Search Results for: book review

2 Comments

Book Review – Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln by Jonathan W. White

  By ,

Jonathan W. WhiteThis book is an exceptional work of scholarship. Author Jonathan W. White explores in depth an area of the Civil War largely overlooked, or worse, taken for granted – the soldier vote in 1864. Unafraid to challenge the conventional wisdom, White painstakingly digs into the records to determine exactly how the soldier vote was influenced by various factors, political and otherwise.

That conventional wisdom notes that 78% of the soldier vote went to Lincoln in the 1864 election, and from this assumes that soldiers largely had shifted to the Republican party way of thinking and accepted emancipation as a valid military goal. White shows that the reality is much more nuanced. In fact, the 78% vote is most likely due to other factors.

Those factors are discussed in its five chapters and include intimidation in the Union ranks, resignations and desertions of those who disagreed with emancipation, and disaffection with the long war itself. In short, the composition of the army changed after the Emancipation Proclamation, as Democratic supporters either left the service or found it prudent to avoid voicing their opinions, which would get them charged with disloyalty to the Union.

White’s scholarly research is indefatigable, as the extensive endnotes and lengthy bibliography of primary materials is testament. His unearthing of diaries and letters from individual soldiers, as well as his considerable use of court-martial records, is second to none. The sourcing alone is worthy of acclaim. In fact, the book was awarded the prestigious 2105 Abraham Lincoln Institute book award.

The book is highly recommended to all Lincoln and Civil War scholars.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for over thirty years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and the e-book Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

Follow me by subscribing by email on the home page.  And feel free to “Like” my Facebook author’s page and connect on LinkedIn.  Share with your friends using the buttons below.

No comments

Book Review – Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason by David Hirsch and Dan Van Haften

  By ,

Structure of ReasonThe main thesis of this book is that Abraham Lincoln’s greatness came from his mastery of the “six-books of Euclid” geometry, and the subsequent application of the six elements of Euclid into his logic, reasoning, and speeches.

Hirsch (a lawyer) and Van Haften (and engineer) demarcate many of Lincoln’s speeches, letters, and lectures into Euclid’s six elements: Enunciation, Exposition, Specification, Construction, Proof, and Conclusion. They use voluminous quotes and passages from Lincoln’s writings and employ an equally voluminous and liberal system of endnotes.

Overall, the authors have done an excellent job of documenting Lincoln’s use of logic and reasoning, as well as how the elements of Euclid can be used to parse out his speeches and letters. In my view they were somewhat less successful in teasing out whether the structure of Lincoln’s writings is the result of his active employment of Euclidean principles or that his natural inclination toward logically oriented demonstration simply backfits well into demarcation according to those principles.

While the use of long passages gives us much context into the topics being discussed by Lincoln, the authors offered little analysis other than the demarcation. This is especially true in the many appendices in which entire Lincoln speeches and letters are categorized into the six elements but no additional analysis discusses how these elements were defined by Lincoln. In fairness, some of these (e.g., the Cooper Union speech) were discussed more in depth in the book’s chapters, but the discussion throughout could have used more analytical discussion.

I also found the book to be, in essence, two books. The first is the Euclidean influence on Lincoln as I’ve focused on in this review, but a significant part of the book is about the legal profession and how Euclid’s elements may help lawyers better themselves with respect to courtroom presentation and brief writing. In these chapters, which make up much of the book, Lincoln is brought in anecdotally but isn’t the main focus. Therefore, those interested in Lincoln may drift off during the non-Lincoln legal process discussions. Each chapter ends with a section called “From Lincoln to Now” in which the authors record changes in technology and legal procedures through the present. This section may or may not be of interest to Lincoln readers.

The Euclidean influence on Lincoln is fascinating and the authors often provided useful insights for my own research on Lincoln’s interest in science and technology. The text itself can be rather dry and technical, so this book is a better fit for serious Lincoln scholars than the general public. While readers may or may not agree that the authors have met the expectations set by their preamble, I personally liked the book.

David J. Kent is a lifelong Lincolnophile and is currently working on a book about Abraham Lincoln’s interest in science and technology. He is also the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and an ebook Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

Follow me by subscribing by email on the home page.  And feel free to “Like” my Facebook author’s page and connect on LinkedIn.  Share with your friends using the buttons below.

One Comment

Book Review – Moonlight: Abraham Lincoln and the Almanac Trial by John Evangelist Walsh

  By ,

Walsh Almanac TrialMost people only think of Abraham Lincoln as our 16th President, but prior to that Lincoln had a long career as a lawyer. Much of his legal work was mundane, but he did occasionally get involved in some high profile cases that showed his logic and guile.

