A few good Lincoln books for the long weekend

Looking for a good book to take to the park or beach or to read on your deck or in your comfy chair? During the bicentennial year, I shared my take on some of my favs.

Check out my reviews here:

• Lincoln the Lawyer by Brian Dirck and Lincoln Legends: Myths, Hoaxes and Confabulations Associated with our Greatest President by Edward Steers, Jr.
• Lincoln by David Herbert Donald
• The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage by Daniel Mark Epstein
• Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860-1861 by Harold Holzer
• In Lincoln’s Hand: His Original Manuscripts by Harold Holzer and Joshua Wolf Shenk
• Looking for Lincoln: The Making of an American Icon and other books by Philip B. Kunhardt III and family members
• Abraham Lincoln by James M. McPherson
• Lincoln’s Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk

If you’re a first-time visitor to my blog, you’ll find more than 200 blog posts on Lincoln Buff 2. As you have time, check them out. I’ve always hoped that my enthusiasm for Abraham Lincoln’s story is contagious. By reading my posts from the past couple years, you can relive the bicentennial through my eyes. Thanks for visiting. Enjoy the journey – and come back often.

Are you reading Lincoln?

Those of you who visit Lincoln Buff 2 regularly have noticed my recent absence from the blogosphere. I hope you all enjoyed my blog posts and tweets from Washington, D. C. and Gettysburg in November. I promised you more in depth accounts of the places I saw and the people I met. They're coming ... really.

Right now, I'm catching up on things I missed during my two-week Amazing Abe Adventure - things like raking leaves, going grocery shopping, paying bills and reading a book for which I've promised a book review. The leaves are raked, the pantry is stocked, this month's financial obligations are met. Just one major obligation remains to be fulfilled, and I'm about 50 pages from the end of the book. So, it won't be long and I'll be back.

In the meantime, are you reading Lincoln? In the sidebars to my blog, you'll find lots of suggestions of books by my favorite Lincoln authors and of blogs and research sites where you can read more about Lincoln or, in some cases, read his own words. So, don't set Lincoln aside in my absence. Keep on keepin' on with your own Amazing Abe Adventure in this bicentennial year. Remember, books are adventures, too.

Till next time....

Clearing the thickets and building the nest

If you visit my blog regularly, you’ve surely noticed the lack of entries of late. Or, if you’re a new visitor, you may be wondering why you should return to a blog that hasn’t had a new entry for two weeks.

First, let me apologize. I know many of you have come to look forward to the little morsels I find about Abraham Lincoln or Lincoln books and events. I, in turn, look forward to sharing.

Last October, while I was taking a community college course about Lincoln, I began this blog. As I was learning, I was sharing. It just seemed selfish not to. I love learning and I love “teaching.”

Writing, I believe, is a form of teaching. The writer’s classroom consists not of desks in a room or seats in a lecture hall, but words on a page, a computer monitor or, now, even the screen of a mobile device. It’s amazing how this classroom has grown.

So, don’t worry. This isn’t a last blog post. What it is, however, is a window into the past and a lens looking toward the future.

Bringing dreams to life
“Out there, somewhere, there’s a dream. You just have to catch it.”

In my life, I’ve chased and caught many of the same dreams most people pursue – someone to share my life with, a home of our own, children, a career.

Along the way, I’ve seen lots of our shared dreams come true, and I’ve pursued some individual ones as well. Here are just a few of my own:

• As I pursued my other dreams, I’d set my college education aside midstream. I got back on board and finished it when I was 41 and a brand-new grandmother.
• I wanted to write for a newspaper. In 1998, that dream came true when I had my first freelance book review published in The State Journal-Register, the paper Lincoln called his friend.
• As I learned of the plans for a Springfield (Ill.) library and museum honoring the 16th President, I looked forward to it for years. I was the seventh person in line on the day it opened to the public and wrote of the experience for two central Illinois newspapers.
• I started a seven-year plan in 2002, when I first learned of the celebrations planned for the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth. I wrote, “I want to be doing significant Lincoln-related work by his 200th birthday.” I had to set this plan aside for awhile, and worried it was a dream that wouldn’t come true. Yet, as dreams often do, when things began to fall into place – the Lincoln course, the blog, the opportunity to attend many Lincoln-related events – it was better than I’d ever imagined possible.

The next dream – even bigger than the rest
With other dreams behind me, I’m now ready to move on to the next – and it’s a big one!

I’ll soon begin work on my own Lincoln books. I know it will be a lot of long days, short nights and painful battles making words work together just so. It will also require research beyond anything I’ve ever done in the past – making sure no stone is unturned, perusing hundreds of existing works on Lincoln and my proposed related subjects, spending long hours pouring over primary sources, trying to find some truth in all the myth and everything mythic that surrounds this subject who is gargantuan.

Before I begin
Before I begin, however, I must make sure conditions are right. I can think of endless imagery to describe what I’m going through right now, but two come to mind most strongly – a thicket and a nest. Let me tell you why.

Those of you who know me know I’m not a person who has just one thing going on at a time. I’ve never just gone to work, come home at night and settled into the nest. I’ve nearly always had another job or obligation, including but not limited to, apartments, school, and outside interests.

I’m also one of those people who buys magazines boasting, “Organize your life,” on the front cover, but then adds that volume to the stack in the box in the closet. It’s topped by two other boxes before the next “Conquer clutter” volume finds its way into the house. Creating order has always taken a back burner to all the other things I wanted to or had to do. And, I’ve always saved all those things I “might need for a story some day.” Never mind that I couldn’t have found them anyway. Just knowing they were there somewhere was comforting – sort of.

What wasn’t comforting was realizing I couldn’t move forward without clearing the way. I knew I had to clear the thicket before I could truly forge my Lincoln path. So, folks, that’s why I’ve been absent from cyberspace. I’m sorting and purging and organizing the things I’ve gathered in the past.

The image accompanying this blog post is a thicket behind the lean-to on a barn at New Salem. As I looked at it, I remembered some of the stories I’d read in John Hallwas’s Western Illinois University course, Literature of Illinois.

When early settlers came to Illinois, they often encountered such scenes and had to forge through the thickets and bramble bushes to get to the beautiful virgin prairie lying on the other side. I imagined what it must have been like for Lincoln and his family as they moved westward. And, then, the thicket became a symbol for me. Clear the path, Ann, and you can start your journey. You can write your book.

So, I’m currently working to get all those things I “might need someday” well organized so I can find them when I do. And, as I do, I’m building the nest where my books will be germinated, incubated and hatched.

