With Malice Toward None : Life of Abraham Lincoln, The

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Summary: BEAUTIFUL PAINTING OF AN AMAZING AMERICAN
Review: I'm always amazed at the reasons given for poor reviews of histories and especially, biographies. The prevailing consensus is always that the author was trying to present an otherwise inaccurate portrayal of the subject - or at least inaccurate as they view the subject. Such is the case with Jefferson, and now, apparently Lincoln. Historians such as Oates interpret the "facts" in no different manner than the reader does - albeit the reader should (if interested in balance) read multiple sources before they condemn any one source.
Mr. Oates does an amazing job of chronicling Lincoln's humble beginnings to the Presidency. What makes this special is the emotional detail Mr. Oates does in weaving the multiple personal and professional difficulties he had - all while trying to win a war. General McClellan, assassination plots, Mary's emotional imbalance, a tempestuous cabinet, and frequent bouts of depression all make his story even more amazing.
Another reviewer mentioned that this book reads like a novel & they're right - a true accomplishment and very good place to start if want to really learn about someone who was much much more than just the 16th President.
Enjoy!

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Summary: As personable and straightforward as its subject
Review: Long-acclaimed and probably as popularly read in the last quarter century as any other Lincoln biography, this is a highly respectable look into the life of the sixteenth President. Competent history is rare enough but Oates goes one better by making this a delight to read. It is very comfortable without being casual and factual without being dry. I always count it a credit to an author when he/she can introduce a peripheral player only briefly yet make them memorable enough that they can be referenced simply by last name chapters later. Oates' scores in this regard as well.
My only misgivings concern Oates' tendency to gloss over serious matters such as Lincoln's suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, etc. He seems to take Lincoln only at face value at these times.
But on the whole "Malice Toward None" was definitely a positive experience and one I recommend to anyone interested in spending time with Lincoln.

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Summary: A "70s" Lincoln, Not The Right One.
Review: Oates' biography, though very readable and quite good on Lincoln's personal tragedies, is far from a persuasive or fair portrait. Oates advertises his 1970s New England liberalism by painting Lincoln as all but wanting to be an abolitionist and egalitarian, but darn those dang border states and that Constitution tying his hands! Such authors have stretched long chapters around a few tidbits like Lincoln's one-time public favor of limited black suffrage and very little more. Lincoln was more of a moderate realist for reasons of his own view on the desireable pace of national reform, and not simply because of external factors. He was neither a Radical Republican restrained by the Constitution, or a conservative wishing to maintain the status quo. Before this book, Lincoln biographers dragged him too far right, and Oates overcompensated, dragging him too far the other way. David Donald's LINCOLN is far superior.

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Summary: Plagarism?
Review: This work is said to be plagarism--see Scandals and Scoundrels: Seven Cases That Shook the Academy
by Ron Robin

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Summary: Well written, but...
Review: This work is very well written, but either the author is determined to present to the reader the image of Lincoln we all got in grade school or he didn't do nearly enough research into Lincoln's reign during the Civil War. For a much more accurate and documented view of what Lincoln was like during the years of the Civil War, I highly recommend the book, "When in the Course of Human Events" by Charles Adams. Adams' book will give you everything your grade school teachers didn't tell you. History is written by the victors.