Author John Evangelist Walsh brings to light one such case in his book Moonlight: Abraham Lincoln and the Almanac Trial. Moonlight is about one of the few murder trials that Abraham Lincoln ever served as defense counsel. Tried in a single day in 1858, just a few months before beginning his campaign for the US Senate in Illinois, Lincoln successfully defended William “Duff” Armstrong on the charge of killing a man in a fight. A co-defendant, James Norris, had been tried separately and had been convicted; he was already serving an eight year sentence. The trial came to be known as the “Almanac” trial because of Lincoln’s adept use of an almanac to demonstrate that the moon was perhaps not so directly overhead as the key witness had suggested. The insinuation, of course, is that the witness could not have been so sure about his description of the incident as he had come across on direct testimony.

Possibly the most interesting thing about the trial was the fact that Lincoln wore a white suit, a far cry from his normal rumpled black suits of fame. There was some rumor that the almanac had somehow been tampered with, a rumor long since shown to be specious. In short, the almanac evidence actually didn’t negate the witness’s testimony, merely created some uncertainty in an otherwise certain insistence of events by the witness. And “reasonable doubt” is all that a defense attorney must elicit from the jury. Lincoln did that and Armstrong, the son of a longtime friend of Lincoln’s, went free.

The book itself is fairly short, and actually not very robust as a work of scholarship. The writing is uneven and the author doesn’t really delve too deeply into events. Overall it seems like Walsh could have put a little more effort into the volume. Still, it gives a lightweight glimpse into a famous trial…a glimpse if not satisfying in its own right, may be just enough to wet the taste for a greater exploration of Lincoln’s casework.

David J. Kent is a lifelong Lincolnophile and is currently working on a book about Abraham Lincoln’s interest in science and technology. He is also the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and an ebook Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

Follow me by subscribing by email on the home page.  And feel free to “Like” my Facebook author’s page and connect on LinkedIn.  Share with your friends using the buttons below.

No comments

Book Review – Congressman Lincoln by Chris DeRose

  By ,

Congressman Lincoln by Chris DeRoseAuthor Chris DeRose takes a more detailed look at a period in Abraham Lincoln’s life that is normally glossed over in other biographies – his single term as a U.S. Congressman. The first few chapters highlight the political status of the time, as well as the political wrangling between different factions both within and external to the Whig party. The book goes into various aspects of the key question of the day, slavery. Doing so makes it clear that the post-Civil War reinvention of history to suggest the South wasn’t fighting to maintain and expand slavery is hogwash.

Despite dismissals by others that Lincoln’s term in congress was lacking, DeRose shows that many important decisions were made and that Lincoln was much more active than most freshman congressmen. Unlike first termers in general, Lincoln was willing to stand up for what he believed, even when it wasn’t particularly popular. Several actions related to slavery that would become important later, e.g., the end of the Mexican War and how California and New Mexico were brought in to the Union, were argued and somewhat decided. Critical friendships with players that would be allies or adversaries during his own presidency are also discussed.

Overall, this is much-needed survey of Lincoln’s time in Congress.

Further note: After I had written the above review I had the pleasure of meeting Chris DeRose in September 2014. Chris presented his new book “The Presidents’ War: Six American Presidents and the Civil War That Divided Them” to the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia. He has recently become Chair of the Scholarly Advisory Group at President Lincoln’s Cottage in Washington, D.C.

David J. Kent is a lifelong Lincolnophile and is currently working on a book about Abraham Lincoln’s interest in science and technology. His most recent article, “Lincoln and the Rule of Three,” was published in the September 2014 issue of The Lincolnian. He is also the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and an ebook Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

No comments

Book Review – Angels and Ages: A Short Book about Darwin, Lincoln, and Modern Life by Adam Gopnik

  By ,

Gopnik Angels and AgesThe title comes from the controversy (assuming you knew there was a controversy) over whether Edwin Stanton, upon Lincoln taking his last breath, said “Now he belongs to the ages” or “Now he belongs to the angels.” With this contrivance as a starting point Gopnik presents what amounts to six essays.

Gopnik does look at Lincoln and Darwin and their contributions, habits, beliefs, and psyches in ways different than do other writers. Whereas James Landers’ Lincoln and Darwin: Shared Visions of Race, Science and Religion (reviewed recently by me here) gets way into the weeds of comparison, Gopnik takes a more philosophical and less comparable approach. In doing so he reveals some interesting insights into how the two men thought, as well as their use of language (Lincoln the language of the law, Darwin of natural observation).

