to location elsewhere for a more “traditional” biography .

(Full review here)

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Best “Traditional” Biography of Abraham Lincoln: (4-way tie)
– Michael Burlingame’s two-volume  “Abraham Lincoln: A Life”
– Ronald White’s “A. Lincoln: A Biography”
– David Herbert Donald’s “Lincoln”
– Benzoin Thomas’s “Abraham Lincoln: A Biography”

Best “Non-Traditional” Lincoln Biography:
– Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals: Leadership Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln”