Abraham Lincoln: Great American Historians on Our Sixteenth President

Brian Lamb, Susan Swain, C-SPAN

PublicAffairs, Oct 22, 2008 - History - 304 pages

In this beautifully designed volume, America's top Lincoln historians offer a diverse array of perspectives on the life and legacy of America's sixteenth president. Spanning Lincoln's life -- from his early career as a Springfield lawyer, to his presidential reign during one of America's most troubled historical periods, to his assassination in 1865 -- these essays, developed from original C-SPAN interviews, provide a compelling, composite portrait of Lincoln, one that offers up new stories and fresh insights on a defining leader. Extras include a timeline of Lincoln's life, brief biographies of the 56 contributors, and Lincoln's most famous speeches.

Contents

• Early Years MARK NEELY JR: 3
• Origins and Influences ALLEN C GUELZO: 10
• Family Relationships JOHN Y SIMON: 18
• Lincoln and Clay ROBERT REMINI: 30
• The Springfield Junto ADAM BELLOW: 43
• Politics and Morality RICHARD CURRENT: 58
• Winning and Governing DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN: 65
• The Gathering Storm DAVID HERBERT DONALD: 71
• An Early Plot Against Lincoln STEPHEN B OATES: 78
• The Cost of War CARL M CANNON: 89
• A Predecessors Opposition PETER WALLNER: 95
• Meeting Harriett Beecher Stowe PAUL JOHNSON: 107
• Patriot Poet WALTER BERNS: 121
• A Most Difficult Year JOSEPH E STEVENS: 130
• The Gettysburg Address GABOR BORITT: 136
• Thanksgiving JAMES LOEWEN: 148
• Photographic Imagery DAVID WARD: 158
• Aftermath TOM SCHWARTZ: 169
• Conspiracy ROGER MUDD: 182
• Lincoln and Religion ALLEN C GUELZO: 189
• Spiritual Beliefs PAUL JOHNSON: 195
• Lincoln and Race MARK NEELY JR: 209
• Lincolns Ambition RICHARD SHENKMAN: 220
• Commander in Chief ELIOT A COHEN: 230
• Enigma FRANK J WILLIAMS: 236
• Whitmans Lincoln DAVID REYNOLDS: 243
• Lincolniana LOUISE TAPER: 252
• The Lincoln Obsession ANDREW FERGUSON: 266
• Image and Icon CHAS FAGAN: 275
• Lincolns Shadow MERRILL D PETERSON: 284
• Lincoln in Context JAMES M MCPHERSON: 291
• House Divided 1858: 299
• LincolnDouglas Debate in Charleston Illinois 1858: 307
• First Inaugural 1861: 325
• Emancipation Proclamation 1863: 333
• AFTERWORD: 343

About the author

Brian Lamb is C-SPAN's chairman and CEO and longtime on-camera interviewer, noted for his "just the facts" style of interviewing. Many of the essays in this book are drawn from Booknotes, Lamb's long-running author-interview program, while others were conducted for C-SPAN's special history series on Lincoln and on the American presidency. Lamb lives in Arlington, Virginia.

Susan Swain?b is President & co-Chief Operating Officer of C-SPAN. For more than twenty-five years, she has been an on-air interviewer for the program. A regular moderator of Washington Journal, she's interviewed hundreds of members of Congress, policy experts, journalists, and several presidents. She lives in Northern Virginia.

• Title: Abraham Lincoln: Great American Historians on Our Sixteenth President
• Editors: Brian Lamb, Susan Swain, C-SPAN
• Publisher: PublicAffairs, 2008
• ISBN: 0786726830, 9780786726837
• Length: 304 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Presidents & Heads of State; History / United States / General