Still learnin’ and comin’ back
While I’m spending evenings and weekends on this other project, I haven’t set my quest for new Lincoln knowledge aside, though. I’m listening to books on tape on my commute to work and reading the latest Lincoln books over lunch and when I can steal a few minutes here and there. You’ll hear all about them eventually.

So, please, come back. I will. In the meantime, if you haven’t read all my previous posts, please do. I’ve written more than 170 articles about Lincoln since last October. Though a few are time-sensitive, most are not. Please scroll down on the left-side of the blog to the Labels area or the Blog Archive, or just use the Search at the top left to seek a Lincoln topic in which you’re interested. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll find something you’ll enjoy reading.

And, don’t worry. I’m not leaving you. I will be blogging again soon, even as I begin research on my books. Until then, please, continue your quest to learn more about Lincoln. I’m continuing mine.

© Copyright 2009 Ann Tracy Mueller. All rights reserved.

George S. McGovern on Virtual Book Signing

-- Updated 5:15 p.m. Jan. 13, 2009

If you’ve never watched a Virtual Book Signing from the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop, you’re missing out. In December, I had the privilege of watching owner Daniel R. Weinberg talk with Philip Kunhardt, III, about Looking for Lincoln, the book Kunhardt co-authored with his brother and nephew, Peter W. Kunhardt and Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr.

On Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009* at 6 p.m. Central Time, you can see former Senator George S. McGovern talk with Weinberg about McGovern’s book, Abraham Lincoln: The American Presidents Series: The 16th President, 1861-1865 (Hardcover).

Visit the Virtual Book Signing website to:

• watch online,
• order your copy of McGovern’s book or
• see details about the signing.

About Abraham Lincoln Book Shop
The Abraham Lincoln Book Shop was opened in 1938 by Ralph G. Newman, a contemporary of Carl Sandburg and the editor of Lincoln for the Ages. Newman’s book is one of the “must haves” in my Lincoln library. It contains the work of 76 authors who tell the story of Lincoln from the cradle to the grave and beyond. Lincoln for the Ages, by the way, was one of the books published around the time of Lincoln’s Sesquicentennial. My guess is that there weren’t as many Lincoln books published from 1958-1960 as there will be from 2008-2010.

Weinberg was Newman’s partner in the book store beginning in 1971 and purchased the founder’s interest in 1984. He and James L. Swanson are the authors of Lincoln's Assassins: Their Trial and Execution.

See Weinberg and others in person next month
Weinberg is a leading authority on Lincoln documents, books and memorabilia. He’ll be moderating a panel discussion on Collecting Lincoln at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library on Feb.8, 2009 at 2 p.m. Collectors on the slate to speak that day are Kunhardt, Louise Taper, Chief Justice Frank Williams and Jack Smith. Though admission is free, you do need to call 217-558-8934 to make reservations to attend. I've heard all but Smith speak before and I'll guarantee hearing them share their passion will be time well spent.

These are just a handful of the Lincoln authorities, scholars and authors who will be in Springfield the week of Lincoln’s birthday.

• Visit the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission website to learn about all the other exciting events going on in Springfield and Illinois in celebration of the bicentennial.
• For events across the nation, see the U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission website or Abraham Lincoln Online.
  

*Earlier I listed the wrong date. The signing is on the 15th, not the 14th, as previously stated. I apologize for the error and any confusion it may have caused. Ann

Holzer does it again

Do you ever have one of those happy-sad kinds of days? Happy you’ve completed something, but sad that it’s come to an end. Yesterday was that kind of day for me. I’d spent more than month with Abraham Lincoln and Harold Holzer. They’d been with me as I studied for my Lincoln course final exam, over lunch and late at night, on the plane as I went to and from California, and on the freeway while I was there.

It took me longer than the average reader to get through Holzer’s Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860-1861. As a student of Lincoln, I can’t just “read” a book – I have to study it. If a quote or a reference catches my interest, my curiosity isn’t satisfied until I’ve turned to the back to read the notes and to find out where I can learn more. Thank goodness for a liberal renewal policy on interlibrary loan, which allowed me to take the time I needed to savor the book to the depth I desired.

Lincoln buff and Holzer’s too
I’ve been a Lincoln fan since childhood, but my first encounter with Holzer’s work was when I reviewed The Lincoln Mailbag for the State Journal-Register in 1998. I was an instant fan of his as well. Holzer has now written or edited more than 30 books on Lincoln, and each one keeps readers coming back for more.

Lincoln President-Elect covers the 16th president’s activities from election through inauguration, not just for two-and-a-half months like today, but four months. Lincoln’s inauguration was held on March 4.

The timing for this book is appropriate, as Americans are watching the activities surrounding Barack Obama’s president-elect days. We see similarities between the two – and other U.S. presidents – in selecting a cabinet, preparing to uproot a family, preparing an inaugural speech.

A unique perspective
But in Holzer’s work, we also see the effect of the secession crisis on the president, the impact of the press, the role of his colleagues, political friends and enemies, and more. Holzer takes us along with Lincoln through the streets of Springfield, for a final visit to his aging stepmother and as he deals with favor-seekers by the hundreds. We’re with him when he treks tiredly home after a long night waiting for election results and on the train as he gives speeches along the rail route from Illinois to the nation’s capital. We see Lincoln through the eyes of his closest colleagues and strongest political foes, as Holzer seems to leave no crucial recollection untouched.

Holzer has written solo, edited the works of others and often collaborated with other authors, both well-known and obscure. This book was Holzer’s alone and his intuitive, colorful voice came through beautifully, yet I couldn’t help but note his work was richly enhanced by the contributions of a writer from Lincoln’s time.

Henry Villard was a New York Herald reporter who was essentially embedded with Lincoln on this particular journey through time. Time and again Villard provides a unique perspective into Lincoln’s thoughts and activities. Holzer seems to have skimmed the richest cream from Villard’s vessel – and it’s made the book all the more delightful.

I think that’s one of the strengths of this co-chair of the U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and why his books are so successful. Harold Holzer seems to know when he should tell the story and when he can allow those who were there to do it. In Lincoln President-Elect, he struck the perfect balance.

More Holzer to come
As for the happy-sad feeling – I won’t have to suffer it for long. I still haven’t read a lot of Holzer’s earlier books, and he has three more new ones on the horizon:

• In Lincoln's Hand: His Original Manuscripts with Commentary by Distinguished Americans, coauthored with Joshua Shenk
• The Lincoln Anthology: Great Writers on His Life and Legacy from 1860 to Now
• Six Months at the White House with Abraham Lincoln: The Story of a Painting

I’m looking forward to having Holzer and Lincoln with me again, just as soon as I get done with Eric Foner’s Our Lincoln: New Perspectives on Lincoln and His World, Fred Kaplan’s Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer and the book, Liability Claims Practices, by my fellow former Toastmaster, James R. Jones, which I must read for an industry course. Fortunately, Jim, now director of the Katie School of Insurance and Financial Services at Illinois State University, can actually make a book about insurance interesting – not quite as interesting as Lincoln, but that’s a hard act to follow.

