Customer Reviews

Lincoln on Lincoln

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With the exception of a few brief narratives, Abraham Lincoln never wrote an autobiography. Despite the common perception that he shared few of his personal thoughts, Lincoln revealed much about himself in his correspondence, speeches, and interviews. Chronologically arranging relevant excerpts from these sources and from others' reminiscences, editor Paul M. Zall has constructed a quasi-autobiography of the sixteenth president.

Readers should not expect a cohesive and comprehensive account of Lincoln's life. Although Zall's editorial remarks fill in some of the gaps, many of these important primary sources do not flow well together. Some of these passages could have used better context. The excerpts Zall selected, however, effectively illuminate many of the important topics of Lincoln's public and private life and show Lincoln's wisdom, self-effacing manner, ambition, and political philosophy.