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Lincoln (Audio CD)
by David Herbert Donald
| Category:
Biography, Leadership, Humanity |
| Market price: ¥ 328.00
MSL price:
¥ 298.00
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MSL rating:
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| MSL Pointer Review:
Absolutely one of the best Lincoln biographies ever written, David Herbert Donald's book is truly about Lincoln the man, not the myth. |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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Harold Holzer (Chicago Tribune), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
Lincoln immediately takes its place among the best of the genre, and it is unlikely that it will be surpassed in elegance, incisiveness and originality in this century... A book of investigative tenacity, interpretive boldness and almost acrobatic balance.
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Brad Hooper (Booklist) (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
The man who became our greatest president seems, from our vantage point, to have been an obvious choice for the job. But as esteemed Lincoln scholar Donald indicates in this magisterial yet intimate new biography, when people first began discussing the idea of Lincoln for president in 1860, the prairie lawyer had few of the usual qualifications for the office. There was no inevitability about his progress from Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D. C., a path Donald nonetheless follows in luxuriant detail. Writing as complete and as believable a psychological portrait as possible from this distance, the author tells of a man who started with few advantages but spent his whole life learning and growing. Ironically, Lincoln was by nature a reactor, not an instigator; he believed his existence was controlled by a higher authority. From the deprivations of his frontier childhood, Lincoln "carried away from his brief schooling the self-confidence of a man who has never met his intellectual equal." Lincoln took considerable time, though, finding the niche whereby he could support himself; the legal field eventually drew him, and drew out his talents, as did his interest in politics. How he eventually became the leading Republican in Illinois, then president, and then successful commander-in-chief is a wondrous story, and it is brilliantly interpreted here. |
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Andrew Alexander (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
Easily one of the best written Lincoln biographies of the last quarter century but not of all time. Donald's book has been labeled a masterpiece and while it comes close, I myself wouldn't go so far. I think it's an easy book to read and it flows very well. However, David Herbert Donald made the mistake (in my opinion) of leaving out the text of Abraham Lincoln's greatest speeches and letters (ex: the Gettysburg Address) if even for reference. Other than that, it is an amazing story of an amazing man. Abraham Lincoln has inspired many over the years and truly came from the most humble of beginnings to become the savior of the American Republic - one of the first American dreams realized. After reading this book, I guess the one thing I previously didn't comprehend is how Lincoln wasn't a hero during his presidency nor was he a master statesman - as history has since rightfully judged him to be. No matter how much you read about Lincoln, his life never ceases to amaze. "Lincoln" is good brief general biography of this amazing man and well worth the effort.
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Tomothy Naegele (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
Donald writes brilliantly, and truly spans Lincoln's life and gives one a sense of being there. Perhaps most striking is how the tide of events carried Lincoln and changed his views (e.g., with respect to slavery, from colonization to emancipation). Also, Donald describes Lincoln as a master, very calculating politician, not unlike the politicians of today. He was certainly not the folksy backwoods caricature that often is presented, although he used that to his advantage (e.g., to disarm opponents and garner support).
Despite being wonderfully researched, and spreading out the facts for all to see, one gets the sense that what truly made Lincoln "tick" was unknowable, from a deeply personal standpoint. Having worked on Capitol Hill, my sense is that most senators are that way, possibly because they have been compromised again and again to reach high offices, and to be all things to all people.
Also, it was interesting how Grant and Sherman "saved" Lincoln politically, while many of his other generals were either indecisive or utter buffoons. Lincoln knew that changes were needed, but he was often hesitant to "rock the boat" and make them. After his reelection in 1864, he seemed much more self-confident, which was cut short by his tragic death. The reader is left to wonder what he might have accomplished during his second term.
When the book ends somewhat abruptly, one's interest has been whetted. It is only too bad that Donald did not do an appraisal of "what might have been." There is no question that Lincoln was brilliant, and he was really maturing as a political leader when he was killed. What a remarkable four years might have followed. Also, with essentially no protection at all, it is surprising that more leaders of that time were not killed by the Booths of this world. Lincoln, God love him, was fearless and a true fatalist - or at least that is how Donald depicts him.