See the updated website links

When I was preparing my laundry list of Lincoln bicentennial websites and articles about events throughout the country yesterday, I remembered that I'd been meaning to update the links on the left side of my website. Although these listings could go into even greater depth, you will now find more updated listings of state bicentennial sites, research websites and places to visit.

As I've been writing this blog the last four months, the response from others in the Lincoln community has been encouraging and enlightening. What a helpful group of people - all equally passionate about the subject!

Acknowledgements
I must give a special thanks today to Roger Norton of The Abraham Lincoln Research Site, Rhoda and Lowell Sneller of the Abraham Lincoln Online website and the staff at the U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, whose online resources always seem to get me directly to the information I'm seeking. These folks are diligent in keeping up on the latest in the world of Lincoln. I consulted these sites in compiling the links for mine, so we all owe them a big collective thank you.

Don’t be a stranger
Please come back often to visit my blog. I try to publish an article every day or two, especially with the birthday date now so close. When I have the time, I’ll try to update my sidebar links even more. I know I’ve fallen behind on keeping the books link up as much as I’d like. Be sure to watch your newspapers and online news sites for the latest new releases in the Lincoln world. There are truly dozens coming out this year.

I’m committed to sharing as much as I can about Lincoln and events in his honor over the next few months, even though it’s sometimes a gargantuan task in light of the responsibilities and commitments in my real life outside the Lincoln world. This blog is my birthday present to Lincoln and my gift to you. My hope is that it honors him and inspires you. Thanks for visiting. Ann

Lincoln at Christmas

Here’s a mixed bag – or stocking, perhaps, given it is Christmas – of Lincoln-related holiday info. Forgive me for not doing the research myself to share more in-depth information on Lincoln’s Christmas. I enjoyed the company of my family, trying to see the joy of the celebration through the eyes of my grandchildren. That, today, seemed more important.

How Lincoln spent Christmas week
The Snellers at Abraham Lincoln Online website have a nice timeline on their website answering the question “How did Lincoln spend Christmas week as President and President-elect?” The timeline covers the holiday week from 1860 through 1864.

Lincoln holiday images
On the Abraham Lincoln Collectibles website, I found some beautiful images of the Lincoln family at Christmas, created annually by the late Lloyd Ostendorf for more than 20 years. I’ve not done the digging to know for sure how realistic the scenes portrayed in each image are, but they’re quite attractive nonetheless. Many of the images are for sale as prints or postcards via the website.

Nurturing a budding scholar
My six-year-old grandson wanted a biography of Lincoln which had a picture of him with a beard. On a Christmas Eve shopping blitz, I found Abraham Lincoln from the History Maker Bios Series. It’s written by Jane A. Schott and illustrated by Tim Parlin. It looks as if it’s written so that it will hold his young attention, yet provide him with the basics of Lincoln scholarship. It’s nice to know we’re starting our own Lincoln legacy here. Kunhardts we’ll never be, but you have to start somewhere.

Starting a new old tradition
On our trip to the holiday reception at the David Davis Mansion, my granddaughter and I learned of a tradition observed in the Davis home which has roots nearly 130 years ago. David Davis was a Bloomington (Ill.) attorney who rode the Eighth Judicial Circuit with Lincoln, was the primary force in helping him win the 1860 election, served on the Supreme Court in Lincoln’s administration and served as a father figure to Robert Todd Lincoln after the President’s death.

In the gift shop and on the dining room table at the mansion, we saw Peppermint Pigs. We learned this was a Victorian holiday tradition. Those at the holiday dinner passed the Peppermint Pig, shielded in a festive red pouch, around the table. Each guest shared something good from the past year, then hit the pouch with a small hammer to break the pink candy pig into pieces. Once it had been around the table, the pouch was opened, the pig was shared, and it was to bring health and good luck in the New Year.

Both young and old at our table first shared something they were thankful for. The pig wasn’t broken as much as we desired, so we passed it again making a wish for the New Year. Those youngsters amaze me. They get it. Their thanks and their wishes were from the heart and not selfish. I’m pretty proud of and thankful for them. They’re good kids.

Even if you don’t have a Peppermint Pig this year, may you reflect on good things from 2008 and be blessed with good health and good luck in 2009. Thanks for spending time learning about Lincoln with me. Ann

© Copyright 2008 Ann Tracy Mueller. All rights reserved.

Thanks, Kunhardts, for building on a legacy

Recently, I was looking for an audio book about Lincoln to “read” on my commute to work. The first one I ran across in a nearby library was Lincoln: A Biography by Philip B Kunhardt, Jr., Philip B Kunhardt III and Peter W. Kunhardt. Nearly as soon as I began listening to it, I knew it was going to be time well spent.

Just the beginning
Even in this abridged 1992 audiotape, the Kunhardts’ coverage of Lincoln’s evolving views of slavery and African-Americans proved to be very comprehensive. And, considering this subject was to be one of the questions on an exam in the Lincoln course I was taking, the authors held me captive – so much so that I went back and also checked out the large-format unabridged hardcover, Lincoln: An Illustrated Biography.

As I spent two weekends and several evenings documenting the topic for the exam and future reference, I was amazed at how much depth this book had on slavery and a number of other facets of Lincoln’s life. I was just as amazed at how beautifully the volume was illustrated. I took advantage of the library’s liberal renewal policy to keep the book longer and to spend time savoring the photographs. I learned the book was printed as a companion piece to the trio’s four-part ABC mini-series on Lincoln.

Delving into the Kunhardt story
These guys and their work were impressive. I stepped away from Lincoln for a bit and began to research the Kunhardts, their books and their documentaries. I was excited to find there was much more to learn than just a tale of three guys who decided to write a book about Lincoln. There was a legacy here – a powerful one spanning five generations – from Frederick Hill Meserve (grandfather of Philip, Jr.) who was born the year Lincoln died, through Frederick’s daughter Dorothy (Mother of Philip Jr. and author of Pat the Bunny), then Philip, Jr., his sons Philip III and Peter, and Peter’s son Peter, Jr.

The legacy started when Meserve purchased the glass photographic negatives of Lincoln/ Civil War era photographer Matthew Brady. Thanks to Meserve’s wise investment, the rest of us can linger over these photos today and see back into Lincoln’s time with a clarity which wouldn’t have been possible without this man’s wisdom and foresight.

