Abraham Lincoln: A Life

by Michael Burlingame

In the first multi-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln to be published in decades, Lincoln scholar Michael Burlingame offers a fresh look at the life of one of America’s greatest presidents. Incorporating the field notes of earlier biographers, along with decades of research in multiple manuscript archives and long-neglected newspapers, this remarkable work will both alter and reinforce our current understanding of America’s sixteenth president.

Volume 1 covers Lincoln’s early childhood, his experiences as a farm boy in Indiana and Illinois, his legal training, and the political ambition that led to a term in Congress in the 1840s. In volume 2, Burlingame examines Lincoln’s life during his presidency and the Civil War, narrating in fascinating detail the crisis over Fort Sumter and Lincoln’s own battles with relentless office seekers, hostile newspaper editors, and incompetent field commanders. Burlingame also offers new interpretations of Lincoln’s private life, discussing his marriage to Mary Todd and the untimely deaths of two sons to disease.

But through it all—his difficult childhood, his contentious political career, a fratricidal war, and tragic personal losses—Lincoln preserved a keen sense of humor and acquired a psychological maturity that proved to be the North’s most valuable asset in winning the Civil War.

Published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth, this landmark publication establishes Burlingame as the most assiduous Lincoln biographer of recent memory and brings Lincoln alive to modern readers as never before.

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

967 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 6, 2012

About the author

Michael Burlingame is the author of THE INNER WORLD OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN (1994) and the editor of a dozen books of Lincoln primary resource materials. He taught history at Connecticut College in New London for 33 years, retiring in 2001 to devote full time to ABRAHAM LINCOLN: A LIFE. That work is based on extensive research in manuscripts, newspapers, and public records, many of them overlooked or underutilized by previous biographers. He lives in Mystic, Connecticut."

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

“One day in the middle of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln stole time from his busy schedule to pen some wise paternal advise to a young Union captain who had been squabbling with his superiors. Quoting from Hamlet, the president wrote that a father’s admonition to his son – ‘Beware of entrance to a quarrel, but being in, bear it that the opposed may beware of thee’ – was good counsel ‘and not yet the best.’ Instead, Lincoln enjoined the captain: ‘Quarrel not at all.’ The reasons Lincoln gave were practical: ‘No man resolved to make the most of himself, can spare time for personal contention. Still less can he afford to take all the consequences, including the vitiating of his temper, and the loss of self-control. Yield larger things to which you can show no more than equal right; and yield lesser ones, though clearly your own. Better give your path to a dog, than be bitten by him in contesting for the right. Even killing the dog would not cure the bite.’ Born into emotional and economic poverty, Lincoln early on ‘resolved to make the most of himself’ and did so, adhering to those precepts…”
- Michael Burlingame, Abraham Lincoln: A Life, Volume One

One does not choose Michael Burlingame’s two-volume Abraham Lincoln: A Life wanting to know something about the sixteenth president. One picks it up in order to know everything. This is a project for which the overused word “comprehensive” truly fits. It is massive, the two books together roughly the size of an infant clutching a normal-sized Abraham Lincoln biography. Together, the two entries run to roughly 1,600 pages of text. And those are big pages with small print.

At the risk of dallying in Freudian territory, the size of these books is saying something. It is an announcement of serious intent, and also a bit of a warning. In the vast universe of Lincoln literature, this is not a necessary title. For those who want to focus on the highlights, there are many other books to choose from that are considerably less imposing, and will not strain your lumbar spine when you lift them. Even avid Lincoln students might be put off by the density of Burlingame’s presentation.

Frankly, when I embarked on volume one of Abraham Lincoln, I did so in the spirit of a challenge. I wanted to see if I could make it to the end. Having reached the halfway point, I am both exhausted and enthralled, in great need of a break, but also pretty certain I’ll tackle volume two soon enough.

Burlingame’s Abraham Lincoln is not so much a biography, but an attempted three-dimensional rendering seemingly constructed by just about every word written by – and about – Honest Abe.

***

Volume one of Abraham Lincoln covers the period from Lincoln’s birth in 1809, to the moment in 1861 in which he leaves his home of Springfield, Illinois for the last time, and sets out for Washington, D.C. as President of the United States. Given that Burlingame has budgeted 759 pages for the section of Lincoln’s life before he became a world-historical figure, you might be asking: Is it too much?

The question is fair.

Obviously, Lincoln’s pre-presidential life was not exactly empty. An autodidact, he rose from abject poverty to become a respectable lawyer and state politician. He also served one term in the United States Congress, where he gained some attention for his opposition to the Mexican-American War. More importantly, he parlayed a failed U.S. Senate bid into the Republican nomination for president, a contest he ended up winning when the Democratic party fractured between northern and southern wings over the issue of slavery.

Still, 759 pages is a lot of pages.

There are times when the enormous page-count is put to really good effect, especially as we get closer to the presidency. Burlingame provides two full chapters on the famous debates between Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, giving a blow-by-blow breakdown of each of the contests. There is also a deep-dive into Lincoln’s rise within the Republican Party, and how he nabbed the nomination from much better-known opponents such as William Seward.

There are other moments, though, when Burlingame lands upon a subject that could safely be summarized in a paragraph, but instead covers in such agonizing detail that it is semi-parodic. For example, there is a seemingly endless chapter on Lincoln’s time as an attack dog for local Whigs, which tediously goes through numerous articles written by Lincoln assaulting state political rivals over issues that feel laughably trivial.

***

The overarching framework in Abraham Lincoln is chronological, but the material is often grouped by narrower themes, such as a chapter devoted to Lincoln’s marvelously weird courtship of Mary Todd.

If I had to boil down this wide sea of words to just one, I’d say: Detailed. I’m not exaggerating much when I assert that Abraham Lincoln is the written equivalent to the Lincoln Monument. Instead of being built of marble and granite, though, it is meticulously composed of minutiae.

Now, I love a good factoid as much as anyone. But that love was tested during extended excursions in the backroads of the barely-relevant. During an exhaustive disquisition on Lincoln’s legal career, Burlingame feels it necessary to provide an extended sequence in which Lincoln has to sue a railroad to recover a legal fee. At another point, he gets sidetracked by analyzing all of the photographs and portraits made of Lincoln.

For good and bad, these detours are amplified by Burlingame’s thoroughness as a historian. Instead of choosing the most likely tale from among competing versions, he often lays out all the versions, before landing on the one he feels is most supported by the evidence. This is a lawyerly approach. As a lawyer myself, I can attest that it does not always make for the most scintillating reading experience.

***

Burlingame’s style is methodical, his chief achievement the ability to convey absurd quantities of information without becoming totally unreadable. This is a roundabout way of saying there’s not much to say about the prose.

Nevertheless, Abraham Lincoln periodically gets quite lively. In his quest to poke his nose in every corner of Lincoln’s life, Burlingame discusses things you might not know – or want to know – about the man. There is his sex life, for one, and his enjoyment of coarse jokes. There are also fascinating insights, such as Burlingame’s contention that Lincoln’s rise to the presidency had as much to do with his non-mythical honesty – in comparison to the corruption of James Buchanan’s administration – as his stance on slavery. Unlike many historians, Burlingame is not afraid to step inside his subject’s headspace.

In addition, Burlingame does a good job providing the “times” as well as the “life,” especially with regard to the other characters sharing the stage. He gives really sharp profiles of many of Lincoln’s contemporaries, including a merciless portrait of Stephen A. Douglas as a vicious racist and proud white supremacist, most of it grounded in Douglas’s own words.

***

Unsurprisingly, a major thread running through volume one of Abraham Lincoln is slavery. This is important. In the past several years, there have been some loud attempts to – for lack of a better word – “cancel” Lincoln for his failure to reach the requisite morality of an age in which he never lived. For the most part, these assaults on Abe feel like quasi-desperate attempts to gain attention, which is the sine qua non of social media participation. Unfortunately, the assertions have been amplified by repetition, requiring a rejoinder. To that end, Burlingame’s completeness is a compelling counterweight to those who’d argue that the man most central to ending slavery in the United States was actually a racist whose likeness should be toppled.

Importantly, Burlingame hides nothing. He simply transcribes Lincoln’s voluminous words – and the words of those who knew him – and lets you judge the record for yourself. There are things about Lincoln’s evolving views that do him little credit, at least from our ever-so-lofty perspective, 215 years after his birth. For the most part, however, he stuck to an abiding principle regarding the fundamental unjustness of slavery. “You toil, I eat,” is a repeated phrase he used to condemn those who found it easier to enslave fellow human beings than do any work themselves. In castigating slaveowners as not only immoral, but lazy, Lincoln landed a fairly savage critique.

