Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln

by Anthony Gross

1994 Barnes Noble hardcover, 7th printing. Anthony Gross (Lincoln's Own Stories). " Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves." Rather than the dour soul he sometimes appeared to be, Abraham Lincoln enjoyed a fine, often barbed sense of humor as this lively collection of his salty stories, anecdotes, quotes and speech excerpts proves. Also included in this treasury are his famous addresses, a Lincoln time-line, and sections on Lincoln Lore, Gettysburg Gems and Assassination Secrets. - Google Books

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Humor, Historical, Biography, Civil War, American History

230 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1912

Reviews

[Matt]

Through various sources, Anthony Gross brings together a collection of stories told by or about Abraham Lincoln. While some of them are well known, others are not and are interesting. However, some stories need a lot more context or are related to the era that getting them is somewhat hard to do. Given the number of stories that others wrote about Lincoln either say or about Lincoln after his death, it’s hard to know how many are true and not invented by those wanting to be connected slain President. Overall a nice collection, but the reader should be weary that maybe everything might not actually be Lincoln stories.

[Devyn]

DNF

Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln is a collection of stories and anecdotes selected by Anthony Gross that follows Lincoln's life from his early years, through his law career, and finally his time as President.
Besides being in chronical order in reference to his career, this book has absolutely no organization, no follow-up on the stories, and no index.
I'm not going to waste my time reading a presumably nonfiction book about a historical figure without a reliable index.

[Ron]

An excellent collection of Abraham Lincoln sayings. The arrangement and interpretive material is mediocre and occasionally confusing.

Still, the greatness of Lincoln still shines through. What a President; what a man.

[Mike]

A short collection of Lincoln quotes. I found them to be a bit all over the place. I would have liked more background behind each short story. I love Lincoln so it was good to read through.

[Jerry Jares]

Once in a while, I like to pick up a volume about Abraham Lincoln, to remind myself what an incredible leader he was during the perilous times of the Civil War. This is one of those books that illustrates Lincolns greatness.

Using only anecdotes and phrases by Lincoln, this small book catches Lincoln at his funniest, most somber, most tragic. Some of these vignettes are so poignant that I cried.

One thing that ran through my mind: What would the US have been like if Lincoln had lived? Having read dozens of books about the aftermath of the Civil War and the death and destruction that abounded, I think Lincoln could have bound up the nation's wounds and helped bring both sides of the conflict to the table.

What isn't commonly known is that thousands died AFTER the war ended. The rage had not burned out although so many had died on the battlefield. Blacks were summarily murdered by whites and vice versa. It is astonishing how many people (often women, children and the poor) died of starvation during and after the war.

This book gives the reader a look at the compassion and understanding of Lincoln. One of these amazing stories: Lincolns coach almost ran over a very young man who happened to be blind in both eyes (injured in the war). Lincoln jumped out of the coach and asked him questions; the next day 2 letters came to the hospital for the man. First, he was given a lieutenants commission. The second letter retired him with ¾ pay for his service!

When a Union officer referred to the Confederate wounded as Rebs, Lincoln chastised him. Call them Johnnys it sounds friendlier.

The stories are separated into several chapters: Earlier years -- Lawyer -- Local politics and the Douglas Debates -- At the White House -- At the front -- Commander-in-Chief. By doing this, the reader sees different facets of Lincoln in a variety of roles. Overall: 4.5 stars

[Rick]

Some very entertaining stories from a president famed for his storytelling. I enjoyed reading this wit and wisdom. The book was at times enlightening, at times humorous, and at times sad. The Gettysburg Address was included in the book as well.

This is a worthwhile read and a good addition to any bookshelf.

[Casey]

I enjoyed this book as a great admirer of Good Ol' Abe. This is simply a collection of anecdotes throughout his life. It is very important to note there are no sources, and so, these accounts should be held lightly until one is able to prove provenance.

[Denise]

Gives you a view of Lincoln for who he was all through his life. Fast read with some great thinking points.

[Chantelle]

Most stories uninteresting and not edited very well.

[Courtney A]

A little hard to follow as it jumps around and just provides anecdotal snippets of his life. However, it provides great insight into his character and makes for a quick read.

[Julie]

Enjoyable and heartwarming collection of anecdotes by/about Abraham Lincoln.