Sharing the treasures
Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt and her son, Philip, Jr., started the tradition of sharing these magnificent images in the book, Twenty Days: A Narrative in Text and Pictures of the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the Twenty Days and Nights That Followed--The Nation in Mourning, the Long Trip Home to Springfield. If I’m not mistaken, this volume was first published in 1965 on the centennial of Lincoln’s mournful trip home to Springfield.

Philip Jr. and his sons built on the tradition with the illustrated 1992 biography I stumbled upon. I was troubled to learn that Philip Jr. passed away in 2006, but delighted to learn that the next project, now hot off the press, is the work of his two sons and his grandson, Peter, Jr.

The latest Kunhardt work
I had the opportunity recently to hear Philip III talk about the new book, Looking for Lincoln: The Making of an American Icon, with Daniel Weinberg of The Abraham Lincoln Book Shop on Virtual Book Signing.* This book, too, draws from the family’s collection of images and draws upon each of the co-author’s unique gifts – Philip III’s gifts as a writer and his brother and son’s talents with the images and design work.

The book continues the Lincoln story, taking the reader from the assassination through the life of Lincoln’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln. It, too, is a companion book, to an upcoming PBS documentary, but based on tradition, I’m sure it will stand well on its own. The legacy of the Kunhardts, like the legacy of Lincoln, is one which will remain strong for years to come.

Congratulations, Philip III and Peter
In February, Philip III and Peter will join other Lincoln experts in receiving a special Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial edition of the highest honor awarded by the State of Illinois, The Order of Lincoln. As is the case with the other honorees, this recognition of the brothers' longstanding commitment to Lincoln is well-deserved. Congratulations to both of you from someone who appreciates your work and laments of not discovering it earlier.

More to come
Watch for more information on this interesting family and their contributions to the Lincoln world, including a new numbering system for Lincoln photographs, in future Lincoln Buff 2 blog posts next year. If I told you everything I’ve learned about this talented family, I fear it would take me into the new year.

* Abraham Lincoln Book Shop and Virtual Book Signing: This is really cool! I even got to send a question via email, which Mr. Kunhardt answered on the air. I want to tell you more about the history of this institution and the new legacy they're creating with the virtual book signings. Watch for more on that next year, too.

Blog topics you may have missed through Dec. 19

The last few weeks have been busy in the Lincoln world, so there's been lots to write about. If you’ve missed some posts since my last "topics you may have missed" piece on Nov. 18, 2008, here’s a hyperlinked list of what we covered. If this is helpful, please check one of the Reaction checkboxes at the end of this article.

In the past few weeks, you might have missed articles:

• Reflecting on the Gettysburg Address
• Highlighting an documentary project about Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg
• Celebrating Fords Theatre renovations
• Honoring Helga Sandburg
• Discussing the difficulty of accurately grading a president
• Remembering Lincoln’s Thanksgiving proclamation
• Lamenting the closing of historic sites (Nov. 29 and 30 stories)
• Celebrating Chris Vallillo’s Abraham Lincoln in Song
• Promoting ongoing C-SPAN Lincoln programming
• Touting the benefits of the Heartland College Lincoln class
• Celebrating the dedication of Looking for Lincoln markers
• Describing Lincoln-related events in Bloomington and Springfield, what I learned from the Heartland College Lincoln class and my next steps in the study of Lincoln
• Commemorating Mary Todd Lincoln’s 190th birthday
• Discussing C-SPAN’s White House programming, Michael Burlingame’s new book, Fort Wayne’s Lincoln Museum collection and possible hope for Illinois historic sites
• Honoring retirements of Rhode Island Chief Justice Frank J. Williams and U.S. Representative Ray LaHood
• Talking about birthday cards for Lincoln, a gift to try to keep the Vandalia Statehouse open, renovation of a McLean County home with Lincoln connections and the C-SPAN White House series
• Looking at the horrific institution of slavery
• Pointing gift givers to Lincoln books for young and old
• Celebrating our incoming Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood

For earlier articles
For articles between the birth of this blog on Oct. 9, 2008 and Nov. 18, see the Nov. 19 article.

The opportunity of a century
Remember, this time of bicentennial celebration will never be equaled by any in our lifetimes for opportunities to celebrate and learn about Lincoln. You can find a couple of great calendars of bicentennial happenings across the country at these websites:

• Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission
• Abraham Lincoln Online

Give the gift of Lincoln

Is your holiday shopping done? Have you planted the seed of Lincoln yet?

It’s not too late to pick up a Lincoln book or two or a few to give to the special people in your life. If you’ve already remembered the people on your gift giving list, consider donating Lincoln titles to schools or local libraries. Can you think of a more fitting way to commemorate the upcoming bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth? A book is a gift that keeps on giving, often teaching and giving joy across generations.

In the Lincoln Buff library are Lincoln titles for all ages, including the first one I purchased in grade school through the paperback book program for less than a dollar. Today, my grandchildren - from the kindergartener to the high school student - can often be found with their noses in the pages of a book about the 16th president. I can’t help but smile when the youngest asks me if I can show him a picture of Lincoln without his whiskers or the oldest begins quizzing me on Lincoln facts for a term paper.

See the bicentennial website for ideas
If you’re looking for Lincoln titles, be sure to check out the Lincoln Bicentennial website, where you’ll find one list for children’s books and another for adult titles.

Season’s greetings
As you begin celebrating the season according to your own special traditions, I wish you health, happiness and a new Lincoln book. My bet is that if you’re reading this blog, you’ve got some on your list – especially with all the new ones coming out this year.

There will be one special title under the Lincoln Buff’s tree this year thanks to the compounded effect of a sale price, member discount, one day sale, free shipping and a holiday gift certificate. I’ll be sure to report on it once I’ve read it. It should be a good one.

Over the next couple weeks, I’ll be spending more time with my loved ones, so I may not be blogging quite as often. This won’t be my last post before the holidays, though. Please check back in as you have time amidst the hustle and bustle. If you don’t find a new post, know that I’m not forgetting Lincoln or you. I’ve got a huge list of topics and lots of news other Lincoln buffs want me to share. We’ve got a lot to talk about between now and Feb. 12, 2009!

Happy holidays! Ann

A somber look at Lincoln's time

Recently, I was at a nearby library searching through the audio book section, hoping to find Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals. Instead, I found an audio book which gave me a behind-the-scenes look at the Civil War I would have never thought possible. The Slaves’ War: The Civil War in the Words of Former Slaves by Andrew Ward is a sobering first-hand account through the eyes of hundreds of former slaves.

