Customer Reviews

Abraham Lincoln

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Though it is dated in some of its facts and assessments,Lord Charnwoods classic study of Lincoln remains one of the dozen or so greatest books ever written about our greatest President.What sets it apart from most other studies of the sixteenth President is the attention it gives the intellectual and spiritual underpinnings of Lincoln's life and actions. It is, in short a work of philosophical history, not a dry recitation of facts. Charnwood is interested in the moral meaning of democracy and the scope and limits of democratic leadership. He performs his task beautifully. I , for one , found his old-fashioned Victorian prose a joy to read, and a relief from the cliche' ridden jargon that too often passes for literate prose today. A great book by a foriegn observer of America, fully worthy of being placed beside Tocqueville and Bryce.

There is something about the British and their outlook towards American politics which is quite enjoyable. They bring a refreshing civility and admiration for political thought and history that is more often than not absent in today's North American biographers. In this biography of Lincoln Charnwood delves deep into the political atmosphere in which Lincoln rose to power and saw America through one of its most trying hours. The author delivers a deep sense of what a thoughtful and kind man that Lincoln was. It is an an unflinching look at Lincoln's spiritual side in which in comparison to today's commander-in-chief is quite startling for their similarities and differences.
His dissection of the politics of the era is simply fascinating. This is a book for anyone who has a keen apreciation of politics and history. Charnwood's unflinching directness in his portrayal of Lincoln leaves the reader with the sense that not only does the author have the deepest respect for Lincoln but that that Lincoln deserved every bit of it. My copy of this book is a beat up 1950's paperback I found in a thrift store to accompany me on a trip to Louisiana and I would recommend to anyone who can get their hands on one.

Lord Charnwood's 1916 volume remains one of the finest portraits of Abraham Lincoln yet produced. Charnwood offers nuanced insight into Lincoln's mind and his character, probing much deeper and more convincingly than later authors were able. Charnwood's brief treatment of Lincoln's complicated religious faith (tied in with the section on the Second Inaugural Address) was particularly poignant.

I suggest William E. Gienapp's "Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America" (2002) for learners who are new to Lincoln or have lost touch with him since 9th grade history class. Gienapp synthesizes all the latest research and criticism within Lincolnian studies into a brief yet surprisingly thorough 240-page book.

After that, step up to Charnwood. It is truly great historical writing (almost literary in moments) and one of the best character studies published of a truly incredible human being.

interesting in that it was written from a british perspective. i have read several biographies on lincoln and would recommend this book as an introductory volume for those who want to study lincoln, but, as an important volume for those who study general presidential history, civil war, and general american history. originally published in 1916.

Originally published in 1916, Charnwood's biography is a well written account of the actions Lincoln took throughout his lifetime. Charnwood does an excellent job at explaining Lincoln's intellectual growth by showing how his early influences were rooted in the ideas of Daniel Webster and Henry Clay. His admiration for Webster/Clay influenced Lincoln's thought on the nature of the union. He believed that the United States was the product of a "one people or one nation" as Webster espoused, not the product of a union between several independent states.

Charnwood does a good job detailing the early career of Lincoln especially with regards to Lincoln's stance on slavery. The author describes Lincoln as an opponent of slavery on a personal level, but Lincoln was not an abolitionist. Lincoln opposed the expansion of slavery into the territories of the west, a view Lincoln believed was consistent with the founders. After Lincoln was voted out of office because of his dissent to the Mexican-American War, Lincoln was going into retirement from public service but the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 prompted Lincoln into politics once again. According to Charnwood, the reasoning for Lincoln to enter politics again was due to the fact that the Kansas-Nebraska Act opened the western territories to slavery. As stated before, Lincoln viewed that the founders were opposed to the expansion of slavery and that it was a necessary evil needed to be contained which would eventually lead to its extinction. However, Lincoln viewed the Kansas-Nebraska Act to be giving new life to slavery and that was the deciding factor for Lincoln to enter politics again.

The Charnwood text provides the standard accounts of the American Civil War in that the purpose behind Lincoln's actions to go to war was to preserve the union. Charnwood explains that in the beginning Lincoln was not in favor of freeing the slaves, but his position evolved to the ideas of emancipation. Charnwood believed that Lincoln's decision for emancipation was because slavery was that slavery became an obstacle for the reunification of the states. Lincoln's decision to suspend civil liberties such as the Writ of Habeas Corpus, Speech, and other liberties was based on the idea that as commander in chief he had certain powers which were not stated in the Constitution. Charnwood backs up that claim by explaining that in all wars the commander of the battlefield was able to institute rules over the area of occupation and sense Lincoln was that commander those powers belonged to him. Charnwood also uses the examples of English Common Law and Hamilton's explanation of common law in the Federalist Papers as proof that Lincoln was right in claiming powers not delegated in the Constitution to suspend civil liberties.

Despite holding objections to Charnwood's defense of Lincoln decision to suspend civil liberties and Lincoln's view of the nature of the union, Charnwood provides an excellent account of Lincoln which really captured Lincoln's thoughts and beliefs.

This was an excellent historical record of probably the greatest American that ever lived. However, it has long, complex, diffcult to read wording that makes it somewhat labor-intensive reading. The content is great, but there are far easier to read (and understand) books about Lincoln.

I guess it was fluke, but I have tried two (2) copies of this book and in both copies pages 233-264 were missing and pages 265-296 are repeated twice. Too bad because it cuts off right at an interesting part leading up to the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation and Lincoln's effort to keep the border states in the Union.

Apparently the missing pages situation was not the case with the copies had by the other reviewers here, or........they didn't read far enough into the book to notice. None makes any mention of the problem.

I give it five stars for the content that was contained in my copy anyway, but no stars at all to the printer.

interesting in that it was written from a british perspective. i have read several biographies on lincoln and would recommend this book as an introductory volume for those who want to study lincoln, but, as an important volume for those who study general presidential history, civil war, and general american history.

Stylistically congested. Although written just after the turn of the 20th century, it could have been written a century before. In stark contrast, rejuvenate yourself with reading Lincoln himself, especially the 2 volume Library of America set. You will transform the chaos of life into a blissful afternoon by a peaceful stream in the loveliness of Spring.

I have three editions of Lincoln biographys-- Sandburg's, Donald's and Guelzo's-- and not one of them is aesthetically appealing. This one, by Charnwood, is by far the worst. It looks as though it was dipped in pea soup or baby puckey. I wish a publisher would come up with something better befitting the dignity of Lincoln.