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The Year in a Writer’s Life – 2019

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David with Hemingway in CubaWhat a year in a writer’s life. I was incredibly busy this year even though I finished no new books. As I look back on what I wrote for 2018, I realize that 2019 was also transitional. Whether that can be considered good or not is debatable.

This was the second year in a row with nothing new in the bookstores. I’ve been writing, and writing a lot, but too often spread out on several new ideas along with the current work(s) in progress. That’s great for creativity, not so great for finishing any individual project. More on that shortly.

My three previously published books (not counting the two e-books) hit a wall in 2019, in part due to a private equity firm buying out Barnes and Noble stores and taking them private. Like many brick-and-mortar stores, B&N has been struggling to compete against online booksellers and secondary sellers via the likes of Amazon and eBay. No longer publicly traded, the new CEO of B&N is rethinking how their stores work. They probably will close some locations and retool others, much like the new CEO did when he took over the British bookseller Waterstones. So why does this affect me? Mainly because my publisher is affiliated with B&N and has effectively been put on hold while B&N figures out its future. The stock of my books is essentially frozen: no new printings, limited numbers of books in stores and in the warehouse, and stiff competition from those secondary sellers (for which I receive zero benefit). I did sell some additional foreign rights, but at this point I need new books on the market to maintain even a semblance of royalties.

My writing life was busy in other respects. I was the keynote speaker at the annual Lincoln-Thomas Day commemoration at Fort Stevens in Washington, D.C. in September. I co-instructed a “Lincoln’s Campaign for the Nomination, 1859-60” at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. And I attended the LEAD: Spirit of Lincoln Youth Academy in Illinois. The LEAD group has given all of the students in the program a copy of my book for the last two years; this year they asked me to come out and speak to them directly.

I also was interviewed and/or mentioned in a variety of outlets in 2019. One 8th grader interviewed me on Lincoln and Emancipation (this was my fourth such interview by students, the first three about Tesla). I was also interviewed on Facebook Live by filmmaker Annabel Park, mentioned in online and print articles, and even made the acknowledgements of a prominent scientist’s book.

While no books made it out the door, my writing appeared in print. Two book reviews were published in Civil War Times magazine. Eight book reviews were published in The Lincolnian. I also entered three writing contests (two didn’t win and one is still in review).

So what is the plan for 2020?

Over the last few months I’ve refocused my writing with the goal of finishing my long-researched new Lincoln book. That is my main objective in 2020, but it isn’t my only one. I’m also now in the initial planning stages of a collaborative travel perspective book that should be fleshed out in the coming month. I have several other books I had been working on piecemeal; the goal is to keep one of them moving while likely punting on the others until 2021.

In addition I will be putting more emphasis on magazine publishing in 2020. I plan to do more book reviews for Civil War Times, the Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, and the Lincoln Herald. I’ll also be pitching longer format articles for these journals and, for other magazines, non-Lincoln topics. The goal is to pitch two ideas a month while also entering one writing contest per month.

My speaking schedule increased in 2019 and will increase more in 2020 (and even more in 2021 when I expect to be doing a book tour). When I’m not writing or preparing talks I’ll continue with my 75 books per year reading schedule. If I can squeeze it in, I’ll also get back to developing my photography skills.

All this means is 1) 2020 will be a busy year, and 2) I’ll have to be more efficient than I was in 2019. One thing is certain: I love this writing life.

Happy New Year to all!

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Abraham Lincoln Book Acquisitions for 2019

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Books 2019This was a big year in Abraham Lincoln book acquisitions. My average number of new books acquired has been a fairly consistent 58 books over each of the last five years. This year was 82. While that’s a big jump from my average, it still falls short of the 98 I acquired back in 2013.

Part of the reason was that I started receiving books from publishers because of my book reviews. I write two book reviews per quarter (eight per year) for The Lincolnian, the Lincoln Group of DC‘s newsletter. I’ve also had two reviews published in Civil War Times this past year and expect to have more next year. The magazines, journals, and newspapers in which I publish reviews should expand in 2020. I also received books as part of my responsibilities for the Abraham Lincoln Institute book award evaluation committee. Still, most of the books I purchase through various bookselling outlets, including the onsite bookstore at the annual Lincoln Forum.