Ultimately, the inescapable conclusion is that when Lincoln said he always opposed slavery, he told the truth.

***

I judge biographies on how well I understand the person about whom the biography has been written. I ask myself: Would I be prepared if that person walked through my door, leaving aside the natural shock of a famous ghost choosing my house to enter? Here – on sheer length alone – it’s impossible not to. I feel like I know Lincoln better, and he's well worth knowing.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This exhaustively-researched book is certainly a commitment and proved to be something of an endurance test - and it's only the first of two volumes! But it's well worth undertaking, if you've already read some about Abraham Lincoln and want to dig deeper to learn virtually everything there is to know about him.

The benefit of such a lengthy book is that Burlingame doesn’t have to pick and choose what stories he tells, or skim over certain periods in order to spend more time on others. As a result, he manages to humanize Lincoln more than any other biographer I’ve read. Burlingame’s Lincoln doesn’t immediately spring onto the scene as a saintly sage who can do no wrong. Instead, we get a great sense of how Lincoln developed from a backcountry bumpkin with seemingly modest prospects for success, into a skillful and sincere politician poised to assume the presidency at the end of this volume.

The early chapters provide an excellent portrait of Lincoln’s upbringing, thoroughly examining his unhappy relationship with his father that left him itching to strike out on his own. Burlingame notes that while Lincoln was smarter and more ambitious than others growing up, he often still "showed his frontier crudeness" and "was not entirely a paragon of virtue, despite his reputation as a sociable, good-natured, and gentle fellow."

These personality traits extend into Lincoln’s early political career, as Burlingame describes Lincoln’s sometimes race-baiting campaigning that pandered to popular tastes, and how he often attacked his political opponents with snide, ridiculing, immature insults “that reflected his primitive background.” Anything that other biographers tend to tiptoe around so as not to unduly tarnish Lincoln’s reputation, Burlingame goes there - with specific examples of Lincoln's early regrettably racist comments, his penchant for ribald stories, even his early sexual experiences. Whether you really wanted to know this, or wish you didn’t know, Burlingame is going to tell you anyway, in the interest of absolute comprehensiveness.

Lincoln’s legal career is also covered thoroughly, and honestly. Others treat his habit of being disorganized, lounging on the couch in his office, and letting his kids run wild as something of a quirky habit for us to look back and smile at. But Burlingame calls Lincoln out for this behavior, portraying it as carelessness and inattentiveness that had an impact on his effectiveness. While Lincoln was honorable and honest in his dealings, he wasn’t altogether assiduous and could often fall back on his habit of resorting to sarcasm and ridicule in arguing his cases. Burlingame concludes that overall, Lincoln was a good, but not great, lawyer. And, as always, he fully documents his conclusions so he’s never just offering an unsupported opinion.

Over time, as Lincoln’s attention turned to politics and as the issues facing the country became more serious, Lincoln himself did, too. "The slasher-gaff politico who reveled in sarcasm and excelled at ridicule somehow developed into a statesman, a principled champion of the antislavery cause," Burlingame observes.

At times, Burlingame dips his toe into psychoanalyzing Lincoln, providing plenty of examples to back up his specific claims about Lincoln's ambition, melancholy, and feelings of inferiority. But this can sometimes fall flat, as in his diagnosis of Lincoln’s supposed "midlife crisis." This is how Burlingame describes Lincoln’s years out of politics, after his term in Congress and before his run for the Senate. He psychoanalyzes Lincoln based on midlife crises that others have experienced, even though there's scant evidence Lincoln experienced the same. It seems forced, as though Burlingame is simply trying to graft a label onto a moment of time, in order to neatly divide the less-successful and more-successful periods of Lincoln’s adult life into a tidy before-and-after. Even the deaths of Lincoln’s son Eddie and his father during this period are only briefly passed over, and only in the context of how they contributed to this alleged midlife crisis.

At this point in the book, perhaps fatigue was setting in, because after my initial enthrallment during which I thought this may well be the greatest presidential biography I’d ever read, I began to find more fault with it. As the narrative moved to the Lincoln-Douglas debates, I found it to be more dry and tedious than dramatic and compelling. The writing settles into a pattern of long, often paragraph-length quotes from each debater, followed by numerous quotes from Republican newspapers on what they thought about the debate, followed by numerous quotes from Democratic newspapers on what they thought about the debate. Then rinse and repeat six more times for each of the next six debates. This to me was among the book’s least compelling chapters, on what might have been among the most compelling topics.

I know that the thorough use of quotes and citing of multiple sources is just part of Burlingame’s effort to fully document his story. But it can sometimes come at the expense of readability. Even early in the book, it’s not enough for Burlingame to say that Lincoln grew up poor. Instead, he goes on to quote no less than 14 friends, neighbors and relatives who can back up this contention. One neighbor remembered the Lincolns as “quite poor,” another said they were “very poor,” a third called them “awfully poor,” and so on. After a while, you may start to think, okay, enough already, I get it, they were poor! Burlingame is just trying to prove his point by meticulously documenting his evidence and emphasizing the depth of his research, but it can get to be a bit much at times.

The same occurs when he describes Mary Lincoln as having a bad temper - he goes on to quote 18 individual people who offer anecdote after anecdote about what a terrible temper she had.

Which brings me to my next concern - Mary comes across in the book as a rather one-dimensional hellion. She is introduced thusly: “In 1842, Lincoln wed Mary Todd, a woman who was to make his domestic life ‘a burning, scorching hell,’ as ‘terrible as death and as gloomy as the grave,’ according to one who knew him very well.” Yikes.

That “one who knew him very well” was William Herndon, who despised Mary. So it’s somewhat odd that a book that’s otherwise so thorough, bases so much of its portrayal of Mary on this single point of view. Evidence of her bad behavior is indeed overwhelming and well-cited, but very little if anything about her positive contributions is acknowledged - her political advice, her attentiveness to Lincoln's career, the air of sophistication she lent to the less well-bred Lincoln. It’s a shame that a book this thorough and detailed doesn’t really attempt to explore Mary in three dimensions, or get at the heart of their relationship and what Lincoln really saw in her.

This first volume concludes with the 1860 campaign, election and presidential transition. While all of this could be, and has elsewhere been, described rather succinctly, Burlingame adds plenty of shading to show that nothing was inevitable and Lincoln could well have lost his party’s nomination were it not for the effective wheeling and dealing of his backers. And despite all the attention to the issue of slavery, Burlingame effectively shows how Lincoln was not a single-issue candidate - voters’ hostility to corruption and a desire for honesty in government may have contributed to Lincoln’s nomination and election just as much as his antislavery views did.

I could go on, but then my review would be as long as the book. Despite its faults, this volume still earns five stars from me for its virtues, as the good parts far outweigh the bad. Even if you’re already familiar with Lincoln’s life, Burlingame adds background, context and details to oft-told stories, and offers new judgments, conclusions, interpretations and educated speculation about what Lincoln was thinking during his rise to political prominence. With president-elect Lincoln poised to begin his journey to Washington, now the journey through volume two begins, with an excellent foundation that helps set the scene for what is to come.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

By choosing one of, arguably, the three most important US presidents, Burlingame seeks to offer up a thorough and all-encompassing exploration into the life of a man whose important supersedes his profile on the penny. There is so much to explore in the life of Abraham Lincoln that Burlingame must divide the biography into two volumes, each a monstrosity that surpasses 1400 pages. This first volume explores the life of Honest Abe from his birth in 1809 through to his departure for the White House in 1861. Chock full of stories and anecdotes, the patient and attentive reader will discover three themes Burlingame presents to describe his subject. Abraham Lincoln comes across as extremely generous to those deserving his aid, grounded in his personal beliefs, and inherently political. Any reader who is able to set aside the time to absorb this book will leave not only wanting more, but also find new and exciting aspects about the 16th President of the United States. A stellar piece of biographic material not to be missed by any with a passion to learn.