One is led to think about Lincoln's law partner, Herndon, who was so important in Lincoln's life, and his thoughts about Lincoln's life and death. Also, Grant's memoirs - which are said to be the finest done by an American president - may be an interesting read, along with books about Reconstruction, the diaries of Lincoln's two male "secretaries," etc.
Years ago, I read an article about how one could only understand the Southern "mentality" by appreciating how conquered peoples - or the vanquished - have been able to survive throughout history under the rule of the victors; and Donald's book sets the scene for that to take place. Also, one cannot help but be impressed by what a monumental struggle the Civil War represented, and the human carnage that it left as well as the deep scars that remained.
Truly fascinating, and Donald provides a brilliant "birds-eye view." Well worth reading. |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
Lincoln is a remarkable look at Abraham Lincoln as he advanced from extremely poor, rural roots, in what was then the western United States, into both the Illinois legislature and the U.S. Congress for one term, through a career as a self-taught lawyer, and finally to the presidency. The author has extensively researched Lincoln's movements, first-hand accounts of his utterances, his formal speeches and writings, as well as official records kept in the discharge of his various duties and offices.
It is a fascinating look at the evolution of the character and personality of a man of meager origins and virtually no formal education. Lincoln was driven to make something of himself; this is best seen in his insatiable desire to educate himself. Beyond self-development, Lincoln had an inherent ability to relate to others. He combined humility with a great ability to tell stories. This ease among his fellow citizens led to his being elected to the Illinois legislature at a fairly young age and to a reasonably successful career as a lawyer.
Lincoln was a Whig and devotee of Henry Clay and his American system of internal improvements. But it would be completely wrong to regard Lincoln as mostly an opportunistic politician. He was principled, if anything. Manipulating a political view to get elected would have never occurred to Lincoln. Furthermore, Lincoln was a man of his word. When elected to Congress in 1846, he returned home after one term as he promised, though undoubtedly he could have been re-elected. However, the author shows that Lincoln became very astute politically with a substantial network of political friends both at the state and national levels.
Early in Lincoln's career, slavery was seldom an issue. But by the mid-1850s, slavery came to dominate the political and social life of the country. Lincoln, though clearly antislavery, was not an abolitionist. In his debates with Stephen Douglas in 1858 and on his way to being elected president in 1860, Lincoln articulated, often eloquently, a moderate position on slavery that resonated with a large segment of Northern voters. The extension of slavery to new territories became the foremost issue of the day as compared to eradication.
Lincoln was probably not technically qualified to be president; he had never held an administrative post of any importance. Nor did hundreds of high-level administrative assistants perform most of his duties, as is the case in the modern era. In addition, Lincoln faced perhaps the greatest challenge that any president in our history ever has. The secession of the South exacerbated political divides in the country. Not only did Lincoln have to deal with radical and moderate Republicans and War and Peace Democrats, but also his own cabinet, populated with some of his political rivals, exhibited the same sort of splits. Militarily, the U.S. was totally unprepared to put down a rebellion, as Lincoln called it, of the size that the Confederacy represented. He was often driven to the edge of his patience in dealing with a series of incompetent generals that cost the Northern armies defeat after defeat in the early years of the War.
The author captures the immense pressures on Lincoln during his presidency. His ungainliness was fodder for the various political factions that publicly labeled Lincoln as an "imbecile" or a "baboon." Though the presidency took a tremendous toll on Lincoln, he retained his generally good humor, even seeing countless numbers of nameless citizens straight from the streets in his office. He functioned at a high level of awareness, navigating the political minefields of the day, in making difficult decisions. The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 was just such a decision. It was a typically moderate Lincoln response to the antislavery and unionist extremists. When Lincoln was shot at the beginning of his second term, he had prevailed and brought the country through a terrible experience through the sheer strength and flexibility of his intellect and personality. One doubts whether there existed another individual in the country at that time, who could have dealt with all of the issues that Lincoln did with the same degree of success.
Though the author is favorably deposed towards Lincoln, he does not push Lincoln on the reader - he does not have to. He does a great job of letting the reader closely watch Lincoln in action for about forty years. It is an incredible story.
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Derek Lambert (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
When comparing David Herbert Donald's one volume biography of Lincoln to other biographies that have preceded it, one can easily draw as many parallels to other works as can be contrasted. Although Donald reads very much like Thomas' biography, written over sixty years ago, there is considerably more detail in the additional one hundred plus pages Donald contributed to the story of Lincoln's life. This additional information does not appear much like embellishment, but true detail, perhaps to the point of tedium.