I normally have a rule: My 30-minute commute to and from work is a transition time and I try to listen to things which will make me smile – Hippie Radio or fun country songs like “Chicken Fried” by the Zak Brown Band.

As I listened to narrator Richard Allen read the accounts from Ward’s book, I did anything but smile.

From the mouths of babes
The book includes the first-hand accounts of scores of former slaves, many who were just children during the Civil War and at the time of emancipation. They paint a vivid picture of the horrors of war, the injustice of servitude and the strength of a people who, by circumstances of their skin color, time in history and environs, were subjected to atrocities the like of which I can’t begin to imagine.

As I listened to the 11 audio tapes (14 hours in all), I was moved by the variety of memories the interviewees had and the color with which Allen relayed them. From stories of plantation life and battlefield scenes to memories of seeing President Lincoln at Richmond in 1865 just before the assassination, this resource sheds new light on the most troubling time in our nation’s history.

Slaves’ War draws upon 1930 Works Progress Administration interviews with those who were just children during the war, as well as other oral history. The end result is a resource which will surely hold a prominent place in the libraries of many Lincoln and Civil War scholars. It’s on my list of must haves.

Hearing is believing
I normally don’t recommend listening to a book before reading it, especially nonfiction, but in this case, I’d do it the same way all over again. Hearing Allen bring the dialect to life and “reading” in chunks seemed to be just what I needed with this book.

Now, I just have to get the printed book to keep on my reference shelf. I’ve already found several quotes I’ll want to use in my future scholarly work. Methinks Andrew Ward’s book will become as much a staple in my Lincoln bibliographies as Herndon’s Informants, edited by Douglas L. Wilson and Rodney O. Davis.

Time for kicking down the cobblestones
As I dig deeper into my Lincoln work, I’m finding my commute time is a great time to learn through audio books like this one. But for now, I think I’ll kick back and listen to some fun vibes. After all this heavy stuff, I think it’s time for some really light and funky sounds like “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” by Simon and Garfunkel – for a few days, at least.

Tribute to a faithful toiler

“I have always felt that a woman has the right to treat the subject of her age with ambiguity until, perhaps, she passes into the realm of over ninety. Then it is better she be candid with herself and with the world.” Carl Sandburg

On Nov. 24, 1918 as Americans fought in the War to End All Wars, the not-yet-Lincoln-biographer Carl Sandburg was away from home as a war correspondent. That Sunday at 6 a.m., his wife, Lillian, whom he called Paula, gave birth to a baby girl, rather than the boy the couple had expected. When Paula wrote to her husband, she described a little girl “as colorful and clamorous as you could wish,” according to the account in Penelope Niven’s Carl Sandburg: A Biography.

That colorful, clamorous daughter, Helga, a brilliant writer herself, will celebrate her ninetieth birthday tomorrow and she has earned the right to be as ambiguous or as candid about her age as she wishes.

So why am I writing about Helga Sandburg in my Lincoln blog? I could give you a top ten, with reasons such as “I admire her.” “She inspires me.” “She’s spunky.” Those would all be right, and I’d have no trouble finding many more. The most significant, however, is that I think Lincoln buffs and Lincoln scholars alike can learn from Helga.

What Helga can teach us

“Learn what?” you ask. There are several things.

One of my friends who is a Lincoln scholar is a PK – Preacher’s Kid. There are certain things all preachers’ kids have in common – a bond of sorts, things they’ve lived through. I wonder, as I meet Lincoln scholars and read their work, if there isn’t also a bond for LK – Lincoln Kids – sons and daughters of Lincoln scholars. The bond is in things such as listening to Mom or Dad talk about Lincoln for hours with more passion in their eyes than at almost any other time – or watching as the piles of books and papers grow deeper and deeper in the library – or wondering when the parent will ever pull away from the computer – or having to plan vacations around visits to Lincoln sites, libraries or archives.

In “…Where Love Begins,” Helga’s autobiographical account of the Sandburg family, Lincoln scholars and their families can see how, even more than eighty years after his first Lincoln volume was published, there are still some constants in what it’s like to be a Lincoln scholar or an LK.

This book, one of more than a dozen by this soon-to-be nonagenarian, keeps readers engaged anyway, because Helga’s a fun writer and it’s a great read. But for those of us with an interest in Lincoln, she paints a familiar picture of both the beginning and the end of the creative process. "I am four. A flame has lighted my father. The household feels it,” Helga wrote. The time was the summer of 1923 and the flame, of course, was Lincoln.

She also shares her Uncle Edward Steichen’s account of Carl’s visit after the final review of proofs of Abraham Lincoln: The War Years. Her uncle, the gifted photographer, saw the Lincoln biographer as if through a camera lens, and captured a peace writers have only as one project ends and another is not yet begun:

“My uncle says, ‘Carl sat at the breakfast table that morning with a serene and relaxed look, a look that brought to mind Gardner’s beautiful photographs the day after the Civil war surrender. This is the only picture of Lincoln in existence which shows a real smile, a tired smile of relief, a smile of infinite warmth and tenderness.’”

Read all about it

Have you wondered what it was like for Sandburg to be obsessed with Lincoln for so long, or what it was like to live in the presence of one so obsessed? Do you wonder how Sandburg’s creative and research process was different from your own – or the same? Did you know Helga and her sisters were often “faithful toilers” working in many ways behind the scenes to contribute to his life’s work?

If so, you must read Helga’s book. And, if you’re so inclined, it might be a really nice time to stop and say, “Thanks, Helga. Have a great birthday!” I’ll be glad to send her any birthday wishes you leave in the comments at the end of this blog.

Happy birthday, Helga!

Helga, thanks for writing about your father, telling your own stories and, especially, for your own voice, formed in the echoes of the prairie-town boy and the rhythms of the trains near his boyhood home. You're the youngest 90-year-old I've ever known. Have a wonderful day.

Blog topics you may have missed through Nov. 18

If you’re like most people, your life is busy. You may have every intention of making regular visits to the websites or blogs you enjoy, but you may not make it as often as you’d like. In the process, you miss some of the blog posts you may have enjoyed.

I’ve been blogging for several weeks now and have posted more than 20 articles. I thought it might be helpful if every few weeks I do a “topics you may have missed” piece. This covers articles from the birth of the blog through Nov. 18, 2008.

If you think this is helpful, please check one of the Reaction checkboxes at the end of this article.

