With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln

by Stephen B. Oates

Book Overview

A masterful biography of Lincoln that follows his bitter struggle with poverty, his self-made success in business and law, his early disappointing political career, and his leadership as President during one of America's most tumultuous periods.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060132833
• ISBN13: 9780060132835
• Release Date: January 1977
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 492 Pages
• Weight: 2.12 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Beware of small print in this paperback

I have no problem with the stated condition of the book and have not yet read it. I wish I had known how small the type size of the paperback would be. I may be able to read it in small time segments, but enjoyment will definitely be decreased by the strain of focusing on the font size. I wish there were a way to signal a situation such as this in the listing of the book.

A luxurious reading experience

This book generated controversy among Lincoln scholars. The general reading public, however, will probably enjoy both the book's prose and its story. Regardless of whether there is much, or anything, new in the volume, its account of Lincoln is told with flair. Points that disturbed some Lincoln scholars will probably not be noticed by general readers. I read the book before I knew about the dispute, and found the volume enchanting.

Well-written and informative

With Malice Toward None is a well-written and informative look at Lincoln's life. I am very selective about the biographies that I spend my time reading because I consider the style of many to be suffocatingly boring. I looked over several on Lincoln, and selected this one. I was pleased with it through the end. The author does not waste space on finding the "flawed" man underneath the legend, which is popular in so many recent biographies. He explains Lincoln's life in a matter-of-fact and readable fashion. One of my favorite parts in the book is the explanation of how the Civil War proceeded and the absolutely essential role Lincoln played. It will give you an insightful look at the politics and history of the time, not to mention an appreciation for how much Lincoln endured before his triumph.

Absolutely amazing book!

I sure wish I had read this book when I had to take American History in high school. This makes the civil war in general, and Abraham Lincoln in particular, come so alive. The novel format is perfect, with it's short sections and chapters. You learn history without feeling like you need to memorize dates and battlefield movements. It brings home the point that we were very fortunate that Lincoln was our President at that time. Strongly recommend this book.

Makes Lincoln Human

I have read (and earlier reviewed) David Herbert Donald's biography of Lincoln and I found it to be more comprehensive than this book. But, then again, Donald's biography is well over 800 pages whereas this one is a mere 440 or so. With more brevity, Oates, nonetheless does a great job and he humanizes Lincoln as well as does Donald.There are some shortcomings, however. For example, Oates does not delve very deeply into Lincoln's strong antipathy towards his father, nor does he go into great depth as to his strong love of his stepmother. Likewise, he does not recognize Licoln's first love for what it was, as does Donald. Rather, he treats Ann Rutledge merely as a close friend. Both Donald and Oates do a good job in showing Lincoln to be a master politician but, with more pages, Donald is able to more fully illustrate this. But, many people don't have the patience to read a legnthy tome. Although I think that Donald's biography is the single best one of Lincoln, for a work half of that legnth, this fine biography is five stars.

Great

Well I needed to read this book for a history book report. The book was interesting but also boring for a 14 year old to read. All of the political stuff but it was still a great book about Lincoln. I learned a lot about him and and how much he must have been stressing while he was President. If you like to read then u might as well read this book.