Abraham Lincoln's generous nature is one of Burlingame's repeated themes throughout this volume. Lincoln saw past the greed that permeated his childhood home, showing graciousness and gratitude through his formative years. Burlingame mentions Lincoln's scholastic years, thinking nothing of offering insight and assistance wherever it might prove beneficial. The kind sentimentality continued when Lincoln entered the workforce, including time as a postal clerk, storekeeper, and legal mind once he passed the Illinois Bar. Burlingame expands his narrative significantly around Lawyer Lincoln (not to be confused with the legal character modern crime author Michael Connelly developed) and discusses not only cases the man fought, but also the courtroom drama that ensued. Lincoln would help anyone who sought him out and could pay his fees, which seemed moderate for the time. As Lincoln became more political, his views towards helping the less fortunate are not lost on the attentive reader. Burlingame posits that this generosity, cultivated his entire life, was not only Lincoln's desire to help the 'little man', but that there was a strong believe in the future president that slavery was horrid and those who were treated as chattel must shed themselves of their shackles, both literally and figuratively. While not a professed strong believer in Christianity (even though he read and memorised biblical passages in his youth), Lincoln could turn the other cheek from those who sought to bring him down and offered insightful ways to have them better understand him. A man who would give the shirt off his own back and the last morsel of food he had, Lincoln's generous nature appears throughout the biography.

While Lincoln did want to open his mind and prove a helpful individual, he did hold certain truths to be his own and from which he would never stray. Burlingame offers key examples throughout this tome, beginning with young Abraham's sense that reading was the key to knowledge. In an era when point-and-click research was impossible, the only way to open one's mind was through reading and absorbing that which came from the written page or the spoken word. Lincoln ostracised himself, preferring a book to attending social gatherings or interacting with the fairer sex. As Burlingame elucidates throughout, Lincoln felt reading and comprehending opposing views would pave the way to much success. This viewpoint continued when he was called to the Bar without having formally studied under any lawyer, but read the eminent texts repeatedly. Lincoln's firm beliefs from here led him into the crazy world of politics, where having a stance can both differentiate a man from his opponents, but also pigeonhole him with the electorate. That Lincoln developed some of his strongest truths from reading Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence explains much and is repeated throughout the biography. Lincoln pulled from the Declaration a set of passionate views surrounding equality, shaped by his upbringing and life experiences, but also a sense of fairness to all men, extending this definition to those of all skin colours, which might have been vague when penned and delivered to the British decades earlier. Burlingame allows the reader to soak up Lincoln's personal beliefs through numerous anecdotes and tales of the man's countless interactions with others, though does not make the future president seem aloof or condescending when holding such strong views. There is no way for the reader to miss Burlingame's repeated mention of Lincoln's sentiments about slavery, something to which even the most simplistic history text makes reference. This core belief proves not only a theme through the biography, but also pushed Lincoln through his most exciting years as a member of the Whig and Republican parties, both as an office holder and policy advocate. A passionate man with a quiver full of personal ideals, Lincoln defended them adamantly and would not stray, no matter the adversary before him.

To have a passion for politics is one thing, but to be able to transform those sentiments into becoming the vessel for change is something altogether rarer. Lincoln's path to becoming the 16th President of the United States in 1861 was not a clear path in which he rose to become a preeminent statesman through a series of political positions, each one more demanding than the last. While Lincoln did hold office in Illinois and served a single term in the US House of Representatives, a great deal of his political success came from behind the podium where he used his masterful abilities to pull individuals over to his side or to sway large sections of an audience. While Lincoln did have a number of men who shaped his aspirations, specifically fellow Kentuckian, Senator Henry Clay, he stood alone in his pathway and chose to forge new and unexplored ground in his beliefs and the means by which he presented them. While Lincoln's political aspirations came by aligning himself with many, his greatest successes came in opposition to Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois. By this time, both men called the state home, allowing Lincoln and Douglas to have numerous clashes over the years, predominantly around the issue of slavery. Both men were able to score key victories, though the scorecard remains vague in both camps. Lincoln espoused his strong beliefs against slave holding and Douglas held firm in relation to the class system within America, where whites held supremacy over all others. These two men had their respective camps through many political campaigns and ran against one another in the 1858 senatorial election in Illinois. It is worth noting for the political astute reader, while direct elections of senators did not come until 1913 under the 17th Amendment, Lincoln and Douglas debated, seeking to sway the electorate to choose individuals for the state legislature, who would then cast votes for the state's US senator. As Burlingame elucidates, the '58 contest was one for the ages and saw Douglas defeat Lincoln after a collection of gerrymandered districts failed to properly proportion votes into state seats. Burlingame offers detailed and insightful views throughout the biography into the various events that included Lincoln's passionate addresses, politicking, and seeking to sway large portions of the electorate. Supporters and detractors alike would flock to hear Lincoln speak, even if they could not stand behind the rhetoric presented. Lincoln's apparent meteoric rise to fame came from these well-documented clashes with Douglas, which received not only statewide but national (and sometimes) international press. Slavery was surely a hot button issue in the United States and Lincoln's strong views earned him much support amongst Republicans, which led to the surprising candidacy coming out of the 1860 Republican National Convention, where Lincoln encountered another political foe, William H. Seward of New York. Seward hailed from the powerful state and Lincoln had to use all his political aplomb to ensure he could keep Seward in line on Election Day. Burlingame illustrates this struggle, as well as the renewed clashes with Stephen A. Douglas in the General Election. Two mainstream party candidates vying for the White House from the same state is a feat rarely, if ever, seen in a presidential election. Lincoln political rise to power was less a direct path than one that zigged when needed and zagged to remain firmly out of the clutches of the Democrats. However, even after the November battle, Lincoln could see that trouble awaited him as southern states began passing resolutions to leave the Union. Burlingame uses the final two chapters to instil a sense of panic with the President-elect, not only as states drew lines in the sand, but to choose a Cabinet that might keep a country together that was in the midst of tearing itself apart. Lincoln's passion for all things political is seen throughout, though he may have been naive as to the minefield into which he walked when assuming the role of Commander-in-Chief.

One cannot complete the review of this tome without discussing a few other aspects that did not necessarily fit neatly into the themes above. While many politicians would have not only a strong political base but also a supportive household, Burlingame shows that Lincoln's home life was far from ideal. While she likely did have some positive traits, Mary Todd Lincoln comes across not only as a complete control freak, but also as a woman well beneath what Abraham deserved. Her abusive nature, directed towards their children and the future president both, come out in much of Burlingame's narrative dealing with Lincoln's family. How Lincoln remained with such a horrid woman baffles me, though surely he was no peach with whom to live. Burlingame does describe how Lincoln would spend as much time away from the house as possible and that his correspondence with his wife while out on the road was minimal at best. Not that political spouses need be vapid, but Mary Todd Lincoln seems to take things to the opposite extreme. In addition Mrs. Lincoln's abusive sentiments, Burlingame is able to capture the strength of the pushback against black equality at the time. While students of history may know that the South was strongly opposed to ending slavery, the extent to the complete degradation and abuse dished out to the black population stunned even me. I have read and seen much related to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, but it surely paled as compared to the poisonous rhetoric that was being presented in newspapers and during stump speeches by well-respected politicians. Whether Burlingame sought to highlight the extensive racist and imbecilic views presented is not known, though one must weigh this against the mainline views of the times. Surely there has been much progress made in 150 years, though the knowledgeable reader will understand that there is a long way yet to go. These are but two additional areas that deserved some mention amongst scores of others that will pique the reader's interested while making their way through the biography.

So much passion and attention to detail went into this volume that one can only hope the second instalment is as powerful. Surely there is to be a minute account of Lincoln's Civil War presidency, as the second volume covers a much short time period, 1861-65. If it is anywhere as powerful as this tome, the reader is in for a treat beyond measure. The narrative is woven together so seamlessly that the long chapters seem to fly by, which are supported with many references and direct quotations from those who lived with or reported on Abraham Lincoln. Burlingame is on his game in putting together such a detailed piece of biographical work and should be praised for his dedication to the cause. I do not think I have read such a detailed biography since examining the life of the other US president who sought to quell relations with blacks, LBJ. The detail, the anecdotes, the varied means of presenting Lincoln's character. All of these help to formulate a story of Abraham Lincoln that shows the numerous aspects of the 16th President of the United States. I remained in a state of constant shock as the narrative peeled back some of the lesser known facts about the man and his personal creed. How blessed I am to have found and devoured such a wonderful book, which still has a second volume to complete the tale of this superb political figure. I am eager to sink my teeth into it and learn about the minutiae of America's darker days as Burlingame continues to make his case that Lincoln's importance to America places him amongst the top three presidents of all time.

