The Day Lincoln Was Shot: An Illustrated Chronicle [Paperback]

Richard Bak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2001

The Day Lincoln Was Shot is the first illustrated account of the Lincoln assassination. Blending over 175 vintage photographs and illustrations with a lively narrative, author Richard Bak has created a spellbinding volume that graphically details, in words and pictures, one of the most heinous crimes in American history.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Lincoln is our secular saint; thus, it is understandable that the details and unresolved questions surrounding his martyrdom continue to fascinate us. In this companion book to an April 1998 docudrama on TNT, Bak and several contributing essayists track the key event from Booth's early, failed efforts at kidnapping through the trial and executions of the surviving conspirators. While much of this is familiar ground, Bak and his colleagues do emphasize some rather striking and intriguing aspects of the case, including the possible involvement of the Confederate government in the plot. They also provide interesting, if controversial, "clarifications" of the roles of such murky figures as Samuel Mudd and Lewis Paine. Both the basic text and the supplementary essays are written in a concise, nonpedantic style. The lavish illustrations, some disturbingly graphic, complement the text without overwhelming it. General readers should find this work particularly enjoyable, and even Lincoln scholars will find much that is useful here. Jay Freeman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing; New edition edition (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878331956
• ISBN-13: 978-0878331956
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,935,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great summary of the tragic last day of A. Lincoln, July 29, 2000

By 

historyone (Republic of Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Day Lincoln Was Shot: An Illustrated Chronicle (Hardcover)

I bought this book at Ford's theatre gift shop after asking the giftshop supervisor which book has the best narrative and accurate summary of the events leading up to John Wilkes Booth assasination of President Abraham Lincoln, she recommended this book. I must say that she made an excellent choice. This is an excellent book that not only gives the details of the assasination of Lincoln on the night of April 14, 1865, but also gives the background of the mentally imbalanced actor John Wilkes Booth and his cohorts of assasins. This is the companion to the TNT original movie "The Day Lincoln Was Shot" which in itself is an excellent movie. But by itself this book stands on itself as giving the all around perspective both North and South to the views of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln and the ultimate defeat of the Confederacy. In this book the eyewitness accounts of the assasination are told by the people who were in the theatre box with the President and First Lady as well as by the people who were in the audience. The events after the shot was fired are given in first hand accounts, and narratives and perspectives years after Lincoln's death. There is a chapter that even gives focus on the rumor's of Booth's escape and living to an old age, but I agree with the book's analysis that this was just rumor. Booth did die by a soldier's bullet a couple of weeks after Lincoln's death. Overall, this is a great read that anyone could enjoy from early High School to a U.S. History Major college student, or any US History enthusiast who wants to know more about the death of President Lincoln.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written and very informative, April 2, 2002

By 

Marc "Fundraisingcoach.com" (Waterville, ME, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Day Lincoln Was Shot: An Illustrated Chronicle (Paperback)

I was surprised by how much information was packed into this slim volume. The pictures are well chosen to complement the text. And the essays from other scholars help add light to this turning point in US history.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars exciting, thrilling, fascinating, June 23, 2003

By 

Manfred Zeichmann (Austria) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Day Lincoln Was Shot: An Illustrated Chronicle (Paperback)

April 14, 1865, Washington. During a performance of the play OUR AMERICAN COUSIN in Ford's theatre young actor John Wilkes BOOTH shoots Abraham LINCOLN, sixteenth president of the United States, with a .44 derringer in a desparate attempt to turn the tides of civil war. (The cause of the South was already lost, General LEE had already surrendered at Appomatox Court House.)
At the same time BOOTH's co-conspirator Lewis POWELL tries to stab secretary of state William H. SEWARD, leaving the politician as well as his daughter, two sons and a male nurse severly injured. Another conspirator, George ATZERODT, decided to abandon his mission to kill vice president Andrew JOHNSON and got drunk instead.

THE DAY LINCOLN WAS SHOT details the story of this infamous assassination, from the background of the characters, the scheming, the assassination and its aftermath to the fate of the conspirators inside a burning barn (BOOTH) and on the gallows (his accomplices), respectively.
Author Richard BAK brings the persons involved in this tragedy vividly to life. I found this aspect of the book especially compelling. We learn about the war weary president, who also suffered from personal plight (an emotionally unstable wife and the death of his son Willie in 1862). We get to know assassin John Wilkes BOOTH, a famous actor and womanizer, bold, darring and sympathizing with the Confederacy's cause. The book points out how BOOTH's deed affected the American society and the life of all persons involved in this drama. Did you know that Major RATHBONE, an officer, who had accompanied LINCOLN at Ford's theatre, never forgave himself for having been incapable of stopping BOOTH and subsequently became insane due to his self-reproaches, resulting in the murder of his wife and a lifelong imprisonment in a mental institution? The book is full of such gripping details.
Also of note is the way the book sets right some popular myths abouth the assassination. For instance, it is a wellknown belief that after having shot LINCOLN, BOOTH jumped from the presidential box to the stage below and disclaimed "Sic semper tyrannis!" (So perish all tyrannts!) According to eye witness accounts there was no agreement of what BOOTH did or did not say. Also BOOTH's broken leg seems to do not result from the leap on the stage. (He simply made it up in his diary to make his deed more "heroic".) According to author BAK there is good reason to believe that BOOTH broke his leg on his escape, when unheroically falling down from his horse.

THE DAY LINCOLN WAS SHOT is very well written and not at all scholarly. It's written in a way that appeals to history buffs. The text is accompanied by dozens of contemporary photographs and pictures, which add much detail and information.
Also included are various essays of contributing authors, the topics ranging from a portrait of Lewis POWELL, "mystery man" of the conspiracy, to the depiction of the assassination in movies.

This history book is as exciting as a thriller novel, a real pageturner. Believe me, even in case you are not overly interested in civil war history, you'll enjoy it, because it is so thrilling.
HIGHLY recommended.