Abraham Lincoln (Encyclopedia of Presidents)

Rating:
Summary: The most informative juvenile biography of Abraham Lincoln
Review: Even though it was published in 1988, the Abraham Lincoln volume, like all of those in the Encyclopedia of Presidents, looks like something that came out in the Fifties. The book is filled with historic photographs, engravings, posters, paintings and cartoons, but they are all printed in black & white. The cover has a painting of Lincoln and a strip of images from his life. In the world of the internet, CD-Roms, and cutting-edge graphic design, this book looks very boring; but it is also as informative of a juvenile biography of Abraham Lincoln as you are going to find without going up to the next young adult level.

As is the norm with the volumes in this series, Jim Hargrove begins in media res with the first chapter devoted to Lincoln's issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation (the complete text of which is provided in a historical broadside) as Freedom's Hour. The other chapters look at Young Abraham, covering his early life in Kentucky and Indiana; The Representative from New Salem is about Lincoln's time in New Salem; Springfield focuses on a pivotal period in Lincoln's life as a lawyer, congressman, and the Senate race with Stephen A. Douglas; The Sixteenth President is basically about the entire Civil War, covered in a single chapter; finally, Good Friday deals with the assassination, ending with the final haunted photograph taken of Lincoln earlier that week.

The strength of this book is the information it provides young readers about Lincoln's life and political career. Hargrove deals with Lincoln's suspension of habeus corpus during the early days of the war and the controversy that dogged his years in the White House. The point, of course, is that Lincoln was not an American saint until after he was assassinated, and that during his Presidency it can be argued that he was vilified more than any other person to hold the office. This is not the first book that a young student would turn to in order to learn about Lincoln's life and times, but it certainly provides more biographical and historical details than any other comparable volume.

Rating:
Summary: The most informative juvenile biography of Abraham Lincoln
Review: Even though it was published in 1988, the Abraham Lincoln volume, like all of those in the Encyclopedia of Presidents, looks like something that came out in the Fifties. The book is filled with historic photographs, engravings, posters, paintings and cartoons, but they are all printed in black & white. The cover has a painting of Lincoln and a strip of images from his life. In the world of the internet, CD-Roms, and cutting-edge graphic design, this book looks very boring; but it is also as informative of a juvenile biography of Abraham Lincoln as you are going to find without going up to the next young adult level.

As is the norm with the volumes in this series, Jim Hargrove begins in media res with the first chapter devoted to Lincoln's issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation (the complete text of which is provided in a historical broadside) as Freedom's Hour. The other chapters look at Young Abraham, covering his early life in Kentucky and Indiana; The Representative from New Salem is about Lincoln's time in New Salem; Springfield focuses on a pivotal period in Lincoln's life as a lawyer, congressman, and the Senate race with Stephen A. Douglas; The Sixteenth President is basically about the entire Civil War, covered in a single chapter; finally, Good Friday deals with the assassination, ending with the final haunted photograph taken of Lincoln earlier that week.

The strength of this book is the information it provides young readers about Lincoln's life and political career. Hargrove deals with Lincoln's suspension of habeus corpus during the early days of the war and the controversy that dogged his years in the White House. The point, of course, is that Lincoln was not an American saint until after he was assassinated, and that during his Presidency it can be argued that he was vilified more than any other person to hold the office. This is not the first book that a young student would turn to in order to learn about Lincoln's life and times, but it certainly provides more biographical and historical details than any other comparable volume.

Rating:
Summary: Rather good info
Review: When my younger brother first saw this book, he was full of enthusiasm, reading it page by page. But slowly, he grew bored with it and just put it aside. It was very informative about American presidents but not engaging enough for him. On the other hand, the price is rather expensive. Those aside, I think this book is a great read (if your interested that is).