Kudos seems too small a praise to offer you, Mr. Burlingame. I am sure to praise this book for years to come and recommend it to anyone who wishes to see how a stellar biography ought to have been written.

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[Geoff Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very detailed biography of Lincoln of his early years until he was elected President. Extensive footnotes. You walk away feeling as if you personally knew Lincoln. Great read!

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exhaustive, and exhausting.

[Hank Pharis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably the best biography we have of Lincoln. The more I learn about him the more impressed I am by him. Rising from grinding poverty. Raised by what some might call today "poor white trash." Failing again and again to win various elections. Almost out of nowhere he becomes President. And then probably the best President we have ever had. This first volume takes us through his life up to his inauguration.

Lincoln’s story is remarkable. You may have seen quotes like this: “Probably the greatest example of persistence is Abraham Lincoln.

Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. He lost eight elections, twice failed in business and suffered a nervous breakdown.

He could have quit many times - but he didn't and because he didn't quit, he became one of the greatest presidents in the history of our country.

Here is a sketch of Lincoln's road to the White House:

1816 His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.
1818 His mother died.
1831 Failed in business.
1832 Ran for state legislature - lost.
1832 Also lost his job - wanted to go to law school but couldn't get in.
1833 Borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the
end of the year he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his
life paying off this debt.
1834 Ran for state legislature again - won.
1835 Was engaged to be married, sweetheart died and his heart was broken.
1836 Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months.
1838 Sought to become speaker of the state legislature - defeated.
1840 Sought to become elector - defeated.
1843 Ran for Congress - lost.
1846 Ran for Congress again - this time he won - went to Washington and
did a good job.
1848 Ran for re-election to Congress - lost.
1849 Sought the job of land officer in his home state - rejected.
1854 Ran for Senate of the United States - lost.
1856 Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party's national
convention - got less than 100 votes.
1858 Ran for U.S. Senate again - again he lost.
1860 Elected president of the United States.”
(The accuracy of some of this could be improved but you get the point.)

I have read at least a dozen books on Lincoln and Burlingame’s is the best biography. There is much more detail about all sorts of things in Lincoln’s life here such as the duel he was involved in as a young man. But surprisingly the thing that most interested me was the detail about Mary Todd. I knew she had problems but I never knew things were this bad. I have included some examples of this below.

Burlingame describes her as “Standing 5 feet, 5 inches tall (Lincoln was 6’4”), she was plump, weighing between 150 and 180 pounds, and considered “not pretty,” “matronly,” “strong nervous & muscular,” with a “massive, angular, square, prominent, and broad” forehead, “fair skin, deep blue eyes,” and “dark curling hair.” But he goes on to say that she was intellectually gifted, shrewd, strong minded, spunky, unconventional and not intimidated by by social disapproval. (168)

Lincoln first pursued two other women, including Mary’s sister, before settling for Mary Todd. But after proposing to her they broke up. He then felt guilty and felt honor bound to marry her. So he proposed again and she rejected him. At first he felt greatly relieved but then had a change of heart again. Lincoln married Mary Todd “not because he loved her, but because his tyrannical conscience nagged him unmercifully.” (184) Lincoln “saved his honor and threw away domestic happiness.” (197)

On his wedding day, Lincoln, appearing and acting “as if he was going to the Slaughter,” said to one of his groomsmen, James Matheny, “I shall have to marry that girl.” Matheny reported that Lincoln “often” confided “directly & indirectly” that “he was driven into the marriage.” While dressing for the ceremony, he was asked where he was headed. “I guess I am going to hell,”

“All this, coupled with the fact that Mary gave birth slightly less than nine months after the wedding, tends to confirm Wayne C. Temple’s hypothesis that she seduced Lincoln the night before and made him feel obliged to wed her immediately in order to preserve her honor. She could not, of course, have known if she were pregnant, but she might have been, and this knowledge could have constrained a man with an exceptionally tender conscience and highly developed sense of honor to marry her, despite strong misgivings. Lincoln’s willingness to do so would have been fortified if, as James Matheny alleged, Mary Todd “told L. that he was in honor bound to marry her.” (197)

This “helps explain why the wedding took place on such short notice; why Lincoln looked like an animal en route to the slaughter; why he said he was “going to hell”; why he married someone whom he did not love; why Orville H. Browning believed that Lincoln was not “entirely free to act upon his own impulses”; why Herndon claimed that Lincoln “self-sacrificed himself rather than to be charged with dishonor”; and why Lincoln told Matheny that he “had to marry that girl” and that he “was driven into the marriage.” … “Other considerations make it seem likely that Mary Todd seduced Lincoln in order to trap him into matrimony.” (198)

Mary Lincoln “was gifted with an unusually high temper” that “invariably got the better of her. … Mrs. Lincoln was sharp and shrewish with an uncontrolled temper … Mary Lincoln had “attacks of what we called in those days, hysteria. … Mary Lincoln abused her husband physically as well as verbally. … She set upon him with such violence that he feared Lincoln was in actual physical danger from his wife. … Quicker than a flash she picked up a cup of hot tea and flung it clear across the table at Mr. Lincoln’s head, then jumped up in great fury and rushed out of the room. … Now and then Mary Lincoln physically injured her husband. … Mary struck him with a piece of firewood, declaring: “I’ll make you hear me this time.” The next day he appeared in court with a bandaged nose. … Mary Lincoln also attacked her husband with cleaning implements, cutlery, and vegetables. … Mary Lincoln “was seen frequently to drive him from the house with a broomstick. … a knife-wielding Mary Lincoln chased her husband through their yard. …Herndon was fully justified in exclaiming: “Poor Lincoln! He is domestically a desolate man—has been for years to my own knowledge” because of his marriage to “a very curious—eccentric—wicked woman. … Mary behaved similarly toward her sons, though she sometimes repented afterward. … Throughout his marriage Lincoln would flee the house in search of peace and quiet. … Lincoln once lived in the office “for three days at a time on cracker[s] & cheese.” … Dinner parties at the Lincoln home frequently ended with Mary berating her husband. … Sometimes to avoid his wife Lincoln would depart Springfield altogether. … One evening Abner Y. Ellis, postmaster of Springfield, swapped stories with Lincoln at the post office until nearly midnight. Finally, Lincoln sighed, “Well I hate to go home.” When Ellis invited him to stay at his house, he accepted. … But, Mr. Lincoln never spoke disparagingly of his wife. … Mary Lincoln was angry at her husband in part because he made comparatively little money. … Lincoln gladly ceded control of the household to his spouse. … Mary Lincoln could be as tightfisted as her husband was generous. … Always able to laugh at himself, Lincoln relished jokes about henpecked husbands. … Lincoln was fond of quoting from his favorite poet, Robert Burns, these lines: “Sic a wife as Willie had, / I would no gie a button for her.” … When he came back to Eighth Street from work, he usually entered the kitchen, inquired about his wife’s mood, and only then passed through the front door. (202-210)

“For all the misery she caused Lincoln, creating what his law partner aptly called “a domestic hell on earth,” Mary Todd proved a useful goad to his ambition. … ‘But I mean to make him the President of the United States all the same. You will see that, as I always told you, I will yet be the President’s wife.” … Lincoln “is to be President of the United States some day; if I had not thought so I never would have married him, for you can see he is not pretty.” Mary Lincoln’s ambition for her husband became a byword in central Illinois. … Schurz described Lincoln’s marriage as “the greatest tragedy of his existence.” (211-212)

[Jack Hayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

One must be careful not to idolize a martyr president, Burlingame warns.

This dense and exhaustive biography is perfect for those who want to truly understand Abraham Lincoln. Growing up in Kentucky, Indiana, and eventually Illinois, Lincoln was raised under a father who lived hand to mouth and lost his mother at a young age. He began as a farm boy and educated himself all the way to the presidency. His early life was marked by hardship, and it was a formative journey down the Mississippi—where he witnessed slavery firsthand—that began to shape him into an abolitionist.

Burlingame focuses heavily on Lincoln’s legal career, the conditions he faced, and his political rise. While the book covers Lincoln’s few romantic relationships and eventual marriage to Mary Todd, it rarely returns to his domestic life—except to remind the reader that Mary Todd was widely disliked. Even during his time, friends speculated that if his home life had been happier, he might never have become president.

Much of Lincoln’s life, as portrayed here, is marked by failure and modest achievements—until a pivotal speaking tour in the Northeast and a speech in New York begin to place the presidency within reach. It all starts with his famous debates with Stephen Douglas, and Burlingame does not hold back in portraying the full vitriol and demagogic racism of Douglas. The debates are vividly rendered, and Burlingame excels at guiding the reader through them in meticulous detail.