Of the total acquired in 2019, 18 are new books published this year. Ten books on the list are signed, most directly to me by the author (e.g., during this year’s Lincoln Forum or when they are guest speakers for the Lincoln Group of DC’s monthly dinners). While many of the books are new, most go back in time. The oldest acquired this year is a 1944 pamphlet style book by Isaac Frost comparing Oliver Cromwell and Abraham Lincoln. The next oldest is a classic book by Lincoln scholar J.G. Randall called Lincoln: The Liberal Statesman, published in 1947. There are also important reference works like Fehrenbacher’s Recollected Words of Abraham Lincoln and Boritt’s book of Lincoln quotations.

With over 15,000 books on Lincoln extant, this seemed to be the year for books on peripheral figures close to Lincoln. Newspapermen were well covered, including books on Horace Greeley, Charles A. Dana, Noah Brooks, and Lincoln’s private secretary, John G. Nicolay. Books ranged from blockbuster’s like Sidney Blumenthal’s All The Powers of Earth to the lesser known but important Timothy Good’s We Saw Lincoln Shot. Books also covered Abe’s Youth in Indiana and Lincoln and the Blackhawk War in Illinois. On the more technical side was the most recent assessment of Lincoln’s use of Euclid in his speeches by David Hirsch and Dan Van Haften called The Tyranny of Public Discourse.

Since I’m a big fan of both, one of my favorite books acquired this year is Abraham Lincoln Crossword Puzzles, although I have as yet not figured out how to do the puzzles but leave the book unblemished.

Collecting all these books means I do a lot of reading. While I can’t claim to have read all of them, I have read many of them and plan to read the rest over time. And, of course, acquire even more. Note to publishers: I’m always open to receiving books in return for an honest review via my various venues, including Goodreads and Amazon.

See the 2019 list showing author/title/publication date below my signature blurb below.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

Here is the 2019 list! [Author, Title, Date of Publication]