[Richard Edwards]

An interesting read. It is rather uneven. Some of the stories give great insight into Abraham Lincoln, and others do not seem to have any meaning or point.

[Michael Cawley]

Wonderful collection of Lincoln brief stories.

[Bruce LaBarge Sr.]

A book totally made of snippets and short story’s. I do not consider it a book but a collection of short stories some interesting some not.

[Martin Pepe]

This is a wonderful collection of anecdotes about our greatest President. It covers every stage of his life. From boyhood, to lawyer, to the Lincoln Douglas debates, and finally the many aspects of the unbelievable weight on his shoulders during his Presidency. I have just seen the movie Lincoln and this book gives you a much better idea of who the man really was. An incredibly kind soul to all he came across and aways with a humorous story to make his point. I particularly enjoyed the lengthy catalogue of his endless pardons during the war that infuriated his generals. The most moving story in the book comes relatively early on. It's one of the most romantic and painful things I've read about the man but perfectly encapsulates who he was. Here is the brief passage that says so much

"His great tenderness in love and sorrow is shown when Anne Rutledge, his first love, was laid in the grave. Grieving till his friends feared his loss of reason, he was found on a dark and stormy night beside the new-made grave crying, "I cannot bear to have the rain fall upon her.""

I would recommend this to anyone who has a true interest in our 16th President and also recommend that you know some of the history surrounding his life and Presidency so you can keep up with the many people that fill the anecdotes.

[Kimberly Lewis]

I love this collection- little anecdotes either directly from Lincoln's writings/speeches or people who knew him- friends and enemies alike. It helps to flesh out an understanding of him as a person and a great leader. I like to just pick this book up and choose any page. I find myself comforted by Lincoln's humility and great compassion for other human beings- largely formed from his own experience with suffering. I have always wished I had known him and this book only solidifies that desire.

[Mindy Hostetler]

This book is made up of many anecdotes from Lincoln himself, found in letters, speeches, and of course, the possibly false memories of those he interacted with. As a lover of all things Lincoln I did enjoy reading this very much, but must admit it was more of a book to read in bed when I needed something to put me to sleep. Lincoln was a very witty man with a clever way of portraying his ideas and this book does a good job exhibiting that, but doesn't do a wonderful job keeping the reader actively engaged.

[Rick DeMier]

Lincoln once asked, "How many legs will the sheep have if you call the tail a leg?" When someone answered, "Five," Lincoln explained, "You are mistaken, for calling a tail a leg don't make it so." This 1912 book is full of examples of Lincoln's remarkable ability to make profound points via home-spun storytelling.

[Kevin]

Just a bunch of great quotes from one of our greatest presidents. It timelines when they were said and what context he was speaking and to whom. Quick read, short book but a reminder of some good ideas and words to live by that we have seem to forgotten in this day and age.

[Don]

A treasury from our greatest President. There are various presentations of similar material, but what has survived of Lincoln's writings, speeches, and quotations are tremendously important to both understanding him and understanding his presidency.

[Susan Corrigan]

Very entertaining and a nice little piece to pick up here and there. Also can be kind of fun to toss tidbits out randomly to see if anyone knows their origin. That makes me sound like such a nerd but so be it.

[Shauna Gordon]

As a history lover, I think this book is fantastic! You see a whole new side of President Lincoln that you've never seen before. There are various stories from his time as a lawyer, a politician, Commander and Chief, and President. This is the kind of stuff you don't learn in history class.

[Cws]

92L

[Bill Walker]

This is a book of quotes and anecdotes intended to portray the character and style of Abraham Lincoln. Many of them are probably true.

[Karen Eitzman]

I really like his life story, and he's been quoted so often... He was very misunderstood.

[James Howald]

How can it go wrong, short exerts about and from the big man himself. Great stories from contemporaries and some from his writings. Good sampling of all time periods of his life as well.

[Pennie]

What a great background to my favorite President of all time. Really gives you a good grasp of the man he was and his thoughts.

[Theresa]

a great resource for understanding the man and the ideals

[Kathleen]

One of my favorite quotes of his is, "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

[Sherry]

It was a good read. President Lincoln was a clever man who said a lot with just few words. I enjoy reading what he said. Nice sense of humor too!