Interestingly, “Honest Abe” was elected largely because of his reputation for integrity—voters were tired of the corruption that plagued the previous two administrations. A well deserved moniker Burlingame contends. As the calls for secession begin, the North is perplexed—not because they were radical abolitionists, but because any talk of limiting slavery was enough to threaten the South. The book ends with Lincoln’s cabinet selections, and I’m looking forward to Part Two.

What really stayed with me is how limited Lincoln’s success was for most of his life, and how late recognition came, only as he became the leader history would remember.

96% Rail Splitter

Zhengzhou

[Nate Lanning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Incredibly detailed and written in a way that kept me interested the whole way through. This biography was a breath of fresh air after slogging through several lesser known presidents. Lincoln's life outside of politics was the most interesting of any president since Andrew Jackson. I'm looking forward to the second volume.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As tempted as I am to call this "one-stop shopping" for Lincoln bios, I can't. It comes close, but not quite. Not that Burlingame is incomplete or unfocused; rather the opposite: his range of focus is entirely too narrow. He develops no theme from the outset, and one is needed to corral the wealth of material he has compiled.

Beginning with the by-now standard rundown of Lincoln's boyhood an, frontier days, legal practice and courtship and marriage, Burlingame doesn't cover new ground, but where he stands out is his minute coverage of the material. Every political current, every party convention, every legal case, with copious notes and facts, is here. It's quite an achievement.

There's not much thesis, not much of an angle, to speak of. I actually have come to enjoy this sort of "just the facts" approach, and Burlingame is as levelheaded and fair an historian as I've read lately. The lack of ideology can sometimes make the narrative drone, though this is helped immensely by Burlingame's congenial, smooth prose, and the fact that this is genuinely interesting material.

Like most Lincoln biographies I've read thus far, Burlingame emphasizes Lincoln's intellectual appetite, his physical vigor, his moral resolve and, with the bulk of the narrative, his political mission. Of course, so then do many Lincoln biographies, and again, Burlingame distinguishes his work not so much through his originality as his thoroughness.

Lincoln's attitude towards slavery can hardly be called vague or ambiguous any more, given the research done on it, but Burlingame's treatment is finely nuanced and generally positive. The verdict in this case is "cautiously pragmatic and slightly naïve in the face of systemic racism". Burlingame makes clear that Lincoln was opposed to slavery as an institution, tracing the evolution of his views along their twisting, changing path. His ambivalence towards abolitionists, who he thought of as a noisy nuisance, reckless in their ideals to the detriment of the Union, seems to the modern reader to be pedantic, weak, even cowardly. Yet this is a deeply humane, if far from egalitarian, Lincoln, sure and hopeful of the institution's eventual demise. A moderate where a radical was needed, but still effective against the conservative politics and social attitudes of the day.

His debates with Douglass, covered in exciting and cinematic detail, do much to encapsulate this stance. Simply put, Lincoln believed, and was not shy about saying so, that African Americans were not the social, intellectual or political equals of whites. However, he believed, stemming from his passion for the rights of workers and his belief in the dignity of human labor, in the basic right of all people to keep the capital produced by their own labor. This economic, rational approach to human equality doesn't stir the blood and arouse the passions in the way the loftier rhetoric of the abolitionists would. But perhaps it is what was needed. A John Brown would have lit a flaming firebrand that would have burned indiscriminately and fizzled out. Lincoln gradually stoked a fire that, if it didn't spread as quickly as it might have, burned with a more effective intensity. Rhetorically, he might oscillate between containment and eradication. Practically, he seems to drag his feet. Philosophically, he remained committed to the belief that slavery was a wrong that would not be tolerated among his Republican Party and must not be allowed to spread throughout his nation.

And with that resolve, Lincoln held together a party that was not nearly as committed to anti-slavery as even his moderate self. The sectionalism within the Republicans was a source of worry to Lincoln and he mollified the divisions by softening his tone, if not his stand. Fate could hardly have chosen a more appropriate man to preside over the American nation during the Civil War.

The book, first in a two-volume set, closes with the reelection of Lincoln and his immediate task of selecting his cabinet. As in the larger task at home, he showcases his mastery in bringing together wildly differing opinions, personalities and viewpoints under a common cause.

As Burlingame so ably shows, he was the perfect man for the job. Whether or not history has judged him so, we will find in the second volume.

[James Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a biography. And yes, this is only volume 1!! Seven-hundred-some-odd pages and I still have another volume to go! (Which...I slightly miscalculated my reading speed, so ordered it a few days ago and thus don't have it yet. Probably good to take a little break anyway). So I've been aware of this 2-volume biography for a while because a few years ago (Christmas 2017 maybe?) I got it for Maryanne for Christmas. I did my research and determined that for the best definitive biography of Lincoln, this was it. Go big or go home, right? Well, Maryanne's been heartily enjoying it, so I knew I needed to read it myself someday. End of last year finally ordered myself Vol 1 and then finally started it...a few weeks ago? I honestly can't remember when I started it, but it was in January and apparently my last book log was on Jan 10...but surely I haven't read this one in 12 days. Except maybe I have. Because it's been totally engrossing. Usually I have 2-3 books on the go at any one time (fiction, non-fiction, Christian), but for the past (roughly) two weeks, I've just been reading this one. Lincoln's life is utterly fascinating and I have not been able to put it down and have been staying too late reading this quite a few nights in the past weeks! (And see, this is why I need to do re-reads in bed, not new reads)

But enough of a foreword. Why did I decide to read this book? Well, I love history and I love biographies. And Lincoln is one of the foremost men in our nation's history. Why would I not want to know more about him? This meticulously researched book (so many quotations...and over a hundred pages of citations at the end of book!) tells a story of a very fascinating man. Grew up in poverty in Kentucky/Indiana/Illinois. Educated himself to some extent. Never went to college. Worked all kinds of jobs(shipping cargo down the Mississippi,, surveying, being a store clerk, postmaster). Eventually became a lawyer, because why not? Served in the Illinois state legislature. Served one term in US Congress. Eventually became convinced of the immorality and evils of slavery and started speaking out against it. Ran for US Senator but lost to S.A. Douglas (but became famed throughout the country for the debates that he'd participated in with Douglas). Was elected US President but before he could even be inaugurated, a good portion of the South seceded in protest of this Republican (and as they saw it, anti-slavery) victory. Those are the bare facts. But who was the man? Sometimes I think we like to imagine our heroes fully-formed and vigorous, fiercely determined to always do the right thing. Well Lincoln was just a man. And like any of us, complex. He was sometimes lazy and just wanted to talk and have fun with his friends! He liked all kinds of off-colour jokes (he definitely had a very interesting sense of humour!!). He made a pretty unfortunate mistake in marrying his wife Mary, who was very much not suited to him (the account of their married life is horrifying!). His views on the slavery issue were not always set in stone and although he seemed to always find the idea of slavery reprehensible, he made many comments about the differences between the races that to our modern sensibilities sound appalling. He on many occasions sought to reassure his listeners that he didn't think non-whites should be able to vote, be on juries or be allowed all the privileges and honors that come with being a white person. He would frequently state that he would stick up for his race, because obviously, what man wouldn't want his own race to prosper and be predominate? If we ever think our country is full of racist hatred now...well, please read some history. Back then, the flames of racial hatred were stoked and stirred - people were horrified that "Negros" would be the equal of the white man in all things. One of the worst fears of all was that intermarriage between the races would occur if the races were deemed to be equal. Lincoln famously often stated that he had never had a Negro woman as a slave or a wife...and he could do just fine without either. So to talk about Lincoln and hear about some of his views and read some of the things he said...they sound a bit hideous to our modern ears. So what? Do we call Lincoln a monster, wash our hands and be done with him? Or do we recognize that people are flawed (all people, even us today who are oh so enlightened) and that Lincoln was an imperfect man living in an imperfect world. "I am a man of unclean lips, in a people of unclean lips." I believe Lincoln was mightily used by God (whether he knew it or not) to change the course of our country. I believe God had mercy upon our country by giving us such a leader as Lincoln, who did come to believe that slavery was a monstrous evil and must be destroyed. I'm grateful that Lincoln so early planted a flag in the Declaration of Independence and boldly proclaimed that "all men are created equal" and thus slavery was an affront to our nation's earliest ideals. I am thankful that one of Lincoln's earliest principles stated that "every man should be free to earn his own bread with his own hands" and not be enslaved by any other. And while Lincoln was also a pragmatist (he was not a hard-core abolitionist - he stated that he would preserve the rights of the Slave States and allow them their "peculiar institution"), once the Slave States began calling for secession in the wake of his election, his backbone stiffened and he firmly stated that slavery would not be allowed to spread to any other territory or state and that he would not be bullied into it by southern radicals. War was not inevitable, but the South was (somewhat mistakenly) hysterical that Lincoln would promote an encroachment of Northern principles upon southern sovereignty. And something that I hear time and time again (especially living in various southern states in the course of my life) is that the Civil War was not a war about slavery, it was a war about state's rights. Well that's utter nonsense. It was absolutely primarily about slavery, and anyone that wants to dispute that, please read some history. All of the principle debates and proposed compromises leading up to the Civil War dealt with slavery and the extension or containment thereof. Would the United States become a great slave empire or would chattel slavery be extinguished? Yes, popular sovereignty was used as a catchphrase ("every state should be allowed to do what it wants in this slavery issue!"), but the issues at hand leading to the Civil War revolved around whether slavery should be banned in new states/territories...or should it be allowed? Would the balance of power in the Union tilt towards Slave or Free? Thankfully Lincoln, as pragmatic as he was, declared slavery to be immoral and evil. And thus the Southerners were afraid. And as the media tends to be somewhat hyperbolic now, it was the same then (so many inaccuracies and hysteria in the papers of the day!). Nothing new under the sun. And so Lincoln was elected. And so the South was furious and enraged. And as this book ended, Lincoln is on the train to Washington for his inauguration in early 1861 and open war is on the horizon.

