Lincoln: A Photobiography [Paperback]

Russell Freedman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1988

A description of the boyhood, marriage, and young professional life of Abraham Lincoln includes his presidential years and also reflects on the latest scholarly thoughts about our Civil War president.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This work is perhaps the most complete and enjoyable children's book ever written about one of the nation's most fascinating and important figures, Abraham Lincoln. Russell Freedman covers Lincoln's life and career in a balanced treatment that is enhanced by period photographs and drawings. The book won the Newbery Medal, the Jefferson Cup Award and the Golden Kite Honor Book Award, and earned a citation as School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

This Newbery Award-winning study of our 16th president is highly readable and meticulously organized. In a boxed review, PW hailed it as a "superb, encompassing account" of "an intriguing, recognizable human being." Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 149 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc; First Edition edition (1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 059042145X
• ISBN-13: 978-0590421454
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,015,155 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Russell Freedman received the Newbery Medal for LINCOLN: A PHOTOBIOGRAPHY. He is also the recipient of three Newbery Honors, a National Humanities Medal, the Sibert Medal, the Orbis Pictus Award, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and was selected to give the 2006 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture. Mr. Freedman lives in New York City and travels widely to research his books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your parents' Lincoln, December 21, 2003

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lincoln: A Photobiography (Houghton Mifflin social studies) (Paperback)

A small unimposing masterpiece. It is interesting to me that the photograph chosen for the cover of this book should show Lincoln without his usual beard and stovepipe hat. I like to believe that maybe the author chose this photo himself, perhaps to make people think a little differently about Lincoln from the start. I have nothing for praise for this biography, by the way. The facts are interspersed with the excellent details of Lincoln's life growing up. Freedman has the ability to mingle the times in which Abe lived his life in such a way that the readers hardly notice how well they've become acquainted with the setting before the Civil War arrives. This book is so readable and such a good length that I can see children actually enjoying reading it on their own. Admittedly, this may not often happen, but it's wonderful to read a book that even gives them the option. "Lincoln: A Photobiography" would teach especially well to large groups of kids and would pair nicely with Ruby Bridges's, "Through My Eyes", giving kids a real sense of the history of African-American civil rights.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words, June 20, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Lincoln: A Photobiography (Houghton Mifflin social studies) (Paperback)

Lincoln, A Photobiography, is an excellent source of information and images regarding Abraham Lincoln. Its wealth of pictures tell much about this secretive man who rarely shared his innermost thoughts and feelings.

This book and its contents are based on Freedman's exceptional compilation of photographs, letters, and drawings concerning Lincoln's life and times. Each image is woven into an eloquent account of Abraham Lincoln's world and the issues surrounding him. This book should be on every school library's shelf as it has so many wonderful pictures and other images both common and rare regarding Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.

At the end of the book, Freedman offers a "Lincoln Sampler" containing some of the president's famous quotes. Civil War scholars as well as those researching the topic will see that this book holds both pictures and words that bring our 16th president to life.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book witha lot of reasurch material!, April 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Lincoln: A Photobiography (Houghton Mifflin social studies) (Paperback)

Lincoln: a Photobiography

By Russell Freedman

"A spider of a boy" they called him. Throughout Lincoln's life he was known as a tall, bony legged man. Although he claimed he had forgotten his childhood, historians say he was born in a log cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky on February 12,1809. His parents, Thomas and Nancy named him after his pioneer grandpa who had been killed by Indians while harvesting his crops. After many years Thomas Lincoln, who was a farmer, decided to move the family to Indiana. This was, as Lincoln said, " The hardest experience of my life." Abe and his sister Sarah attended a small one-room cabin school two miles away from their home. This was the only formal schooling he had. When Abe was nine his mother, uncle and aunt all came down with the so-called "milk sickness" and died weeks later. A year went by until Thomas found another wife. He married Sarah Bush Lincoln who was a great housekeeper and took very good care of Lincoln and his sister. She also brought her three children to live with them. Lincoln learned to work hard at an early age. Later during his presidency he said, "Work, work, work is the main thing." After that, Lincoln decided to look for work in New Orleans and then New Salem, Illinois. In New Salem, Lincoln studied law and decided to run for the state legislature. He lost but then ran again when he was 25 and became the second highest vote getter in the state so he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives. At the age of 30, he moved to Springfield and met the love of his life, Mary Ann Todd. They were engaged soon after they met but called the wedding off after Mary's sister did not approve of the marriage. Lincoln's friends said this period was the worst emotional crisis of his life. On the 4th of November they told Mary's sister they were to be married, and they did that evening. Their first child Robert Todd was born nine months later. Then Eddie was born in 1846. By the time Eddie was born Lincoln had opened his own law office and won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and moved to Washington. Eddie, not yet four, died in 1850. Later in 1851 Willie was born, then Thomas who was nicknamed Tad was born in 1853. At this time Lincoln was the leading antislavery spokesperson in Illinois. At the age of 51 he ran for President. He was elected on the 4th November 1860. In 1861 the death of Willie, who was only 11, really upset Mary. During Lincoln's presidency he accomplished a lot of things including the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation declared that all slaves in Confederate territory would be free. As President during the War Between the States, Lincoln agonized over the loss of life and the division of the country. He wanted to preserve the democratic government of a truly united group of states. On April 4th 1865 at the age of 56 Lincoln was shot in Fords Theater by John Wilkes Booth. Although the President did not die straight away he did die the next day. I think this book was written either for research purposes or to show the world what a great man Lincoln was. Freedman showed how Lincoln started from almost nothing and went on to become President. I think Lincoln would have wanted everyone to know how hard he worked to become President. It is historically proven that Lincoln had great depression following Willie's death. Freedman never wrote about his depression; he only wrote about Mary's. Also, the fact that Lincoln was controversial when he was president wasn't mentioned in this book. I think this book is biased because Freedman only shows how great of a person Lincoln was and not any bad sides. This bias could be from nationalism. Everyone in the United States thinks Lincoln is a great man and Freedman could have gotten his bias from that. This book is an inspiring story about persevering under difficult situations. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know about Lincoln or who is researching him. I would recommend it to anyone over the age of nine because some of the language used might be difficult for anyone under that age. I found out that this book is not Russell Freedman's only Newbery winner book. He has also won a Newbery in 1994 for a biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. I also went on to Amazon.com to find that both these books are sold there. Freedman seems to excel in writing biography books.