Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and The War Years [Paperback]

Carl Sandburg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2002

Originally published in six volumes, Sandburg’s Abraham Lincoln was called “the greatest historical biography of our generation.” Sandburg distilled this work into one volume that became the definitive life of Lincoln. Index; photographs.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

CARL SANDBURG (1878-1967) was twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize, first in 1940 for his biography of Abraham Lincoln and again in 1951 for Complete Poems. Before becoming known as a poet, he worked as a milkman, an ice harvester, a dishwasher, a salesman, a fireman, and a journalist. Among his classics are the Rootabaga Stories, which he wrote for his young daughters at the beginning of his long and distinguished literary career.

Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156027526
• ISBN-13: 978-0156027526
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #146,880 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #76 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( L ) > Lincoln, Abraham

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the gold standard but an excellent start, March 10, 2003

By 

Arnie Bernstein (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and The War Years (Paperback)

More books are published about Lincon than any other public figure and Carl Sandburg's take on America's 16th president is a good place to start your learning on this extraordinary individual. Sandburg's style shows his roots as a poet; the writing is lyrical and captivating. Though it leans towards myth-making, Sandburg doesn't leave out Lincoln's flaws. Other biographies go deeper into Lincoln's psyche or touch on specific chapters from Lincoln's life; however this book is a good start to begin your education on Abraham Lincoln. Find the complete six-volume set if you can. It does a much better job of putting Lincoln's life into the historical context of the 1800s than this abridged volume does.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A monumental work, December 2, 2008

By 

William Nash (Sterling Heights, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Abraham Lincoln (Hardcover)

If you are a student of Abraham Lincoln your education is not complete without having read Sandburg's Lincoln. Yes, it is poetic. Yes, he strays into myth making and telling. Even so, it is a masterpiece.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lincoln biography par excellence, May 26, 2008

By 

Owen P. Epstein "owene" (MCLEAN, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and The War Years (Paperback)

After searching for the quintessential Lincoln biography to read, as my introduction to studying this fascinating man, I settled on Sandberg. He was a great pleasure to spend several weeks with! Even though we know this book was completed in the 1930's it is so well written and held up by so many academics and scholars as quintessential. It is true masterpie. Many more, hundreds in fact, books have been published as biography since Sandberg but his alone provides the understanding and genesis of how Lincoln came to be Lincoln.
America (2008) is searching for the next Lincoln: revered on the right and the left, revered in the center, revered on the political fringes, we need a leader, statesman, collaborator, bold leader today more then ever.