Apologies for the long review!! I might take a little break before I proceed to Vol 2...but I am greatly looking forward to it, make no mistake of that.

[Alex Stephenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

From birth to February 1861 - the most in-depth Lincoln bio to date and the best usage of primary sources to construct a massive, yet still readable and engaging narrative. Loved it.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thorough and well-researched tome by one of the preeminent Lincoln experts of our time.

Full of interesting details, anecdotes, stories, and quotes from Lincoln and his contemporaries, including many that made me laugh out loud, Volume 1 does credit to Lincoln’s early life, law practice, personal life, and public service in Illinois, especially regarding his character and how it developed over time. Volume 1 carries the reader through Lincoln’s election to the US presidency.

A few nuggets:
- While Lincoln was never wealthy, he was beneficent to many. The schoolmaster, Mr. Graham and his family were sick one autumn, especially the 7-year-old daughter who needed bread because she could not tolerate milk, but Mr. Graham could not afford it. He was too proud to tell anyone, but as he walked home with his head down one day, his eyes full of tears, he felt something get pushed into his hand--a $10 dollar bill--and then saw Lincoln quietly slipping into his office. Part 7, ch. 3.
- Lincoln unfailingly showed his gratitude to those who helped him in times of need. He also acquired a reputation for being kind, generous, and charitable man. One day he offered to help a barefoot boy chop wood who was trying to earn enough money for shoes. Lincoln chopped the wood and told the boy to go purchase his footwear. Part 7, ch. 3.
- In 1934, creditors won several judgments against Lincoln. When his possessions (his surveying compass and chain that he used to earn a living) were sold at auction and Lincoln was very much discouraged, a friend, James Short, bought Lincoln’s possessions back for $120 and returned them to him. Grateful, Lincoln told Short he would do the same for him sometime. During the Civil War, Lincoln appointed Short to supervise an Indian agency. Part 7, ch. 3.
- On religion, Lincoln once remarked that when any church will prescribe its sole qualification for membership as the Savior’s injunction that “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself,” Lincoln would join that church with all his heart and soul. Lincoln further said on another occasion that his religion was “when he did good, he felt good, and when he did bad, he felt bad.” Part 7, ch. 3.
- Lincoln, in spite of his ups and downs with melancholy, declared that “I have an irrepressible desire to live until I can be assured that the world is a little better for my having lived in it.” Part 14, ch. 6.
- Lincoln argued from the Lord’s injunction to Adam to work for bread and that since most good things are produced by labor, it followed that all such things of right belongs to those whose labor has produced them. Part 18, ch. 7.
- After his death in 1850, Lincoln praised Zachary Taylor’s “sober and steady judgment, his dogged understanding that defeat was possible,” his “aversion to sudden and startling quarrels,” his “magnanimity,” and his “unostentatious, self-sacrificing, long-enduring devotion to his duty.” These same qualities would distinguish Lincoln as president. Part 22, ch. 8.
- Lincoln’s failure to win the commissionership for the general land office was a blessing in disguise. This setback took him back to Springfield where otherwise he might have stayed in Washington, settled into a groove, and never achieved the experience or prominence he achieved as a lawyer or as future President of the United States. Part 22, ch. 8.
- Some of Lincoln’s setbacks included:
o Entered the Blackhawk War as a captain and emerged as a private;
o Went to the War on horseback and came back on foot;
o His store failed;
o His surveying compass & chain was sold at auction to satisfy his debt;
o He was defeated in his first campaign for the Illinois Legislature;
o He was defeated in his first attempt to run for Congress;
o He was defeated 4 times as a candidate as presidential elector;
o He was defeated in his application to be appointed as commissioner of the General Land Office;
o He felt like he was not an accomplished lawyer;
o Part 26, ch. 9
- A conductor on the Underground Railroad told a colleague that Lincoln was often a contributor to the funds needed for the protection of the fugitive slaves. Part 28, ch. 10.
- Lincoln believed that the Founders defined “equal” as equal before the law, not equal in all respects. For not all are equal in color, size, intellect, moral developments, or social capacity, but indeed equal in certain defined unalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Founders did not assert that all were then enjoying that equality, or that it would immediately be conferred upon them, but “they meant to set up a standard maxim for free society, which should be familiar to all and revered by all; constantly looked to and constantly labored for, and although never perfectly attained, constantly approximated, and thereby, constantly spreading and deepening its influence, and augmenting the happiness and value of life of all people, of all colors, everywhere.” “The Declaration’s statement about equality was intended to be a stumbling block to those, who in after times might seek to turn a free people back into the hateful paths of despotism.” Part 32, ch. 11.
- Lincoln did not doubt that the end of slavery would eventually happen, and he hoped to be a figure in its downfall, even if it didn’t happen in his own lifetime. He thought of his contribution as a “humble mite.” Part 41, ch. 13.
- The free labor system is best. A penniless (but prudent) beginner in the world can labor for wages, save a surplus, buy tools or land or improvements after a while, and later hire others to assist him. This is the “just and generous and prosperous system which opens the way for all, gives hope to all, and energy, and progress, and improvement of conditions, to all.” Part 42, ch. 14.
- In his candidacy for President, it was said of Lincoln that he was “honest, capable, and friendly to the Constitution.” Lincoln had a reputation all over the states for his unfailing honesty and integrity. These are ideals all politicians should seek for and to live in our day. Part 47, ch. 16.
- “[Lincoln’s] reputation as an honest man was as important as his reputation as a foe of slavery.” This helped his cause for candidacy immeasurably. Part 47, ch. 16 and Part 50, ch. 16.
- Herndon told a colleague that Lincoln had “a superior will, good common sense, and moral, as well as physical courage.” Lincoln’s acquaintances knew that he would execute the laws as against treason and rebellion. On questions of dollars, economy, calculation, and policy, Lincoln could be led, but on questions of justice, right, and liberty, Lincoln ruled himself. Part 51, ch. 17.
- A friend of Lincoln’s noted that he had a “dominant, ruling will on questions to the right, the just, and the true.” Part 52, ch. 17.
- Lincoln was both “remarkably honest and self-confident,” and for this reason did not need to “surround himself with sycophants dependent on him for political preferment,” as when he chose his Cabinet. Part 54, ch. 18.
- As Lincoln left Springfield for the US Presidency and reflected on his life in that city, he remarked that his task was greater than that of Washington’s, and that “without the assistance of that divine Being who ever attended [Washington], I cannot succeed. With that assistance, I cannot fail.” He then said, “Trusting in Him who can go with me, and remain with you and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.” Part 56, ch. 18.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

As others have said, no one knows more about our 16th President than Michael Burlingame. In this, the first multi-volume biography to appear in decades, Burlingame takes full advantage of the myriad of new source material that has appeared recently covering Lincoln's law career and early political scrapes. The author also credits and includes many of the anecdotal accounts that were collected by Lincoln's law partner, William Herndon. These made the text a joy to read. I read the newly published paperback version of the 2009 two volume biography published by Johns Hopkins. That hardback volume was plagued with some binding issues and some readers complained about the fact that there were no footnotes (those needed to be found online). Those issues have been addressed here. In the 2013 paperback, the binding is secure and a streamlined version of the notes (often more than 300 per chapter), can be found in the back. This opus is a magnificent effort, and will be read, studied and appreciated for generations to come.