Although much of Thomas is found within Donald, the additional information gives the reader a look into the reason why the author would decide to add another Lincoln biography to the existing long list. Clearly, although Donald appears to have a strong interest in the motives and person of Abraham Lincoln, there is much less of the unbridled respect Thomas reveals in his work. To call Donald a revisionist based only on this work would be an overstatement. There is however enough evidence to fairly describe him as a contrarian.
The biographies I have read, written before the Civil Rights Movement were largely complementary to Lincoln's memory. Donald, written in 1996 is much less so. Isolating the exact reasons why Donald appears to be negative toward Lincoln when compared to other biographers can be elusive, but not impossible. By Donald's description, Lincoln's actions leave a tyrannical aura in the mind of the reader. Although the author himself never refers to Lincoln as a tyrant, his frequent use of conservative and Democrat supporting press, frequently without offering a liberal or conservative counterpoint, tended to leave a negative attitude toward the Lincoln administration.
Was Lincoln a tyrant? A tyrant, according to the Oxford English Dictionary is someone who seizes powers within a state without the legal right to do so. If this is the case, is allowing supportive constituencies better opportunity to reach the polls than opponents an act of tyranny? What about the removal of basic and fundamental rights of American citizens to insure your program of government? By American standards, is this a tyrannical act? Would Americans stand idly by if the same actions Lincoln took were levied against the citizenry today? Lincoln was guilty of all of these actions. Donald's tone is subtly critical of the necessity of these actions.
Certain decisions of the administration can be singled out as possible examples of tyranny. For example, freedom of speech is considered one of the most fundamental rights we as Americans have. In fact, it is one of our defining principals of a free people. The right to expose one's opinions without fear of persecution was one of the founding fathers most important contributions. The removal of this right would have an altering effect on society, as we would no longer be a society of free speaking, free thinking people. Yet, out of preservation for principals, including the freedom of speech, Lincoln felt it necessary to suspend the writ of habeas corpus, thus allowing military and other appointed officers the right and responsibility of arresting and persons whom they perceived as potentially injurious to the government. It is important to point out that never did Lincoln authorize the arrest of anyone who spoke out against him or his administration, but only against those who sought to undermine the war effort. To some, the Lincoln administration and the war effort may have been one and the same.
Why does Donald read more negative on Lincoln than other historians. I believe Donald demonstrates his disapproval of Lincoln's handling of certain situation, most notably those we would today describe as civil liberties, by offering a single-sided point of view in citing contemporary judgments. Although the writings and speeches of many individuals may be cited, usually the use of these quotes were to support a one-sided opinion.
Throughout the book, the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus was mentioned thirteen times. In each of these instances, the author demonstrated negative attention toward Lincoln's decision by citing numerous liberal newspapers, such as the Illinois State Register or notable persons of the day such as the United States Chief Justice Roger B. Taney in dissent of the President's actions. Only in one instance, when referring to Lincoln's letter to strongly conservative Erastus Corning explaining his actions on suspension of writ of habeas corpus, did Donald offer any redeeming motives to Lincoln's actions.
This portrayal seems unfair to me. Although Donald clearly states that Lincoln's foremost purpose was to save the union regardless of the cost, understanding the completeness of this motive seems to get lost along the way. The consistent attention paid to the negative reports of Lincoln's actions, are encountered so many times, the work give the reader an impression that those opposing Lincolns may have been right, or at least justified. At the very least, I believe Donald thought so.
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Dawn Steadman (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
Donald's book is the remarkable product of an enormous amount of research, replete with quotes and insight not only from Lincoln's personal writings, but also from countless individuals who surrounded Lincoln at any given time in his life, resulting in a balanced portait of our most beloved President. What is perhaps most surprising is the book's readability - Donald masterfully avoids getting bogged down in insignificant detail, and succeeds in keeping the book moving along the major events of Lincoln's life.
The reader (at least, this reader) is left with a sense of awe at Lincoln's humble integrity, tested in the most trying of circumstances and confronted with the most impossible of choices. The accuracy of his foresight has been amply confirmed by our hindsight, and we as a nation are left with deepest gratitude for his service.