The Lincoln Country: From These Humble Beginnings…to Immortality
Abraham Lincoln Crossword Puzzles 2014
Bartelt, William E. and Claybourn, Joshua A. (Eds) Abe’s Youth: Shaping the Future President 2019
Bartelt, William E. and Claybourn, Joshua A. (Eds) Abe’s Youth: Shaping the Future President 2019
Bayard, Louis Courting Mr. Lincoln (A Novel) 2019
Bayne, Julia Taft Tad Lincoln’s Father 2001
Bennett, Jr., Lerone Forced Into Glory: Abraham Lincoln’s White Dream 1999
Blumenthal, Sidney All the Powers of Earth 1856-1860: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln, Vol. 3 2019
Blumenthal, Sidney All the Powers of Earth 1856-1860: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln, Vol. 3 2019
Blumenthal, Sidney All the Powers of Earth 1856-1860: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln, Vol. 3 2019
Bordewich, Fergus M. America’s Great Debate: Henry Clay, Stephen A. Douglas, and the Compromise that Preserved the Union 2012
Boritt, Gabor S. (ed) Of the People, By the People, For the People and other Quotations 1996
Brands, H.W. Heirs of The Founders: The Epic Rivalry of Henry Clay, John Calhoun, and Daniel Webster, The Second Generation of American Giants 2018
Brown, Thomas J. The Public Art of Civil War Commemoration: A Brief History with Documents 2004
Carden, Allen and Ebert, Thomas J. John George Nicolay: The Man in Lincoln’s Shadow 2019
Cartmell, Donald The Civil War Up Close 2005
Casson, Herbert N. Cyrus Hall McCormick: His Life and Work 1971
Chadwick, Bruce Lincoln For President: An Unlikely Candidate, An Audacious Strategy, and the Victory No One Saw Coming 2009
Conwell, Russell H. Why Lincoln Laughed 1922
Coulson, Thomas Joseph Henry: His Life & Work 1950
Delbanco, Andrew The War Before the War: Fugitive Slaves and the Struggle for America’s Soul from the Revolution to the Civil War 2018
Donald, David Herbert and Hozler, Harold (Eds) Lincoln in the Times: The Life of Abraham Lincoln as Originally Reported in the New York Times 2005
Efflandt, Lloyd H. Lincoln and the Black Hawk War 1991
Eifert, Virginia S. The Buffalo Trace 1957
Fehrenbacher, Don E. Lincoln in Text and Context: Collected Essays 1987
Fehrenbacher, Don E. and Fehrenbacher, Virginia (Compiled and Edited by) Recollected Words of Abraham Lincoln 1996
Fleischner, Jennifer Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Keckley: The Remarkable Story of the Friendship Between a First Lady and a Former Slave 2003
Foot, Isaac Oliver Cromwell and Abraham Lincoln: A Comparison 1944
Freehling, William W. The South vs The South: How Anti-Confederate Southerners Shaped the course of the Civil War 2001
Gates, Henry Louis Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow 2019
Good, Timothy S. We Saw Lincoln Shot: One Hundred Eyewitness Accounts 1995
Grafton, John (Compiler and Historical Notes) Abraham Lincoln Great Speeches 1991
Guarneri, Carl J. Lincoln’s Informer: Charles A. Dana and the Inside Story of the Union War 2019
Guelzo, Allen C. Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President 1999
Handlin, Oscar and Lilian Abraham Lincoln and the Union 1980
Harris, Laurie Lanzen How to Analyze the Works of Abraham Lincoln 2013
Hirsch, David and Van Haften, Dan The Tyranny of Public Discourse: Abraham Lincoln’s Six-Element Antidote for Meaningful and Persuasive Writing 2019
Hirsch, David and Van Haften, Dan The Tyranny of Public Discourse: Abraham Lincoln’s Six-Element Antidote for Meaningful and Persuasive Writing 2019
Horner, Harlan Hoyt Lincoln and Greeley 1953
Jefferson, Thomas (edited and notes by David Waldstreicher) Notes on the State of Virginia 2002
Johannsen, Robert W. (Ed.) The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 1965
Kalten, D.M. The Duel: Abraham Lincoln and Rebecca 2016
Kantor, MacKinlay Andersonville 1955
Kimmel, Stanley Mr. Lincoln’s Washington: A Panorama of Events in Washington from 1861 to 1865 Taken From Local Newspapers and with over 250 Illustrations 1957
Klingaman, William K. and Klingaman, Nicholas P The Year Without Summer: 1816 and the Volcano That Darkened the World and Changed History 2013
Knoles, George Harmon (Ed) The Crisis of the Union 1965
Larson, John Lauritz Internal Improvement: National Public Works and the Promise of Popular Government in the Early United States 2001
Lonn, Ella Salt as a Factor in the Confederacy 1965
Lorant, Stefan Lincoln: A Picture Story of His Life 1979
Lowry, Thomas P. Don’t Shoot That Boy!: Abraham Lincoln and Military Justice 1999
Lundberg, James M. Horace Greeley: Print, Politics, and the Failure of American Nationhood 2019
McCormick, Cyrus The Century of the Reaper 1931
Meltzer, Milton (ed) and Alcorn, Stephen (illustrator) Lincoln in His Own Words 1993
Myers, James E. The Astonishing Saber Duel of Abraham Lincoln 1969
Nevins, Allan and Irving Stone (Eds) Lincoln: A Contemporary Portrait 1962
Olmstead, Frederick Law (with Arthur Schlesinger, Editor) The Cotton Kingdom: The Classic First-Hand Account of the Slave System in the Years Preceding the Civil War 1969
Patterson, Matt Union of Hearts: The Abraham Lincoln & Ann Rutledge Story 2000
Paull, Bonnie E. and Hart, Richard E. Lincoln’s Springfield Neighborhood 2015
Phillips, Ulrich B. Life & Labor in the Old South 1963
Puleo, Stephen American Treasures: The Secret Efforts to Save the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Gettysburg Address 2016
Randall, J.G. Lincoln: The Liberal Statesman 1947
Randall, J.G. Constitutional Problems Under Lincoln 1964
Reninger, Marion Wallace My Lincoln Letter 1953
Rhoads, Mark Q. Land of Lincoln: Thy Wondrous Story: Through the Eyes of the Illinois State Society 2013
Roske, Ralph J. and Van Doren, Charles Lincoln’s Commando: The Biography of Commander W.B. Cushing, U.S.N. 1957
Shaw, Robert (photographer) and Burlingame, Michael (text) Abraham Lincoln Traveled This Way: The America Lincoln Knew 2012
Sideman, Belle Becker and Friedman, Lillian (Eds) Europe Looks at the Civil War 1960
Soodhalter, Ron Hanging Captain Gordon: The Life and Trial of an American Slave Trader 2006
Spielvogel, J. Christian Interpreting Sacred Ground: The Rhetoric of National Civil War Parks and Battlefields 2013
Splaine, John A Companion to the Lincoln Douglas Debates 1994
Stephenson, Nathaniel Wright Abraham Lincoln and the Union, A Chronicle of the Embattled North 1918
Tagg, Larry The Battles that Made Abraham Lincoln: How Lincoln Mastered His Enemies to Win the Civil War, Free the Slaves, and Preserve the Union 2012
Taylor, John M. While Cannons Roared: The Civil War Behind the Lines 1997
Temple, Wayne C. “The Taste Is In My Mouth A Little…”: Lincoln’s Victuals and Potables 2004
Temple, Wayne C.; Edited by Douglas L. Wilson and Rodney O. Davis Lincoln’s Confidant: The Life of Noah Brooks 2019
Varon, Elizabeth R. Armies of Deliverance: A New History of the Civil War 2019
Weber, Karl (Ed.) Lincoln: A President for the Ages (Companion Essays to the Movie) 2012
Weiner, Greg Old Whigs: Burke, Lincoln, and the Politics of Prudence 2019
Wert, Jeffry D. Civil War Barons: The Tycoons, Entrepreneurs, Inventors, and Visionaries Who Forged Victory and Shaped a Nation 2018
Wilson, Steven President Lincoln’s Spy 2008
Winkle, Kenneth J. The Young Eagle: The Rise of Abraham Lincoln 2001
Zimmerman, Dwight Jon; Illustrated by Wayne Vansant The Hammer and the Anvil: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the End of Slavery in America 2012
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Happy Birthday, Mary Todd Lincoln

