Of course yesterday was Christmas and loving family members wisely gave me books. This time two books that I suggested would be very welcome -John Meacham's "American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House" and Fred Kaplan's "Lincoln Biography of a Writer." I read an interesting review of Meacham's book in the New York Times book review that sparked my interest in reading this one along with renewing my interest in the "bank war," which I wrote about a few days ago. I have already started this book and think that I will enjoy it.
Probably the only president I have read more books about than Jackson is Abraham Lincoln which isn't surprising. As with Jackson, I am being careful about reading any more full length academic biographies as I have read so many of them before. In the case of Lincoln there seems to be a new focus on writing about some very specific aspect of Lincoln's life as, for example, Harold Holzer has done with the Cooper Union speech and Lincoln as president-elect.
This current book by an English teacher at Queens College in New York is a study of Lincoln as a writer. Having read several books about the Gettysburg address and the second inaugural, Lincoln's writing is of great interest to me. This book will be next up after the Jackson book. Since I am concurrently finally reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team of Rivals," it will be a period of some focused Lincoln study which is just fine with me. I hope any one who is reading this is as happy with their Christmas presents as I am.
Probably the only president I have read more books about than Jackson is Abraham Lincoln which isn't surprising. As with Jackson, I am being careful about reading any more full length academic biographies as I have read so many of them before. In the case of Lincoln there seems to be a new focus on writing about some very specific aspect of Lincoln's life as, for example, Harold Holzer has done with the Cooper Union speech and Lincoln as president-elect.
This current book by an English teacher at Queens College in New York is a study of Lincoln as a writer. Having read several books about the Gettysburg address and the second inaugural, Lincoln's writing is of great interest to me. This book will be next up after the Jackson book. Since I am concurrently finally reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team of Rivals," it will be a period of some focused Lincoln study which is just fine with me. I hope any one who is reading this is as happy with their Christmas presents as I am.
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