This year, the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth, has seen the publication of a number of short biographies for busy readers, including books by James McPherson Abraham Lincoln and George McGovernAbraham Lincoln (The American Presidents Series: The 16th President, 1861-1865) Unlike these books, which offer an overview of Lincoln's life and achievement, Allen Guelzo's new book, "Lincoln: A Very Short Introduction", published...
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A very high benchmark set by this VSI book on short biography. Regardless of how many books you read about Lincoln, you could find things interesting and memorable from this slim volume, which is organized in major themes of Lincoln's life, achievements and historical significance. What an enjoyable read! Highly recommended.
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This is a brief but brilliant book on Abraham Lincoln, which tries to show Lincoln as a product and developer of Enlightenment Liberalism. I've read many books on Lincoln, but most try to situate Lincoln in his historical and political context and not as a figure in the history of ideas. Not that Guelzo doesn't also explain Lincoln's historical context as well. I understand now better than before how Lincoln stood apart...
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This is a rather unique treatment of Lincoln, but it is not easy to describe its uniqueness. Perhaps we might specify what the book is not. You won't find much about Lincoln's personal life here. There is not detailed info on his political career. The last four years of his life (the presidency) receive minimal coverage. His murder gets a paragraph. Then what *is* it about? When I was an undergraduate during the 1960s,...
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