Abraham Lincoln's World, Expanded Edition (Paperback)

~ Genevieve Foster (Author), Joanna Foster (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

1940 Newbery Honor Title

Published by Beautiful Feet Books

Originally published in 1944, Foster earned her reputation by her masterful display of "horizontal history" telling the story of world events in the geo-political sphere, while giving as much importance to advances in science, medicine, music, literature, and exploration. Thus, while Abe Lincoln was a boy romping the woods of Kentucky, Thomas Jefferson was completing his eighth year as president, George III reigned in Great Britain and Napolean was about to meet his Waterloo. Beethoven and Sir Walter Scott were at the height of their creative powers, while Victor Hugo was staging plays at school. By the time Lincoln was old enough to help his father chop wood, other young boys and girls were being prepared for the future parts they would play. Harriet Beecher was reading anything she could get her hands on, Charles Darwin was collecting toads, crabs and shells, and the impoverished boy Dickens was working in a shoe blacking factory in London. When Lincoln opened his shop in Salem, David Livingstone was opening up deepest Africa, and thousands of Americans were opening up the West on the Oregon Trail. The spirit of freedom was moving around the globe as the abolitionist movement gained power in the States and serfdom saw its demise in Russia. Technologically the world was bursting with the invention of the telegraph, the railroad and the steamboat. With her whimsical and informative illustrations and timelines Foster has magnificently captured a remarkable age and a remarkable man.

About the Author

"Nothing is more critical, I believe, than that children growing up in these critical explosive days should be given an understanding of American history as a part of the history of the world. Every year this grows more urgent, as increasingly rapid communication integrates world events more closely and the impact of foreign affairs on our own lives becomes more serious and immediate." Genevieve Foster wrote this nearly fifty years ago. It resonates with perhaps more truth today. As a result of this clarion call we have sold many of her enduring "World" titles because of the timeless nature of her books. Her writing style is clear, concise and fluid with her greatest strength as a storyteller being her ability to bring her readers right into the minds and times of her characters.

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Beautiful Feet Books; Expanded edition (December 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893103161
• ISBN-13: 978-1893103160
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #203,651 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #95 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( L ) > Lincoln, Abraham

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Abraham Lincoln's WORLD, October 7, 2005

By	Erika Marchese (Mt. Juliet, TN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is not about Abraham Lincoln alone, but about the world in which he lived. If you want a biography of Lincoln, this is not the book. BUT if you want to know what was happening in the world that shaped the events that affected his life(and others), this is the book.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Connections, November 12, 2006

By	Joanne Jacobs (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I loved this book and the other Genevieve Foster books (Augustus Caesar's World, George Washington's World) when I was a kid. Foster writes about what was happening all over the world when the main character was alive. The stories are so vivid that I still remember most of them: Benito Juarez growing up in Mexico, a Chinese boy studying for exams while his friend gets hooked on opium . . . Most history is too vertical to let you see connections; this is very horizontal. I developed a lifelong love of history.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Abraham Lincoln's World is a great book, June 15, 2008

By	L. Reed "tnhomeschooler" (rural central TN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Abraham Lincoln's World (Paperback)

My middle school daughter loves all the Genevieve Foster history books. As a homeschooler free to choose her own curriculum, she says the Foster books are the only history books she will use. As her teacher/mom, I say they're all she needs for history.