And yet, the language of the essays themselves tend toward the overtly literary. Often it seems the author is trying to impress the reader with his soliloquy rather than present an impression of the men he is profiling. The first and last chapters in particular seem more about Gopnik than Lincoln and Darwin. That said, the intervening four chapters, hopping between the two men, are worth wading through for the gems that may or may not be obvious to most readers.

I do recommend those interested in Lincoln and Darwin read the book, but for the bigger picture insights into their habits rather than the details that support them. For more comprehensive books comparing these two men born on the same day, check out the James Landers book mentioned above and a book by David R. Contosta called Rebel Giants: The Revolutionary Lives of Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin.

David J. Kent is a lifelong Lincolnophile and is currently working on a book about Abraham Lincoln’s interest in science and technology. He is also the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and an ebook Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

No comments

Book Review – Lethal Code by Thomas Waite

  By

Lethal Code by Thomas WaiteThomas Waite is an author of thriller novels. I reviewed his first book, Terminal Value, last summer. His newest book, Lethal Code, is even better. Here’s my review as posted on Goodreads.

This was a fun book to read, and a very hard one to put down. It’s a non-stop action thriller dealing with efforts to counteract a massive cyberattack that shuts down the US. Opening with a loss of electrical and communications power, the book doesn’t lack for energy itself. Waite’s writing keeps the magnificent story moving at a frantic pace and takes us to places we may not have expected. It also gives us insights into our own human nature and what we might want to think about before the very plausible scenario of cyberwarfare.

After reading both of Thomas Waite’s books (the other is Terminal Value), I’ve already started anticipating his next one.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies at Barnes and Noble bookstores, as well as online at B&N.com and Amazon.com.

Follow me by subscribing by email on the home page.  And feel free to “Like” my Facebook author’s page and connect on LinkedIn.  Share with your friends using the buttons below.

One Comment

Book Review – Lincoln & Darwin: Shared Visions of Race, Science, and Religion by James Lander

  By ,

Lincoln and DarwinAbraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were born on the same day, February 12, 1809. Both became icons of change and are will be remembered throughout history for their contributions. The book is subtitled: Shared Visions of Race, Science and Religion. While their views were not so much shared as contrasted, author James Lander deftly flips back and forth between Darwin’s and Lincoln’s lives as they experience their separate travels, coming of age, development of ideas, and eventual breakthroughs into the public eye as they dramatically change history.

While the same age, the two men have very different lives. Lincoln is born poor in the frontier with few resources and little formal education, then takes charge just as the country is rendering itself apart. His travel is entirely domestic, flatboating down the Mississippi River as a young man, traveling the circuit in Illinois as a lawyer, and the northern part of the United States as a legislator and political speaker. Darwin was born into a wealthy family, married into an even wealthier family, received the highest educational opportunities, and after spending five years traveling the world on his famous studies, became sickly and largely reclusive the rest of his life.

Still, Landers points out that while Lincoln is remembered for his fight against slavery, he also had a significant interest in science. Likewise, while Darwin is known for his Origin of Species and contributions to science, he also was an adamant abolitionist and carried on fervid correspondence with American botanist Asa Gray, in which he debated the slavery issue in depth. In fact, Landers brings us into how the academic debate raging over the singularity of man’s creation (vs multiple creation of man) influenced the ongoing discussion of equality of white and black men. “Scientific racism” becomes a common theme as it was espoused both by Lincoln’s main foil, Stephen A. Douglas, and Darwin’s scientific nemesis, Louis Agassiz.

The 26 chapters unevenly look at Lincoln and Darwin as these three main issues – race, science, and religion – pervade each of their lives. Landers does a good job of balancing the discussions of these two men for each of the issues, comparing and contrasting where applicable. Overall, this scholarly work published by the Southern Illinois University Press is well done and deserves more attention than it seems to have received.

David J. Kent is a lifelong Lincolnophile and is currently working on a book about Abraham Lincoln’s interest in science and technology. He is also the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and a soon-to-be-released ebook on Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

Other Abraham Lincoln book reviews:

Lincoln’s Boys by Joshua Zeitz

Lincoln Unbound by Rich Lowry

Lincoln in New Orleans by Richard Campanella

Lincoln’s Other White House by Elizabeth Smith Brownstein

No comments

Book Review – Lincoln’s Boys by Joshua Zeitz

  By ,

Lincoln's Boys by Joshua ZeitzEveryone knows Abraham Lincoln, in part because of the diligent work done by his two secretaries – John G. Nicolay and John Hay. But little has been done to illuminate the two men themselves. Zeitz has done us all a favor by accomplishing just that.

