Time: Abraham Lincoln: His Life And Times: An Illustrated History (2009)
From Amazon-
“This richly illustrated volume celebrates Abraham Lincoln by exploring the fascinating life and times of the president who saved the Union. Here, in more than 160 little-seen photos and illustrations, is a great nation still young and rapidly transforming. Here is the growth of the frontier and the Indian and Mexican wars; the advent of the telegram and the railroad; the battle over states` rights that erupted into the Civil War. And here in all its passion, complexity and tragedy, is the life story of the wise, visionary President who summoned America`s founding ideals to keep the nation united.”
My two Lincolns:
There are many excellent essays on different aspects of Lincoln but the joy of this book is indeed the illustrations. They cover a huge amount of territory, not just Lincoln & family & contemporaries but places, maps, newspapers, tools, posters, art, etc. “Vivid” is how I would describe this book.
That being said, this is the first book that I’ve read so far that has brought up a rather large issue that Lincoln had to deal with during his Presidency that was not directly Civil War related: the Sioux uprising of 1862. Ultimately, 38 Sioux warriors were hung (the largest mass execution in US history). This was out of an original 300. Lincoln personally reviewed each case and reduced the number even though it could cost him white settler votes in Minnesota (he said he wouldn’t hang innocent men for votes).
There are also excellent “For Further Reading” and “Historical Sites” sections in the back.
(As I’m in the early stages of my Lincoln exploration I do not know how accurate or inaccurate the details of the Uprising story are; a quick Google found numbers at 38/303 and 39/303, no mention of the Lincoln vote quote and another having it has “I could not afford to hang men for votes”. Just an FYI.)
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