Recommended Reads: Abraham Lincoln

"Let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."

President Abraham Lincoln spoke these timeless words at his second inauguration in 1865. Lincoln is among the most complex, most revered, and most studied individuals in United States history. The Braille & Talking Book Library collection contains a wealth of information about Lincoln, his presidency, and his times. In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of his birth, here is a selection of some of our available titles.

Recorded cassette (RC), braille (BR), large print (LT), and described DVD (DVD) copies of these materials are available from the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library. Please contact the library to order any of these items.

Prepared by Patricia Ahern, Reader Advisor
Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library

Lincoln, the War President by Gabor S. Boritt, ed.
RC 39291
Essays by historians commemorating the Gettysburg Address. Each of these seven essayists views Lincoln, the commander in chief, from a different perspective. One compares Lincoln to Franklin Roosevelt; another examines Lincoln's paradoxical nature.

Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power by Richard Carwardine
RC 65350
Lincoln Prize. Assesses Abraham Lincoln's political career in peacetime and as the only U.S. president to contend with civil war. Examines his beliefs and ambitions, effectiveness in state politics and Congress, and emergence as a national leader. Discusses Lincoln's development on issues from restoring the Union to emancipation.

The Apprenticeship of Abraham Lincoln by Olivia E. Coolidge
RC 9788
This biography covers Lincoln's life before he became President, shedding light on his childhood, his irregular schooling, and growing interest in politics, and his marriage and complicated family life.  For high school and adult readers.

Abraham Lincoln by Ingri D'Aulaire
BR 5871, RC 21812
Caldecott Medal.  A new edition of a classic biography. The story of Abraham Lincoln from his birth in the Kentucky wilderness to his term as the president who led his country through the Civil War. For grades 2-4 and older readers.

We Are Lincoln Men: Abraham Lincoln and His Friends by David Herbert Donald
RC 57829
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian draws from the recollection and memoirs of a variety of Abraham Lincoln's partners, associates, and political allies to examine the significance of friendship to him and his career. Donald profiles six people the intensely private Lincoln most valued: Speed, Herndon, Browning, Seward, Nicolay, and Hay.

Abraham Lincoln's World, 1809-1865 by Genevieve Foster
RC 14602
Episodes from Lincoln's life are related to events taking place in other parts of the world, such as the unification of Germany, the freeing of serfs in Russia, and Commodore Perry's opening of Japan.  For grades 6-9.

Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
RC 58762, BR 15711
Newbery Medal. Biography of the sixteenth U.S. president. Describes his rise from humble beginnings in rural Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois to become a self-educated lawyer, state representative, and, in 1860, president. Highlights Lincoln's Civil War leadership before his 1865 assassination. For grades 4-7 and older readers.

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
RC 61162
Bestseller. Pulitzer Prize-winner illustrates the political acumen of Abraham Lincoln. Highlights the careers of Lincoln's three prime competitors in the Republican party -- William Seward, Salmon Chase, and Edward Bates, men more qualified and educated, whom he beat for the 1860 nomination for chief executive. Discusses their subsequent appointments to the cabinet.

Abraham Lincoln the Writer: A Treasury of his Greatest Speeches and Letters by Harold Holzer
RC 56830
A collection of Lincoln's writings including some early poems, private letters at significant moments in his life, public speeches, and pieces related to issues in his presidency. Each is prefaced by a brief note to provide historical context. For grades 6-9 and older readers.

Abraham Lincoln by Thoma Keneally
BR 14625
A concise biography of the Civil War president. Discusses Lincoln's backwoods upbringing, storytelling gift, and entry into politics. Focuses on his presidency during a pivotal time in United States history.

The Assassin's Accomplice: Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln by Larson Kate Clifford
RC 66976, DB 66976
Investigates the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Focuses on the involvement of boarding-house owner Mary Surratt. Reexamines primary documents to assert that Mary and her son John, both Confederate sympathizers, participated in John Wilkes Booth's plot.

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates: The First Complete, Unexpurgated Text by Abraham Lincoln
RC 38793
Editor Harold Holzer asserts that remarks by Lincoln and Douglas in an 1858 U.S. Senate contest have been obscured and distorted. Now Holzer sets the record straight with exact transcriptions of the opponents' seven confrontations, supplemented by an introduction and notes on the climate of opinion just before the Civil War.

Commander in Chief Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War by Albert Marrin
BR 11624
Judging the Civil War to be the definitive event in the history of the United States, Marrin contends that Lincoln was our greatest president. Provides biographical information relevant to understanding why this tragedy was also known as "Mr. Lincoln's war." For grades 6-9.

Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution by James M. McPherson
RC 33772
Written by the winner of the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for History. Seven essays explore the effects of the Civil War on the economic, political, and social climate in the United States during Lincoln's presidency. In the author's view, the Civil War amounted to a second American revolution.

Lincoln: In His Own Words by Milton Meltzer, ed.
BR 9994
Quotes from letters, speeches, court papers, and articles create this portrait of Lincoln. Traces Lincoln's life from his childhood to his career as a lawyer and his role as commander in chief of the armed forces during the Civil War. The author sets the stage by commenting on the political forces at the time. For junior and senior high and older readers.

The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties by Mark E. Neeley
RC 35528
Winner of the 1992 Pulitzer Prize in history. Civil War specialist focuses on one of President Lincoln's most controversial acts--the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. This account is based mainly on the arrest and detention records of civilians and military prisoners. The author concludes that "war and its effect on civil liberties remain a frightening unknown."

Abraham Lincoln: the Man behind the Myths by Stephen B. Oates
RC 21105, BR 5882
Concentrates on the personal life and humanity of Lincoln separating the facts from the highly elaborated myths. Also presents a detailed reconstruction of the assassination and a reassessment of Mary Todd Lincoln.

The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln by Philip Shaw Paludan
RC 39423
A Civil War scholar analyzes Lincoln's administration. Chronologically, he examines the presidency beginning with the election and the formation of the cabinet. Paludan asserts no other president ever faced greater challenges. He credits Lincoln with resolving two of America's greatest struggles: saving the Union and freeing the slaves.

Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and The War Years by Carl Sandburg
RC 54121
Historical biography of Lincoln as a man and as president. An exhaustively researched portrait of the country lawyer whose leadership guided the United States through the Civil War. Sandburg's one-volume distillation of his original six-volume work.

Giants: the Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass & Abraham Lincoln by John Stauffer
LT 9124
A dual portrait of the two forefront nineteenth-century leaders evaluates their successes as self-made men, in an account by a Frederick Douglass Book Prize-winning Harvard professor that traces their dramatic rise from poverty and slavery to influential activists and writers.

Abraham Lincoln: 16th President of the United States by Rebecca Stefoff
RC 30116, BR 8007
Lincoln was born in 1809 in a log cabin in Kentucky. Lincoln developed a thirst for knowledge and worked hard to educate himself. He became interested in law and politics. As president he would lead the nation through its only civil war. For grades 5-8 and older readers.

Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America by Garry Wills
RC 35368, LT 2687
Bestseller. American historian examines the thought behind the Gettysburg Address. Wills traces Lincoln's use of funeral oratory to the Greek Revival movement. He focuses on the culture of the rural-cemetery movement, the role of Transcendentalism, and the president's revolutionary idea that the ideals of equality take precedence over the Constitution.

Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided  
DVD 13
Described DVD. A six part program which examines the Lincolns' family life and marriage, Abraham Lincoln's presidency, and the Civil War era. Not Rated. 120 minutes on 3 discs.