Subtitled “John Hay, John Nicolay, and the War for Lincoln’s Image,” Lincoln’s Boys is a history of Lincoln, a history of the times, and a history of Lincoln’s two private secretaries. One quickly comes to realize that “secretary” is a misnomer, as Nicolay and Hay’s responsibilities not only included managing and responding to correspondence, but also trusted diplomats who went on sensitive missions to confer with key generals and politicians across the country. They also controlled access to the President, such as a chief of staff would do today.

The first of five sections looks at Nicolay and Hay’s separate upbringings and how they came to become part of Lincoln’s inner circle after his election in 1860. We get a sense of their differing demeanors as well as Lincoln’s own attitudes toward life and the major issues of the day – slavery and the secession of southern states. Part II largely takes place during the White House years. In Part III we follow the two young men following Lincoln’s assassination as they embark on diplomatic lives in Europe and back home, start families, and come into their own.

In Part IV, Zeitz brings us into the long process of writing the 10-volume history of Lincoln that largely defines these two men. It also defines Lincoln. This is perhaps the most critical part of the book as the author explains how the early biographies of the stricken President either were self-aggrandizing fanciful reinterpretations by those seeking to enhance their own place in history, or were creative reinvention by the South to makes slavery disappear as the cause of war. The long gap between the end of Lincoln’s life and when Nicolay and Hay (and also Herndon) finally produced their biographies left a vacuum that was filled with erroneous “history.” The two secretaries, with Robert Lincoln supporting them, sought to write the definitive history that corrects the record and firmly established the idea of “Our Ideal Hero.” They were uniquely positioned to do that.

While Nicolay largely devoted his later life to Lincoln’s memory, Hay went on to an active political career capped by over seven years as Secretary of State to two presidents (one of whom, William McKinley, was also struck down by an assassin’s bullet). In a superbly written and easily readable book, Zeitz has brought these two under-appreciated men into view and shined the light on them. Lincoln would be happy for them.

I highly recommend this book.

David J. Kent is a lifelong Lincolnophile and is currently working on a book about Abraham Lincoln’s interest in science and technology. He is also the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and a soon-to-be-released ebook on Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

Other Abraham Lincoln book reviews:

Lincoln Unbound by Rich Lowry

Lincoln in New Orleans by Richard Campanella

Lincoln’s Other White House by Elizabeth Smith Brownstein

No comments

Book Review – Lincoln Unbound by Rich Lowry

  By ,

Lincoln UnboundTwo books in one. The first works; the second doesn’t.

Rich Lowry is a conservative pundit and editor, and this is reflected in the last of the six chapters that comprise the book. If you are interested in Abraham Lincoln, read the first five chapters and don’t waste your time on the final chapter. If you are looking for far right wing talking points, go straight to the final chapter, which presents current day “conservative” principles vaguely wrapped in the authors’ view of Lincoln’s beliefs.

The odd thing is that the first book, i.e., chapters one through five, provides some valuable insight and interpretation of Lincoln’s upbringing, values, and views on the grand questions of the day. Lowry correctly identifies Lincoln’s remarkable ambition and desire to rise from meager beginnings and make something of himself in the world. Lowry discusses Lincoln’s belief in government-sponsored “improvements” in infrastructure, modernization, and industrialization. He also delves into Lincoln’s own inventiveness and appreciation of emerging technologies – railroads, canals, weapons during the Civil War, just to name a few.

The writing often rambles, but its unevenness shouldn’t significantly lessen the reader’s ability to garner the historical significance of Lincoln’s belief that hard work was a path toward advancement, both of individuals and the country. Lowry’s discussion of Lincoln’s views with respect to racism and slavery, as well as his debates with Stephen A. Douglas, are sometimes out of sync with more established historians, but are nevertheless important interpretations to consider, even if after doing so you don’t agree with him. Overall, Lowry has offered valuable insights not seen in more academic and scholarly biographies of our sixteenth president.

Which makes the final chapter so bizarre. Lowry makes valid points when he sticks to reporting Lincoln’s views from the perspective of Lincoln’s time period. But when he tries to force fit Lincoln into somehow approving of far right wing screed and surreality the author reveals his own biases. Here he often suggests Lincoln would disdain today’s government (as Lowry clearly does) but then provides information that would lead many to conclude the opposite. The creation of false premises to support a pre-defined conclusion is a common problem with pundits flying on the extreme wings of either party, and Lowry puts these on vivid display in this final chapter. While likely this was the main purpose of producing the book in the first place, the author would have been better to leave out this particular chapter. It cheapens an otherwise informative book.