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Mary LincolnMary Todd, the future Mary Lincoln, was born on December 13, 1818 in Lexington, Kentucky. She would go on to become one of the most broken-hearted, and often reviled, women in history.

The fourth of seven children, Mary Todd was born into a wealthy slave-holding family. Her mother died when she was only 6 years old. Within two years her father, Robert Smith Todd, remarried and had another nine children with his new wife. Mary Todd and her siblings all had difficult relationships with their stepmother, who essentially ignored them while favoring her own growing brood. Despite these difficulties, Mary grew up in comfort and privilege. The celebrated statesman Henry Clay owned a plantation called Ashland down the road from the Todd household. When she was 13, Mary rode her new pony to Ashland, and Clay, the perennial presidential candidate, noted to his guests, “If I am ever President I shall expect Mary Todd to be one of my first guests.” The precocious Mary said she would enjoy living in the White House.

Robert Todd was rather progressive for a nineteenth-century southern slave owner, and he encouraged his daughters as well as sons to get an education. In part because her stepmother wanted her out of the way, 14-year-old Mary was sent to live at Madame Mantelle’s finishing school for young ladies. There she received a classical education that concentrated on French and literature. She became fluent in French and also studied dance, drama, music, and, of course, the social graces needed to attract a suitable husband. Unlike most women of the time, she also took a keen interest in politics, becoming both knowledgeable and ambitious—and Whiggish. But like all women, politically she had to live vicariously through her husband.

In the fall of 1839 Mary moved from Kentucky to Springfield to live with her older sister Elizabeth, who had married Ninian W. Edwards, son of the former Governor of Illinois. The Edwards home was the center of Springfield’s social scene, and given that the city had far more single men than eligible women, their home was the place to shop for a well-heeled husband. Mary was in her element. Her advanced education gave her the advantage of choosing which of her many suitors she might spend time with, among them Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln.

Although Lincoln’s six-foot-four-inch lankiness towered over Mary’s five-foot-two-inch roundness, the two began courting over the winter of 1839–40. The courtship was somewhat one-sided. Lincoln remained a rough, uncouth, awkward man who alternated between sitting quietly and blurting out inappropriate faux pas. He was charmed by Mary’s knowledge and wit, often staring at her in apparent awe as she led the conversation. Still, she saw something in him and their unlikely courtship blossomed…and eventually became engaged.

A Hiatus

And then they stopped. Somewhere between late 1840 and early 1841 they abruptly, although mutually, called off the engagement. Many agreed that Lincoln backed out, fearing he could not suitably meet any wife’s needs as a husband because of his distracted nature. Whatever the reason, they were no longer courting throughout 1841 and into 1842.

