Abraham Lincoln

by James Russell Lowell

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, American History, Classics, Us Presidents

27 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 30, 2010

About the author

James Russell Lowell was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the Fireside Poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets who rivaled the popularity of British poets. These poets usually used conventional forms and meters in their poetry, making them suitable for families entertaining at their fireside.

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief but compelling essay written by one of the great minds of the era on a man who will be forever epic.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 3 rating is probably fair. It was very long and very detailed on the life of Lincoln. I already read a couple books on him, so I knew most of the stuff and skipped those setions of it. There were a lot of quotes from him that made the book interesting. He just seemed like such a great person to know and his comments on things are great.

[Miles Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've classified Lowell's "Abraham Lincoln" as both a biography and a memoir. I've given it four stars: its a fascinating work, but wordiness hindered Lowell's writing; normally I might have given it only two or three stars . Its an important work however because of the ideological formulations Lowell uses to justify Lincoln's actions as president and the Union war effort. For example, Lowell concedes that Lincoln exercised supreme power and hearkened him to something of a Roman dictator or tribune. He concedes that nationalistic paradigm which drove Lincoln and some Republicans in the 1850s. He also flirts with blasphemy by construing Lincoln as a second (or third?) Adamic figure birthed untainted from the soil of North America.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the reviews on here fail to address the key element of this work - it is neither biography nor life review. It more properly fits into the realm of an essay.

I could not find when, exactly, Lowell wrote this work, but it must have been between 1865 (Lincoln's death, reference in the last paragraph) and 1891 (the year of Lowell's death). Lowell's thesis is simply that Lincoln was the perfect man for his time. Another man might have erred on the side of demagoguery, sacrificing the Union on the altar of his personal vendettas (a lesson that could well have been used in the 2013 political crisis that led to a government shutdown). Another man might have allowed the South to leave, forever fracturing the Union and proving that the nation "of the people, by the people, and for the people" could not "long endure." Lincoln, in Lowell's opinion, was the perfect man for his time.

Those who complain about Lowell's writing style should know that he was a poet, a professor of literature at Harvard, and eventually an ambassador. He writes with all the grandiloquence that one would expect, given his background and era. The tone is unabashedly adulatory, as one might expect from a poet.

In short, those wanting to know about the life of Abraham Lincoln will leave disappointed, but those who are interested in an opinion of Lincoln from a contemporary will have a lot to gain from this short work.

[Ralu · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Romantic Writing

A romantic tale of the events, written at the time after Abraham Lincoln's death. Not particularly his biography. Suitable if you're doing research on that period of time.

[Sevim · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Homely, dispassionate, showing all the rough-edged process of his thought as it goes along, yet arriving at his conclusions with an honest kind of every-day logic, he is so eminently our representative man, that, when he speaks, it seems as if the people were listening to their own thinking aloud…He has always addressed the intelligence of men, never their prejudice, their passion, or their ignorance.”

[Ralph Wechuli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A man who drove the entire nation to shed tears at his death... Great ruler indeed...

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Books is about the time when Abraham Lincoln was the President - war with southern states was continuing and the issue down with slavery was to be incorporated in the Constitution. Lincoln watched the situation carefully and decided at the proper time. The rest is history. The book is of historical importance and source book for research purpose.

[David Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best

it shows you how it was in the time of Abraham Lincoln
and I like it a lot !!!!! !

[Lily Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hhhbgg

Yhvvvbbbbgghhdbbbbdhhh bab eggs highs hehe Jenna hehe hehe bushy hubbub junkies jabbing hehe sunshine brandished hehe hehe unbanned Kinnock Benjamin's jjjknknkkk

[David Withee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written back then

Interesting however written back in the day of Lincoln. Many definitions were not in today's dictionary. Still very interesting .

[Timi Okoya · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of an Essay on the person of Lincoln and his suitability to the nation at the time. Great read. Particularly love James's long sentences!

[Clifton Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about a great man summarized in a short book. I like it. It is a great introduction to Lincoln. I will have to include some more Lincoln books in my library.

[D Des Roches · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

This book is a good description of Lincoln as one of the greatest American men of all time. I found it quite enlightening.

[Mandla Nyindodo · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't exactly Abraham Lincoln's life story, nonetheless, it serves as a valuable addition to the shelves for political history buffs.

[Sravn]

No