So I highly recommend you read the first five chapters. Think about Abraham Lincoln and his times. Then learn your own lessons from Lincoln and ignore the disjointed, unsupported, polemic at the end.

Additional Note: I read the book and wrote this review in September 2013. I subsequently met Rich Lowry when he was the guest speaker at the March 2014 Lincoln Group of DC meeting. I had the privilege of joining his table for dinner prior to his presentation. My impression was that he was genuinely nice. As we discussed his book and other Lincoln topics it became apparent his actual views were not as extreme as the views he appears to espouse in his sixth chapter. That said, based on that discussion and his presentation, he is unquestionably a strongly conservative and Republican partisan, which is certainly expected from the editor of the National Review. However, as my book review above notes, in my opinion the final chapter doesn’t reflect Lincoln and his times as much as it reflects Lowry’s current political leanings. Despite that negative, the first five chapters of the book are very much worth reading.

More Abraham Lincoln book reviews can be read here (scroll down for more).

David J. Kent is an avid Lincolnophile and is writing a book on Abraham Lincoln’s interests in technology. He is also the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity, and a signed copy can be ordered directly from me. The second printing will be available in Barnes and Noble bookstores soon, or you can download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com.

Feel free to “Like” my Facebook author’s page and connect on LinkedIn.  Share with your friends using the buttons below.

No comments

Book Review – Lincoln in New Orleans by Richard Campanella

  By ,

Lincoln in New OrleansAn exceptionally well researched book recreating Abraham Lincoln’s flatboat trips to New Orleans. Campanella is an expert on New Orleans, and has expanded his expertise upstream to develop a detailed account of Lincoln’s two trips down the Mississippi River. No small feat given that the sum total of all the first person reminiscences of the trips by Lincoln and participants wouldn’t fill a page of text. Campanella’s recreation, like many efforts based on such scant direct information, is not however contrived in the least. On the contrary, the effort he has put into collecting and analyzing fragmented – and often contradictory or dubious – accounts is exemplary.

I would suggest the book is for the serious reader rather those with a casual interest in Lincoln, New Orleans, or the Mississippi River. It is extremely fact-dense, and the writing style is scholarly, yet accessible for thoughtful enthusiasts. Those expecting an exhilarating story of adventure won’t find it, though an adventure it does describe. To me that not only doesn’t take away from the book, it helps define it as scholarship to be taken seriously.

After a short introduction there are only five long chapters. The first explores Lincoln’s father Thomas’ own flatboat trip as a youth, along with setting the stage for Lincoln’s  desire to hit the muddy waters himself. “The 1828 Experience” is a massive undertaking; more than 100 pages of detailed research into the timing of his first flatboat trip while still living in Indiana, the building of the boat, the obstacles in the rivers and elsewhere, the arrival and lingering in New Orleans at the end, and the trip back home. Campanella teases apart the disparate accounts, provides a detailed analysis of the attack by slaves, and places Lincoln in the context of the technologically changing times.

Another chapter examines Lincoln’s second flatboat experience in 1831, including analysis of the mill dam story, the crew and timing of departures, and much more. While truncated so as not to repeat the riverine details well covered in the previous chapter, it still tallies about 40 pages. This is followed by a chapter speculating about what Lincoln may have seen and done in New Orleans, framed by extensive actual facts about what was going on there at that time. In his Conclusions chapter Campanella assesses what influences these flatboat voyages may have had on Lincoln’s views of slavery, internal improvements, and political philosophy. On top of all of this Campanella adds two appendices providing wonderful background material on commerce on western rivers and on New Orleans itself during the time period in which Lincoln was developing into the President he would become.

This is an extraordinary book of scholarship that deserves more attention that it has apparently received. It’s not for the casual reader, but it should be for everyone seriously interested in this critical period of Abraham Lincoln’s life.

More Abraham Lincoln book reviews can be read here (scroll down for more).

David J. Kent is an avid Lincolnophile and is writing a book on Abraham Lincoln’s interests in technology. He is also the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity, and a signed copy can be ordered directly from me. The second printing will be available in Barnes and Noble bookstores soon, or you can download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com.

Feel free to “Like” my Facebook author’s page and connect on LinkedIn.  Share with your friends using the buttons below.