Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times

"Abe" is a new biography of Lincoln by David Reynolds, a historian who specializes in the culture of 19th-century America. His approach is to re-tell the story of Lincoln's life by emphasizing the popular culture of his times, in newspapers, literature, entertainment, and the like, to describe how the culture influenced Lincoln, and how Lincoln influenced the culture. This approach sets "Abe" apart from the other Lincoln biographies that I've seen.I found the book to be most interesting in its early chapters, when Reynolds describes Lincoln's family and his youth. There, the culture of the times had the most powerful influence in shaping Lincoln's thought and character. Reynolds goes into considerable depth in describing Lincoln's ancestry and parents; in particular, his description of Thomas Lincoln, Abraham's father, goes far to correct the portrait of Thomas as an ignorant lout. For example, he points out that Thomas quit his church in order to join another that was actively anti-slavery: an unusual act in early 19th-century Kentucky. And his discussion of Lincoln's marriage is sensitive and thought-provoking.Later chapters, especially those during Lincoln's presidential years, explore other out-of-the-way corners of Lincoln's life, such as his creation of Thanksgiving as a national holiday, or his influence on the celebration of Christmas. Some of Reynolds' exploration of the culture wars of the time make for painful reading, such as the virulently racist anti-Lincoln tracts circulated by the Democratic Party. Nearly as painful are the writings of Lincoln supporter David Ross Locke, who, in the persona of the Copperhead "Petroleum Vesuvius Nasby", wrote crude satires that were immensely popular in the North, and with Lincoln, who read them aloud at cabinet meetings. Warning: if you are triggered by the 'N' word, this book is not for you.All of this gives "Abe" a dimension that I've not seen in other Lincoln biographies, and Reynolds appears to want to present Lincoln as a man of his times, rather than as a projection of our ideals. However, Reynolds mars his work by mixing polemics into his history. This is clear in his use of the anachronistic terms "conservative" for the pro-slavery, racist movements, and "progressive" for the abolitionist, pro-equality movements. His projecting the terminology of 21st-century politics as defined by the Left onto mid-19th century America is sharply misleading, both for Lincoln's time and for ours. For example, Reynolds describes how Lincoln's thinking on slavery was guided by his readings of the Constitution and the Founders: that the Founders saw slavery as an aberration, and intended to place it on the road to extinction. Nowadays, such thinking would be termed "originalist", and would label Lincoln as conservative. Contrariwise, racists' thinking of the time was informed in part by the new Darwinism: for them, the "science" of race was settled. Nowadays, such genuflection to "science" is a hallmark of progressives. My point is that Reynolds' use of "conservative" and "progressive" is polemical rather than historical, an attempt to portray "progressives" as always the good guys and "conservatives" as always the bad guys. It's a crudity worthy of David Locke.To summarize: "Abe" is an interesting read, and offers much fresh material. And Reynolds' presentation of Lincoln as a man of his times is rewarding, especially in his exploration of Lincoln's early years. However, in the later chapters, the polemicist in Reynolds overwhelms the historian. I give the first half of "Abe" five stars, and the second half one.

Abe is a great book about our greatest POTUS Abraham Lincoln (`1809-1865). It is a long book but no page is dull; the book is lavishly illustrated with period cartoon, photographs, art work and includes an excellent set of notes. Dr. David s. Reynolds tells the story of Honest Old Abe in almost 1000 pages of scintillating prose. Dr. Reynolds chronicles Lincoln's rise to greatness from his birth in Kentucky, his years from 7 to 21 in Indiana and his migration to Illinois. Abe was beloved in New Salem and later in Springfield where he lived most of his life.Lincoln became a prominent circuit riding lawyer and participated in over 5000 court trials; he won fame as a storyteller and was noted for his strength and kindness to others including animals. He married Mary Todd of Lexington who was well educated and well to do. They had four sons of whom two Eddie and Willie died as children. Lincoln served in the Illinois House of Representatives and one term in the U.S. Congress where he opposed Democrat James Polk's manifest destiny philosophy and the Mexican War. Whig Lincoln became a prominent leader in the antislavery cause in the 1850s even though he lost the Illinois Senate race in 1858 to Stephen A Douglas the Democrat pro slavery supporter of the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act. Lincoln was nominated and won the presidential contest in 1860. Lincoln guided the United States from the horrible Civil War and died at the hand of John Wilkes Booth in April 1865. His Emancipation Proclamation did much for African-Americans and such great oratorical masterpieces as the Gettysburg Address and the Second In. Address assured his reputation as the greatest presidential speaker and writer in our nation's history. More books have been written about Lincoln than any historical figure with the exception of our Lord Jesus Christ. I have read all the major biographies of him from David Donald, Carl Sandburg, Sidney Blumenthal, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and countless more scholars. However, this is my favorite of that distinguished company!Reynolds writing makes the reader feel as if she/he were living in the raucous frontier of nineteenth century America. We see the carnivals, brutal fights, hard living on the edge of existence, disease, songs, poems, politics and literature of the era. As one who has studied Lincoln since my childhood in Indiana and Kentucky I as a senior citizen learned new things about Lincoln and his times through my reading of this masterpiece! If you read one book on Lincoln this is the one to buy and savor. It is expensive to purchase and long but it is well worth the time and money! A masterpiece! I love Lincoln our greatest president and I love this book!

I've read a couple Lincoln biographies, but none that feel as comprehensive and deeply researched as David Reynolds' "Abe." Other books tell you what Lincoln did; this one explains WHY he did what he did. Everybody is a product of their time, their geography, their culture, and Lincoln was no different. By grounding us in what it was like to live in 1800s America, Reynolds humanizes Lincoln in a way that feels both revolutionary and necessary.

A brilliantly researched and fascinating biography of a significant American President. It was particularly interesting reading about this unique character - a giant among the nation's leaders - in the aftermath of the downfall of the odious Donald Trump. It made me realize how fortunate our closest ally, the USA , was to have such a great leader at its time of greatest need, the American Civil War. Abe Lincoln would never have allowed the killings of Rodney KIng and George Floyd by armed police to fester, or allow the nation's passions to erupt in widespread arson, looting and rioting over the "Black Lives Matter" issue. Donald Trump should have read this book ! I hope Joe Bidon does.

A hefty tome and no mistake but provides good value indeed.