In the meantime, you might have missed articles:

• Celebrating First Lady Laura Bush’s visit to Hodgenville, Kentucky
• Guiding you to Lincoln or Illinois-related books by John Hallwas, Brian Dirck and Edward Steers, Jr., Harold Holzer, Gary Ecelbarger, Joshua Wolf Shenk and others
• Describing Lincoln-related events in Springfield, Galesburg and Bloomington
• Discussing the challenges and tools of and offering tips for Lincoln research
• Highlighting schools and universities where students are immersed in Lincoln studies
• Congratulating those who’ve reached milestones in their scholarly journeys or received honors for their Lincoln-related work
• Celebrating Ford’s Theatre honors and a Lincoln painting donated to a Petersburg, Ill. museum
• Encouraging people to celebrate the bicentennial by learning about Lincoln in a variety of ways
• Discussing the Lincoln Forum symposium and noting the discovery of a possible Lincoln letter
• Alerting readers to Matthew Pinsker’s cautions about a team of rivals
• Informing about Lincoln site renovations in Springfield

Remember, this time of bicentennial celebration will never be equaled by any in our lifetimes for opportunities to celebrate and learn about Lincoln. You can find a couple of great calendars of bicentennial happenings across the country at these websites:

• Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission
• Abraham Lincoln Online

© Copyright 2008 Ann Tracy Mueller. All rights reserved.

Scholars congregate and letter surfaces

There was plenty of Lincoln news today, and it’s too interesting not to share.

Lincoln Forum symposium opens
The Lincoln Forum symposium opened Sunday in Gettysburg. James R. Carroll of the Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal made sure the event was chronicled. You’ll want to read his article to hear what these Lincoln buffs have to say:

• Frank J. Williams, Rhode Island Supreme Court Chief Justice, quintessential Lincoln scholar, chairman of the Lincoln Forum, Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission member, author or editor of more than a dozen books, annual cataloguer of Lincolniana and more
• David Wiegers, an Illinois photographer
• David Leroy, chair of the Idaho Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission
• Daniel Weinberg, owner of Chicago’s famous Abraham Lincoln Book Shop

Like many of the scholars attending the symposium, Leroy, Wiegers and Williams are all in the midst of Lincoln book projects. Carroll tells you a little about a couple of them and why the Lincoln legacy continues to captivate people almost 200 years after his birth.

The Bixby letter (found?)
Even those who aren’t Lincoln buffs remember the famous Lincoln letter featured in the moving “Saving Private Ryan” – the letter the president wrote to a mother whose five sons all were believed to have perished in battle during the War Between the States.

The Dallas Historical Society recently found a document in its archives which it hopes is an honest-to-goodness copy of this famous letter. The letter will be appraised to help determine if it is the real deal. Read Jeff Carlton’s Associated Press story as featured in today’s Houston Chronicle to learn more.

By the way
Did you know that Steven Spielberg, who brought us Private Ryan, also has a Lincoln project in the works – supposedly in 2010? I’m not spreading any rumors about who’ll be filling the roles, but you can get a little info from the Internet Movie Data Base. In the meantime, if Mr. Spielberg wants to let Lincoln Buff 2 know the real scoop, I’ll be glad to share it with the rest of you.

© Copyright 2008 Ann Tracy Mueller. All rights reserved.

Reading Lincoln

I’ve had a little R & R these last couple weeks, which has given me an opportunity to catch up on some Lincoln reading I’ve wanted to do.

Two books I’d used as references for my paper on Lincoln and his mentors caught my interest and seemed worthy of further examination. My first impression of both was correct. Neither disappointed me.

It will soon be time for me to return them to the respective libraries from whence they came. Before I do, I want to tell you a little more about: Lincoln the Lawyer by Brian Dirck and Lincoln Legends: Myths, Hoaxes and Confabulations Associated with our Greatest President by Edward Steers, Jr.

I’m currently reading Lincoln’s Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words by Douglas L. Wilson. Watch for more about that in a future post.

Lincoln the Lawyer
Until I began my Heartland college course on Lincoln, I had no idea how long Lincoln’s law career was (25 years) or how many cases he handled (5,000). In my class, I had the privilege of hearing Bloomington, Illinois attorney, Guy Fraker, who likely knows more about Lincoln’s time on the Eighth Judicial Circuit than anyone. Guy and my instructor, Dr. Scott Rager, both helped to create a hunger to learn more about Lincoln’s legal career, especially since it was right here in Central Illinois.

Brian Dirck’s Lincoln the Lawyer fed that hunger. Dirck, an Anderson University professor, takes his readers from the shock a Sangamon County farmer expressed when he learned Lincoln was studying law to Lincoln’s final days as an attorney in his law office across the street from the Old State Capitol in Springfield.

That journey took Lincoln through three partnerships – with John Todd Stuart, Stephen T. Logan and William Herndon – through courts in Springfield and the Eighth Judicial Circuit and in front of the Illinois and United States Supreme Courts. By the time Lincoln left for Washington, this self-taught lawyer was one of the most respected in the state. His cases ranged from property disputes and divorces to murders and large railroad cases. Fees he received ranged from $10 or less to the $5,000 fee he received representing the Illinois Central Railroad in their dispute with McLean County over taxes assessed the railroad.

Dirck is an academic and his book meets all the criteria of a scholarly volume – well researched, indexed, well cited – yet at no time as a reader do you feel as if you’re wading through an academic work that’s way over your head. Dirck’s book is a comfortable, entertaining read. He’s a gifted writer and a scrupulous scholar.

In my book, Dirck’s is a must read for anyone who really wants to understand those 25 years and the longest career in Lincoln’s life.

And if you can't wait to get the book to read Dirck's writing, in the meantime, you can get doses of Dirck through his blog, A. Lincoln Blog. It, too, is one of my must reads.

Lincoln Legends
As I worked on my recent paper, I realized what a large part legend played in the Lincoln story. It was often difficult to discern what was real and what wasn’t – who I could believe and who I couldn’t. People have been collecting stories about Lincoln and writing about him since shortly after his death – and, through his dying, the stories became glorified. The windows through which many of those people saw him were foggy indeed.

Although not a university-affiliated academic like many Lincoln scholars, Edward Steers, Jr., author of Lincoln Legends: Myths, Hoaxes, and Confabulations Associated with Our Greatest President, writes with all the authority of the best of them. Steers explores 14 of the most powerful Lincoln legends. He provides readers with the truth as he finds it – and, believe me, he digs until he’s left few stones unturned. If you’re curious about anything from who Lincoln’s father was to whether he loved Ann Rutledge or if he was gay, you can read about it in Steers’ book, and come away with a certainty that he’s done his homework and given you the right answer.