[David Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first of a two volume set that is the ultimate in Abraham Lincoln resource. Burlingame is known for his ability to find the most obscure sources of information derived from his many hundreds of hours scrounging through libraries across the country. The amount of detail is extraordinary. And yet the writing style is eminently readable. The two volume set is a commitment - around 2000 pages - but it is a must read for anyone intending to do Lincoln research or wants a deeper understanding of the man's life.

And now on to Volume 2!

[Jerry-Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book on Lincoln especially helpful regarding the pre-president Lincoln.

[mwr]

One of the more peculiar biographies I’ve read.

As far as I can tell, the authors MO/Justification for adding another multi-volume Lincoln’s biography to the numerous in existence was to provide all and only enough context that he could quote the amusing phrases that: Lincoln said, were said about him, that were said in his company, or were said describing events he was at. I’m really not even half joking. This volume covers his life through election but not assuming office. Burlingame makes scant mention of Lincoln’s children, but quotes many flatulence jokes at length.

E.g.

“He told of a ‘man of audacity, quick witted, self-possessed, and equal to all occasions’ who was asked to carve a turkey for a large party. ‘The men and women surrounded the table and the audacious man being chosen carver whetted his great carving knife with the steel and got down to business and commenced carving the turkey, but he expended too much force and let a fart—a loud fart so that all the people heard it distinctly. As a matter of course it shocked all terribly. A deep silence reigned. However the audacious man was cool and entirely self possessed; he was curiously and keenly watched by those who knew him well, they suspecting that he would recover in the end and acquit himself with glory. The man with a kind of sublime audacity, pulled off his coat, rolled up his sleeves — put his coat deliberately on a chair — spat on his hands — took his position at the head of the table — picked up the carving knife and whetted it again, never cracking a small nor moving a muscle of his face. It now became a wonder in the minds of all the men and women how the fellow was to get out of his dilemma; he squared himself and said loudly and distinctly—‘Now by God I’ll see if I can’t cut up this turkey without farting.’’”

Sure, Lincoln’s sense of humor is an important part of his personality and political life, and this is a (very long) biography. But, as a biography one would easily lose the forest for the trees if one were not already fairly well versed in ante bellum American politics, so litter effort is spent explaining them. But, had an adequate job been spent on such exposition there would hardly have been space enough to illustrate how ante bellum reporters spoke about hats. Here are 3 examples from
reporters covering the republican convention:

“Hats were thrown up by the Chicago delegation as if hats were no longer useful”

“Nothing was to be seen below but thousands of hats—a black swarm of hats—flying with the velocity of hornets over a mass of human heads.”

In the wake of Lincoln’s nomination “one delegate smashed his hat on the head of a colleague, who did the same in return; they then hugged each other”

One story I hadn’t known and wished I had: Lincoln used to write sarcastic pseudonymous letters to the editor ridiculing his opponents. Why did he stop? He was found out and challenged to a duel. He felt obliged to accept the challenge but desperately did not want to duel. When asking around for advice, someone suggested that, as the challengee selects the dueling weapon he chose the broadsword, so much larger than his foe was he. He did, and this worked, the challenged backed out after the seconds had drawn up the dueling ground and thrown a pile of swords on the ground to choose from.

The author explicitly disavows any attempt to provide a history of the civil war. The 2nd 750 page volume covers on his presidency. Curious what that will look like.

[Brandon H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've started reading up on Abraham Lincoln and the more I read, the more I am amazed by this man. How he ended up in the White House and how he became the man he did after reading about his upbringing and family of origin, amazes me! How he handed the relationships in his life, the gut-wrenching losses, being married to a very difficult and disturbed woman, suffering the loss of a child, being the son of difficult father, facing constant criticism and having to make weighty decisions that would affect millions, leaves me dumbfounded. How he was able to do everything he did and deal with everything dealt to him and in the midst of all of that, make these incredible speeches and treat people with such grace and goodwill makes one wonder if the man was truly a superman. Just...just...well...amazing!

This book is a testament to his resilience and his kindness and shrewdness and character. Besides Lincoln's admirable traits, it also showed his weaknesses and sinful proclivities. To say that the book is a detailed, thorough look at Lincoln would be an understatement. It's long! And it's only the 1st volume! But if you want to learn as much about this man as possible, this is a must read.

One of the many quotes I highlighted -

“Few lawyers,” he added, “ever had the influence with a jury, Mr. Lincoln had.” Especially remarkable was his “talent for examining witnesses—with him it was a rare gift. It was a power to compel a witness to disclose the whole truth.” Lack of egotism, a quality at the core of Lincoln’s personality, won over many juries, colleagues, and judges. Judge Scott noted, “No lawyer on the circuit was more unassuming than was Mr. Lincoln. He arrogated to himself no superiority over any one—not even the most obscure member of the bar.” He “had the happy and unusual faculty of making the jury believe that they—and not he—were trying the case. In that mode of presenting a case he had few if any equals. An attorney makes a grave mistake if he puts too much of himself into his argument before the jury or before the court. Mr. Lincoln kept himself in the background.”48"(317)

And another -

"Lincoln, unlike many executives, had no fear of surrounding himself with strong-willed subordinates who might overshadow him. When advised not to appoint Salmon P. Chase to a cabinet post because the Ohioan regarded himself as “a great deal bigger” than the president-elect, Lincoln asked: “Well, do you know of any other men who think they are bigger than I am? I want to put them all in my cabinet.”5 He included every major competitor at the Chicago Convention in his cabinet, a decision that required unusual self-confidence, a quality misunderstood by some, including his assistant personal secretary, John Hay. Deeming modesty “the most fatal and most unsympathetic of vices” and the “bane of genius, the chain-and-ball of enterprise,” Hay argued that it was “absurd to call him a modest man.”6 But Hay was projecting onto his boss his own immodesty. Lincoln was, in fact, both remarkably modest and self-confident, and he had no need to surround himself with sycophants dependent on him for political preferment. Instead he chose men with strong personalities, large egos, and politically significant followings whose support was necessary for the administration’s success."(720)

[Thomas Rush · Rating 5 out of 5]

