More books have been written about Abraham Lincoln than perhaps any other figure in Western civilization, save Jesus of Nazareth, and with so much material available on Lincoln, it can be difficult to sift through all the biographies and recollections to get at the essence of one of the great Americans of all time. In this book—both history and biography, informative as well as entertaining, meant to be read in whole or in bite-sized chunks—historian Thomas Flagel distills the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln in twenty-five annotated lists.
Flagel's lists present a cross-section of Lincoln's life, career, and presidency:
—Homes and jobs
—Mentors, friends, and allies
—Books and readings
—Legal cases
—Acts as an Illinois state representative and U.S. congressman
—Best and worst days as president
—Favorite sanctuaries in Washington, DC
—Monuments, memorials, and historic sites
—Greatest speeches and addresses
—And more
For uninitiated readers, these lists offer a quick but informative (and informed) entrée into Abraham Lincoln. For buffs and historians, the lists will be the starting point for debates and arguments. For everyone, Flagel's annotated lists present an opportunity for readers to draw their own conclusions about Lincoln, based on the facts of his life. In these twenty-five lists, Flagel offers a unique lens through which to view our sixteenth president.