The Gettysburg Address [Hardcover]

Abraham Lincoln (Author), Michael McCurdy (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 1995

The words of President Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address are as relevant and meaningful today as they were in 1863. In this handsomely illustrated book, Michael McCurdy's art extends the power and force of Lincoln's speech, imbuing it with an excitement and energy that will ignite the interest of readers of all ages. With a foreword by one of America's preeminent historians, Garry Wills, and an afterword by McCurdy about his great-grandfather who fought at Gettysburg, this book is at once personal and universal.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

McCurdy creates powerful, large-scale black-and-white illustrations like those in his Giants in the Land to match Abraham Lincoln's classic speech in this handsome volume. On oversize pages, scenes of Lincoln delivering the address at the Gettysburg battlefield alternate with visualizations of the imagery contained in it. For example, a line of people carrying building tools marches across the pages as Lincoln proclaims that "it is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work." As Lincoln concludes, resolving that "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth," the cheering crowd gazes out from the page into the future-a fitting conclusion to an American classic made new again. All ages.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

K Up?McCurdy brings the important words of America's 16th president to life for a new generation of children bombarded by violent acts. With just a few lines of Lincoln's speech per double-page spread, a pace is established that allows the language to sink in and take hold. The wood engravings, depicting sweeping panoramas and crowds that continue beyond the page, provide the dark serious tone and high drama appropriate for the subject. (Interestingly, wood engravings were the choice of Leonard Everett Fisher in his interpretation of The Gettysburg Address [Watts, 1963; o.p.]). The scenes alternate between the action of battle and the quiet artifacts left behind, from a parade of slaves?"all men are created equal," to a processional of spirited laborers?"dedicated...to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced." These are interspersed with views of Lincoln addressing the crowd from various perspectives. A brief foreword by Gary Wills, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lincoln at Gettysburg (S.&S., 1992) provides insight into the reason for the common burial ground. An afterword by the illustrator explains his family connection to the Civil War and, therefore, his inspiration. A valuable addition for every collection.?Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (September 25, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395698243
• ISBN-13: 978-0395698242
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #456,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Gettysburg Address, May 7, 2000

By 

no (San Antonio, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gettysburg Address (Hardcover)

This is an incredible book. The Gettysburg Address was something I had to learn in school, but reading this book brings the speech to life.

I makes you really think about what is being said and brings it more to life. I have visited the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and the Gettysburg Address is incredible in Marble but in this book it really makes you think about what happened during the Civil War and what it means to us today.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stark woodcuts communicate nobility and tragedy., December 9, 2001

By 

Nanette "Nanette W" (TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gettysburg Address (Hardcover)

I read this book aloud to my children. The text is simply the Gettysburg address, broken into phrases with an illustration for each thought. Two-thirds of the way through the book, I found myself weeping. The combination of Lincoln's eloquence and the illustrations touched me. I would recommend using this book to introduce students of any age to Lincoln's famous speech and the history associated with it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The soul of America is in this speech, January 31, 2005

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Gettysburg Address (Paperback)

What does Lincoln do at Gettysburg? Why are his words as moving today as they were when he uttered them?
I think that what he did is that he defined for America and Americans what it is, and what it means to be to itself. He did this in the most dignified and moving language imaginable with its deep Biblical cadences and its underlying tone of grief and dedication. He invokes the 'brave men living and dead'the heroic sacrifice of the war in order to urge a new dedication of freedom a new and higher realization of that fundamental human value which is so closely connected with the whole American enterprise. He defines not simply for those there, for those on that field the living and the dead, but for all American generations a ' new birth of freedom, so that government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from this earth "