Lincoln Legends is also a comfortable read. I read both his and Dirck’s in front of the fireplace over a long weekend – a cold, rainy one with few interruptions. I’d recommend both of them to anyone wanting to learn more about our sixteenth president. What better way can you think of to celebrate the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth than by learning more about him?

As I read and learn about other Lincoln books, I’ll tell you a little about them. I hope you find some value in my little musings. Please use the Reactions check boxes below to let me know what you think about this article.

© Copyright 2008 Ann Tracy Mueller. All rights reserved.

I’ll be back…

Thanks to all the visitors who’ve stopped at my blog over the past month. I’ve enjoyed doing it. I hope you’ve learned a thing or two and found value or enjoyment here. I’ve got some other obligations coming up at home so I won’t be blogging for the next couple weeks. That doesn’t mean the rest of you should pull away from the Lincoln world, though. And, don’t worry, I will be back!

Don’t let the bicentennial pass you by
Make the most of your time as a Lincoln buff. There are plenty of new Lincoln books you can get lost in. Lincoln scholars will be doing book signings. Communities will offer Lincoln-related events. You can learn where Lincoln things are happening by visiting Abraham Lincoln Online or the Lincoln Bicentennial website. Remember the celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday only comes once – and we’ve got the opportunity to savor it!

Lincoln at Gettysburg – and maybe you, too
If you’re really lucky, you’re already a Lincoln scholar and you’ll be at the 13th Annual Lincoln Forum Symposium in Gettysburg from Nov. 16-18, 2008 and the Town of Gettysburg Remembrance Day Activities on Nov. 19. If, like me, you can’t make it to Gettysburg, you can watch the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Dedication Day Ceremony on C-SPAN on Nov. 19 (the 145th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address). Check the C-SPAN website or your local program schedule for the time, still to be announced.

Tell me how you’re learning about Lincoln
If you enjoy my blog, I’d love to hear from you. And, if you go to Gettysburg for the Forum, I’d love to hear about it. Please use the comments function. If you don’t see yours posted right away, be patient. When I can get time to review them, I’ll post them for the rest of my readers to see. I really do appreciate your feedback.

Thanks for visiting. Talk to you again soon. Ann

© Copyright 2008 Ann Tracy Mueller. All rights reserved.

A look at some new Lincoln books

As I work today to finish pulling together my paper on Abraham Lincoln and his mentors, I wasn't going to take the time to write a blog post from scratch myself. I was just going to draw attention to an article by Desmond Ryan in today's Philadelphia Inquirer. Ryan's "A. Lincoln turning 200: Books on him keep coming; here's a sampling" provides an overview of nine of the dozens of books on Lincoln coming out within the next year. Of course, as I set out to do that in a few words, I realized I had much to tell you myself about these authors and their books.

An all star cast
I've only got first-hand knowledge of one of these books, but I've met or heard several of the other authors speak at some of the Lincoln scholarly events I've been privileged to attend. These scholars/enthusiasts are Harold Holzer, James McPherson, Gary Ecelbarger, Brian Lamb and Ronald C. White, Jr. Each of these gentlemen is committed to keeping the legacy of Lincoln alive, doing so with accuracy and passion, while earning and keeping the respect of their peers. Any of their books will be a welcome addition to your Lincoln library and a great read, I'm sure.

My lack of familiarity with the other authors in no way negates or diminishes their contributions. It just shows how much work is being done in this area, and how far behind I am in learning all the contributors. Susan Swain, Lamb's co-editor, is also a C-SPAN legend. In her work with the network, she collaborated on The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 series, American Presidents: Life Portraits, and American Writers II: The 20th Century. I can't wait to read Lamb and Swain's anthology of interviews with Lincoln historians.

Eric Foner's book collecting essays with new perspectives by other brilliant Lincoln scholars will certainly be an interesting read, while Fred Kaplan's study of Lincoln as a writer will focus on what I've always felt was one of Lincoln's greatest gifts and strengths. John Stauffer's book parallels the lives of Lincoln and Frederick Douglass and is sure to shed new perspectives on this important relationship.

Ladies and gentlemen - start your reading
So, head to your library or your local bookstore, or get your Christmas wish list ready. With all these new Lincoln books on the shelves, there's no excuse not to celebrate the Bicentennial of his birth (Feb. 12. 2009) by learning more.

© Copyright 2008 Ann Tracy Mueller. All rights reserved.

October hunt for Lincoln-Graham

I think I saw the movie called "The Hunt for Red October" once, but it's not my kind of flick. I'm on my own hunt this October.

Hunt due to groundwork by Judge Willams
I'm working on a paper for the Abraham Lincoln class I'm taking at Heartland College . My theme is Abraham Lincoln and his mentors, and one of those I want to include is Mentor Graham, the teacher at New Salem. Thanks to the great article, "Lincolniana," which Judge Frank J. Williams does every year about Lincoln scholarship, I learned of a paper on the Lincoln/Graham relationship. I've been trying in vain to locate it.

Judge Williams is a member of the United States Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the Chairman of The Lincoln Forum. He's passionate about Lincoln and his work is invaluable. I got to hear him speak in 2005 when the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) opened, so I can attest firsthand for his enthusiasm.

Enough about the Judge. I'll share more on his work another time. Back to the Lincoln/Graham paper.

Hunting for Basil Moore treasures
Basil Moore delivered a paper titled, "Abraham Lincoln and His Mentor Graham." at an April 11, 1992 conference "Remembering Lincoln," at Augustana College in Rock Island. The very helpful archivist, Jamie Nelson, at Augustana determined they don't have it. She connected me with Dean Hammer, who was the chair sponsoring the conference. Unfortunately, he didn't know where a copy could be found either. I'd go to the source - Moore - but I believe he passed away a number of years ago.

I'm checking with the ALPLM to see if they have the paper there or know if Moore's collection is in an archive somewhere. I do have a lot of material without this and a copy of Basil Moore's Lincoln coming through interlibrary loan, but I thought this might show the Graham/Lincoln relationship in some light I had not considered.

Thanks for your help in my hunt
My blog is new and just beginning to attract Lincoln buffs like me. I hope some of you are finding some value in it by learning something new from time to time about Lincoln, the scholars who tell his story or the books they've written. My foray into the world of Lincoln is teaching me so much, but I'm still new at learning where to look for all these sources. If you can help, please use the comments function on this blog post.

Happy hunting in your own Lincoln research, and be sure to watch my future postings for more on Lincoln and Graham. Douglas Wilson of the Lincoln Studies Center at Knox College provides information on the relationship which is a bit different than that of those who wrote about it earlier using the anecdotal material passed down through time. I'm looking forward to sharing what I've learned.