I disagree with criticism that Donald's book lacks sufficient information about Lincoln's personal life and emotions. The biography is designed to be primarily a story of Lincoln the statesman, not Lincoln the husband or father. Those elements are introduced at relevant times, but Donald (appropriately, in my view) does not dwell extensively on those relationships. There are other books which explore those aspects of Lincoln's life in greater detail. I appreciate that Donald avoids engaging in supposition at what Lincoln "must have" been feeling at any particular time - he sticks to what is evidenced in Lincoln's writings and what others observed in him. This inspires in the reader greater confidence in the accurary of Donald's analysis.
Finally, my one criticism: at times I would have appreciated getting the full text of some of Lincoln's short, remarkable speeches, such as the Gettysburg Address or Lincoln's second inaugural address. Donald wrote about them and quoted certain phrases, but we do not get the text in full, which I thought would have been appropriate and feasible. Also (okay, maybe two criticisms), I would have liked to see a few pages or a short chapter about the immediate aftermath of Lincoln's death - the reaction of the nation, the funeral, his legacy. Donald ends the book the moment Lincoln expires.
That said, I would recommend the book to anyone interested in learning about the man who lead our nation through its greatest crisis. I am not normally a big fan of histories or biography, but this one is indispensable. |
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James Slattery (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
Recently, I picked up David Herbert Donald's biography of Abraham Lincoln for the second time in 4 years. I now realize that I was too young then to appreciate this superb account of the our 16th President. Inspired by a meeting with President Kennedy in whick JFK criticizes historians for judging presidents who must make decisions without the 20/20 hindsight of historians, Donald undertook to write this biography from Lincoln's perspective - analyzing him and his decisions based upon only what Lincoln knew, believed, and sought to accomplish at the time. We see the great struggles of the mid-1800s completely through his eyes; thus, while Donald doesn't delve into what (I'm sure) are fascinating related subjects, like the details of the great military campaigns or internal Confederate politics, we do gain an insightful look into the life and character of America's greatest president.
I agree with other reviewers that while there is not enough of Lincoln's personal life -- at times I had to remind myself that the man even had kids! - Donald still skillfully paints a portrait of an amazingly complex man. Fueled by a desire to escape the fate of his uneducated, unambitious father, Lincoln felt driven all of his life to succeed ; he felt pushed forward to a great destiny by God, or the "Doctrine of Neccsity",that was completely out of his control and would lead him safely down life's path. He was an incredibly charming man who could light up a room with his energy, but he also regularly plunged into a deep and dark depression. He was utterly self-confident and knew he was the equal of any man. Intitially a moderate who opposed abolishing slavery in the states, he slowly realized that either slavery would be destroyed, or the Union surely would be.
He was also a master politician. He sensed early on in the 1840s that the nation was on the brink of a new era and that the Whig party had to adapt to the changing times, or die. After his beloved Whig party disintegrated, he helped establish the IL Republican party and, after an unsuccessful run for the Senate in 1858, triumphed over well-known and powerful opponents like William Seward and Salmon Chase to win the presidential nomination and election in 1860. Throughout his political career and his tenure as President he stuck to the center and walked a tightrope between the Conservatives and Radicals in his own party and the Peace Democrats in the other party. While unailingly honest, he understood the political value of ambiguity to cloud facts that he would admit only if forced. Finally, at the dawn of his second term, he had so outmaneuvered all of his opponents in the Congress, in the North, and in the South, that he stood as the unquestioned master of American politics - not bad for a boy who had grown up in a log cabin with less than a year of formal schooling.
Doanld shows us Lincoln, the man and not merely the statue. Like the rest of us, he was a fallible human being who wasn't always sure that what he was doing was right but sure that he owed it to his country to serve it with honor and dignity in its hour of greatest peril. Donald makes it clear that we owe our country to this man, and one can't put down this book without agreeing.
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James M. McPherson (The Atlantic Monthly) (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
Eagerly awaited, Lincoln fulfills expectations. Donald writes with lucidity and elegance.
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David W. Blight (The Los Angles Times) (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
A one-volume study of Lincoln's life that will augment and replace the previous modern standards by Benjamin Thomas (1953) and Stephen Oates (1977). Donald's Lincoln is a scholarly achievement. |
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1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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