I began Burlingame's 2 volumes on Lincoln thinking, “Finally. At last I'll get to plaster a permanent opinion upon Lincoln, to finally get to a point where I will have a solid opinion of him, especially in regards to where he stands upon the issue of slavery.” Despite the multiple opinions I had heard over the years, I had managed to suspend judgment, to forbear, feeling that I did not know enough about him to hold an opinion. But, at last, here was my chance.
But guess what? After having read both volumes of Burlingame's work, from my perspective, I see now that it is nearly impossible to “fix” an opinion upon Lincoln, primarily because he, just about more than any other historical figure that I know, was constantly in a process of on-going growth and change. He was a man who was ever-evolving, so much so, that it is nearly impossible to freeze frame him in time to cement an opinion upon him. To quote Ronald C. White, Jr. from his masterful work “A. Lincoln: A Biography, A. Lincoln continues to fascinate us because he eludes simple definitions and final judgments.” (Pg. 3)
This does not mean that Lincoln did not say, and do, some absolutely egregious things during his lifetime if one freezes certain instances of him in time. The early race-baiting of his opponents and the racial demagoguery he employed in his youthful political career, as well as his Twilight-zone-like insensitivity to a group of Black leaders that he called to a conference at the White House in August of 1862 are not exactly startling visions of his legendary magnanimity. His primary purpose in calling the Black leaders to the White House was to encourage them to rally Black folks to willingly leave the United States upon emancipation because white folks did not want them here. He followed that up by telling them they would be “selfish” if they would not do this.
In addition, if Lincoln was not outright duplicitous, he was certainly borderline with intimations to Louisiana and Texas that they could possibly keep slavery intact, thus avoiding the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation, if they came to an agreement with the Federal government to reenter the Union between the window of time between the Proclamation's leaking in roughly August/September 1862, and its actual official announcement date of January 1, 1863. Speaking out of both sides of his mouth is not what Lincoln is famous for, but a close reading of his actions between August, 1862 and January, 1863, which this book provides, certainly opens him up to this criticism.
I do not say all of this as a negative judgment of Burlingame's work because the truth is, Burlingame is being extra careful in giving the reader ALL of the facts so that one gets the full essence of Lincoln in all of his comprehensiveness. This is brilliantly refreshing. It is also refreshing to note that Lincoln's growth eventually took him away from that August 1862 position, ultimately leading him to promote a fuller vision of African-American, first class American citizenship. It's fair to say that no other American President has had to deal with such enormous and complex internal and external issues, as the very existence and perpetuity of the country hung in the balance. It seemed a thousand different people were constantly attacking him, coming at him from a million different directions, with multiple, discordant agendas. It was his job to meander through that complexity to lead the Union Army to victory and Emancipation.
In putting forth an opinion of him, it is my position that many have failed to fully consider the complexity in which he operated. This book stretches the limits of my imagination precisely because I will be surprised if we EVER see a biographer be more comprehensive in his scholarship, research and homework in regards to ANYONE. I cannot fathom a more comprehensive biography of Lincoln appearing for at least another 100 years. As an example, I was simply blown away when I, from a small town in North Carolina, read the words of a local legend, who was a contemporary of Lincoln's, quoted (twice on pgs. 67 & 136) within the second volume as the author was giving a survey of Southern opinion. The attention to detail was mind-blowing.
In giving this review, I knew that there were several quotations surrounding both volumes of this work that would help me to give you a fuller view of my opinion, because they fit in so nicely of what I think about them. These quotations are breathtakingly accurate. Burlingame, in comparing this 2-volume work to a much earlier 2-volume work by Carl Sandburg, says,

“ Sandburg's work is long on elegant touches, but short on research in unpublished sources, As a result, his biography compares to mine as John Constable's full-size sketches of his 6-foot paintings of English country life compares with the finished canvasses. The subjects—people, horses, cottages, rivers, rainbows, churches, and the like—are all visible in Constable's sketches. But, they lack the color, detail, and vividness of the finished works—though both are of the same size. I hope that readers will conclude that this biography, with its fresh information, is more like Constable's finished paintings, offering a portrait of Lincoln in higher resolution and sharper focus, with greater color, texture, and detail.” (Pg. X, volume 1).

“As central themes, this works argues that Lincoln's leadership proved to be the North's secret weapon in winning the Civil War; that Lincoln was an effective leader because he achieved a level of psychological maturity unmatched in the history of American public life; and that such a high level of consciousness was acquired slowly and painfully as he overcame the economic and emotional poverty of his childhood.” (Pg. XII, volume 1)

“Burlingame is a towering figure in Lincoln scholarship, and students of the 16th president have been waiting for this book for years. For all his learning—Burlingame may know more about Lincoln and his era than anyone in the world—his take on his subject is fresh, and he doesn't gloss over Lincoln's less appealing attributes. Abraham Lincoln comes as close to being the definitive biography as anything the world has seen in decades.”--Time (From the back cover of both volumes)

“The author knows more about Lincoln than any other living person.”--James McPherson, New York Review Of Books (From the back cover of both volumes)

Burlingame gave his book the subtitle “A Life.” Although those are only 2 words, they are the most profound that he could have chosen. For, indeed, if anyone ever wants to find the “life” of Abraham Lincoln represented as little, black, printed words on paper, that person will not find a better choice than what is found between the covers of these 2 volumes. This is an exceptional, masterful piece of work and scholarship!

PS—I read Burlingame's work no more than 3 pages at a sitting. This is the only way I could digest this mountain of information, to “eat this elephant-of-a-book-of 759 pages for Vol. I only one spoonful at a time.” It takes Job-like patience to do it this way. This is not the kind of book I could do marathon reading with, breezing through 30 to 50 pages at a sitting. If I had done that, I would have gotten bored and bogged down. I also looked up all words in this book in a dictionary that were unfamiliar to me, and copied them down into a notebook. Though I pride myself on having a very comprehensive reading vocabulary, Michael Burlingame has the most comprehensive vocabulary of any Historian that I've ever read, so I was constantly looking up and writing down vocabulary words from both volumes. I am glad that I read both volumes slowly and to have also looked up all necessary vocabulary words, absorbing much more information doing it this way than any other way. It took me 6 months to read both volumes, but I am profoundly blessed to have done it my way. I can only hope the level of my reading is reflected in this review.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philip Shriver Klein's biography of President James Buchanan ends with him saying of the 15th president, "His many talents, which in a quieter era might have gained for him a place among the great presidents of his country, were quickly overshadowed by the cataclysmic events of civil war and by the towering personality of Abraham Lincoln ."
Imagine having a personality so large that it is comparable to a civil war in which over a million people lost their lives!
Michael Burlingame captures that personality only as far as such great ones can be captured. His Volume One of Abraham Lincoln: A Life is massive and yet a breeze to read. It is academic but accessible. It brings Lincoln into a focus that no other account of his life (besides Gore Vidal's, perhaps) has managed to do for me. The chapter on the Lincoln/Douglas debates was worth the cover price alone, and this book has one of the greatest meditations on entering middle age that I have ever encountered.
I can't wait to see how it all turns out in Volume Two. The way things are going, this honest rail splitter from Illinois (by way of Kentucky) just can't be stopped!

[Greg O'Malley · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of the Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail."

Doesn't that just give you goose bumps? It did to me as I read the last page of Vol 1 of Burlingame's epic on Old Abe.

The detail that the author presents is unprecedented and the journey you take arm in arm with Honest Abe, right up until his departure from Springfield and on his way to Washington, is unrivelled.

More than just a "warts and all" biography, it would not surprise me if this bloke could chronicle the 16th President's bowel movements. But as fully exposed as Lincoln is, he is no less great for any of his failings or foibles... rather, probably greater again because of them.

Whilst there are innumerable great biographies about this great man, this one seems to be the cream of the crop.

[Andrew Pratley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Burlingame has been described as the world's leading living expert on Abraham Lincoln. Therefore, you know your in good hands. This first volume of his two volume biography amply demonstrates that his eminence. Volume takes the story of Lincoln's life up until his departure to Washington as President Elect. It chronicles how Lincoln who came from the humblest of backgrounds grew & developed into the statesmen like figure he was by the time he took office. I look forward with great anticipation Volume Two.
I have read a lot about President Lincoln but nevertheless learned a lot I either did not know or was uncertain about America's Greatest President. Had Lincoln lived to serve a full second term then I am certain so much of America's subsequent history would have been very different.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abraham Lincoln accomplished a lot in his life, so a life as large and varied as his requires a magisterial two volume work from a noted scholar of his life. This is the first volume. I’m not going to lie to you, it was a slog. Yet, having finished it, I feel like I have a good sense of the man, and that makes me feel good about reading the book. There are easier books out there, ‘Team of Rivals’ comes to mind, but if you want to know almost all there is to know about Lincoln, then this book, along with the next volume, I assume, will fill that need.

[Alex Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of the most authoritative biographies of Lincoln from birth until his presidency.

Unfortunately, the author uses endnotes, not footnotes, which slows reading down considerably. (And the dimensions of the book make it unwieldy, so I cannot read it on the bus without disturbing my neighbors.)

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. I learned a lot about Lincoln and the time period. I got a good feel for the man.

I got uncomfortable about all the racism in the book. They used the word nigger a lot. That's not a complaint. It is important to be historically accurate. But, it made it hard to read.

[Pedro Degiovanni · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and thorough portrait of Lincoln. It does spend a lot of time on minutia, especially in the first few chapters. Eventually, it picks up the pace and it improves drastically. Highly recommended.

[Skip Sneeringer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the biography that will set the standard for the next 50-100 years; it is that thorough (and readable as well). Burlingame advances a few well-evidenced theories, which keeps the book very interesting. Overall, I loved it.

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not for everyone

[Cindy Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed my first biography on this amazing man! I look forward to reading the second volume. . . . . . Except that he's going to be assassinated.

[Mike Huhndorf]

Burlingame does a particularity nice job of covering Lincoln's early years prior to his marriage to Mary. It also is evident that the way to portrays Mary shows his dislike of her and why.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF
A well written and finely detailed epic on his life, but too much information for me to stay interested.
Just not for me.