© Copyright 2008 Ann Tracy Mueller. All rights reserved.

Davis through Ecelbarger's enthusiastic eyes

Lincoln buffs in Bloomington, Ill. had a real treat earlier this year when Gary Ecelbarger, author of The Great Comeback: How Abraham Lincoln Beat the Odds to Win the 1860 Republican Nomination, spoke at the McLean County Museum of History (Sept. 11). The event was jointly sponsored by The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission of McLean County and the David Davis Mansion Foundation.

Ecelbarger talked about “The role of David Davis in Lincoln’s nomination.” Anyone who lives in McLean County long enough and gets involved in its history circles will learn that the David Davis connection to Lincoln was long-lived and strong. They’ll learn early on that Davis was a big man and always had his own bed when he rode the circuit with Lincoln. They’ll learn a lot more about the connection between the two as time goes on. I know. I have.

Ecelbarger shared information I’d never heard before, though, and he’d be proud to know that I took one important number away with me – 233 – the number of votes it took for Lincoln to cinch the 1860 Republican presidential nomination. The speaker made sure to drive those digits home throughout his lecture.

I was impressed by two things – Ecelbarger’s energetic enthusiasm and his vast knowledge of names, dates, and the politicking that had to happen for Lincoln’s destiny as our president to come to be.

Ecelbarger is a magnificent storyteller, entertaining as only one passionate about his subject can. He takes his listeners on a journey through the Lincoln/Davis relationship and keeps them spellbound as he moves through the process which led to the crucial number of votes in the Chicago convention wigwam.

In Lincoln lore, one January date always stands out – that fatal first when the courtship with Mary Todd went awry and Lincoln slipped into his great melancholy.

After hearing Ecelbarger, I’ll now always have another January image etched in my mind, one in 1859 which I’ll dub the snowy sixth. I’ll see the picture Ecelbarger painted of Lincoln and the others holed up in the then State Library in the basement of the Old State Capitol. Lincoln, fresh on the heels of defeat after losing his second senate race, is not afraid to speak up and say “I can do it” when his name is overlooked as a candidate for the presidency.

Ecelbarger’s lecture was suspense-filled, entertaining and informative. Though I have not yet read the book I bought and had autographed that night, I’m sure it’s more of the same. I’m looking forward to reading it, and I feel confident in telling my readers you’ll want to read it, too. And if you want a great way to spend an hour or two, watch for an opportunity to hear him speak in a community near you.

© Copyright 2008 Ann Tracy Mueller. All rights reserved.

Hold on for more Holzer

Famed Lincoln author does it again
There are more books written about Abraham Lincoln than anyone except Jesus Christ, and a New York man is the author, co-author or editor of more than 30 of them. Please join me in congratulating Harold Holzer on his latest - Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860-1861 - published by Simon & Schuster and in bookstores this week. It’s already receiving accolades from leading Lincoln scholars.

I first “met” Harold Holzer in 1998, when I had the opportunity to review his book, The Lincoln Mailbag: America Writes to the President, 1861-1865 for The State Journal-Register. It was my second book review and Holzer’s eleventh book. It was seven years before I was to meet the author in person – at an event we’ll both always remember.

An event of historic proportion
Holzer was one of the speakers at the scholarly conference, Lincoln in the 21st Century, at the dedication of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill. in April 2005. The roster of speakers at the conference was a Who’s Who of Lincoln scholars, with more than 20 world-renowned scholars presenting. Holzer was on a three-generation panel with a patriarch of Lincoln scholars, David Herbert Donald, and Donald’s protégé and former grad assistant, Matthew Pinsker. The event was moderated by Brian Lamb of C-SPAN.

I got to meet Holzer that weekend and also got to ask a question of the three-generation panel. Today I can’t remember the exact words I used back then, but it was something like, “Do you think it is possible for someone to begin studying Lincoln this late in life and become knowledgeable enough to gain the respect of scholars such as these?” C-SPAN was taping that day, so the memory of the broadcast tapes is surely more accurate than my own.

The three scholars – and Lamb – could not have been more encouraging. Their advice: “Get involved in the Lincoln world. Attend events such as this one. No, it’s not too late.”

And the list goes on
Holzer’s life since that day in Springfield has been more productive than mine. He’s co-authored or edited twenty more books since that one I reviewed in 1998 – 31 in all:

• The Lincoln Image (1984)


• Changing the Lincoln Image (1985)


• The Confederate Image, (1987)


• The Lincoln Family Album (1990)


• Lincoln on Democracy (1990)


• Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: The Civil War in Art (1993)


• The Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1993)


• Washington and Lincoln Portrayed (1993)


• Dear Mr. Lincoln: Letters to the President (1993)


• Witness to War (1996)


• The Civil War Era (1996)


• The Lincoln Mailbag: America Writes to the President (1998)


• The Union Preserved (1999)


• The Lincoln Forum: Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg, and the Civil War (1999)


• Lincoln as I Knew Him (1999)


• The Union Image (2000)


• Lincoln Seen and Heard (2000)


• Abraham Lincoln, The Writer (2000)


• Prang's Civil War: The Complete Battle Chromos of Louis Prang (2001)


• State of the Union: New York and the Civil War (2002)


• The Lincoln Forum: Rediscovering Abraham Lincoln ( 2002)


• The President is Shot! The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln (2004)


• Lincoln At Cooper Union: The Speech That Made Abraham Lincoln President (2004)


• Lincoln in the Times: The Life of Abraham Lincoln as Originally Reported in the New York Times (2005)


• The Battle of Hampton Roads (2006)


• The Emancipation Proclamation: Three Views (2006)


• Lincoln in the Collections of the Indiana Historical Society (2006)


• Lincoln and Freedom (2007)


• Lincoln Revisited (2007)


• Lincoln's White House Secretary: The Adventurous Life of William O.Stoddard (2007)

Holzer is also the author of several hundred articles on Lincoln, has served in an advisory capacity to more Lincoln projects than anyone could fathom and has won numerous honors for his work. See his website to learn more. It’s only fitting and proper that Holzer is a co-chair of the United States Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

Late-blooming scholar
But more memorable than any of the words Holzer has set in type are the words of encouragement to an aging baby boomer wanting to pursue a dream. In essence, he said, “Do it.”

Today, I’m taking a class about Lincoln, attending Lincoln-related events and using this blog to celebrate the 16th President and those who so passionately share their passion for him. Who says it’s too late to follow your heart?

Thanks, Harold, for encouraging me to listen to mine, and congratulations!

© Copyright 2008 Ann Tracy Mueller. All rights reserved.