Marriage and Family

Sometime in 1842 Mary and Lincoln began secretly courting again. To the astonishment of the Springfield social set, Lincoln and Mary suddenly decided they would get married—that night. Elizabeth Edwards claimed the wedding occurred with only two hours’ notice, and indeed the marriage license was issued that very day. Lincoln had a “deer in the highlights” look as he approached the hurried ceremony in the Edwards parlor. According to friends, when Lincoln was dressing for ceremony he was asked where he was going, to which he replied, “I guess I’m going to hell.” At least one Lincoln scholar believes Mary may have seduced Lincoln the night before into doing something that obligated him to marriage. Whatever the reason, they were married on November 4, 1842. A week later he seemed resigned to the fact, closing a business letter with, “Nothing new here except my marrying, which to me, is matter of profound wonder.”

A Sad Life

Mary lived a life of recurring sadness. Her husband spent six months out of every year on the circuit, traveling from town to town as a lawyer…that is, when he wasn’t away as  a state legislator, then U.S. Representative, or stumping for other candidates. Their son Eddy died as a toddler. Willie would die in the White House. And then the tragedy of having her husband assassinated next to her as they watched Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre. [Tragedy would extend to their companions that night: Major Henry Rathbone would later kill his then-fiancée, Clara Harris and spend the rest of his days in an insane asylum.] Mary would find herself in an asylum as well, put there by her only remaining son, Robert, as her life spiraled out of control. Eventually she would settle with her sister in Springfield, where she would die of a stroke on July 16, 1882, passing away in the very same house where she and Abraham Lincoln had been married so many years ago.

By the way, Mary never went by Mary Todd Lincoln. She was Mary Lincoln or Mrs. Lincoln. Only after her death did her family, the still influential Todds of Kentucky, start referring to her at Mary Todd Lincoln in an effort to firmly connect the wealthy family to the Lincoln name.

[Adapted from Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America]

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Abraham Lincoln and the Supreme Court

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Abraham Lincoln may have been a “merely country lawyer,” as some of his critics avowed, but he had many far-reaching interactions with the  U.S. Supreme Court that changed the face of jurisprudence. I’m reminded of this today because on December 6, 1864, Lincoln nominated former Treasury Secretary, and constant foil, Salmon P. Chase to be the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Chase was unanimously confirmed by the Senate, and thus ended the nearly 30 year reign of the recently deceased Roger B. Taney.

As much as Chase had been an irritant while sitting in Lincoln’s “team of rivals” cabinet, Taney had been a major thorn, twisting the wounds as much as he could possibly do. As Commander-in-Chief during a time of insurrection, Lincoln felt he could take drastic steps to save the Union, including the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus when necessary. Taney disagreed, and in his duel role as circuit court judge ruled against Lincoln. Lincoln ignored Taney but did get Congress to pass the Habeas Corpus Suspension Act to officially legalize his actions.

Taney’s earlier Dred Scott Decision in 1857 had an even greater impact on Abraham Lincoln’s career. This widely despised decision played center stage in the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858, and while Lincoln lost that Senate race on the vagaries of state-legislature-picked Senators, it set him up as the Republican party’s leader on the slavery question. In a sense, it helped make him President.

Even earlier, Lincoln had tried two cases in the U.S. Supreme Court to go along with his 175 cases pled at the Illinois State Supreme Court.

But Lincoln also had another major influence on the U.S. Supreme Court while President. The two dissenting judges on the Dred Scott case needed to be replaced (one died within weeks of Lincoln’s inauguration while the other had quit the court in disgust after the Dred Scott decision). One of the majority judges in the Dred Scott case also needed replacement; he quit the court after Lincoln’s inauguration and became the Confederate Assistant Secretary of War. So Lincoln filled three Supreme Court judgeships with Noah Haynes Swayne, Samuel Freeman Miller, and David Davis.

Ah, but this is where it gets interesting. The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power to determine how many Supreme Court justices will sit. That number had ranged from five to nine during our history, but Congress decided to deal with the many leftovers from the Dred Scott case by adding a tenth justice. Lincoln thus was able to appoint an extra new justice to the court, which he did in 1863 with Steven Johnson Field. It should be noted that Congress, in order to keep Lincoln’s successor, Andrew Johnson, from appointing pro-slavery justices to the court, reduced the number of justices down to seven. Immediately after Johnson was out of office, Congress reset the number once again to nine, so since 1869 that number has been the standard up to today.

With Salmon P. Chase’s appointment as Chief Justice, Lincoln put a total of five judges on the Supreme Court, one of the most prolific appointer-in-chief in our history.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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GivingTuesday Fundraiser for the Lincoln Group of DC

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The Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia is an incredibly active group supporting the study and dissemination of information on the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Regularly chosen as the most admired and best President in national polls, with both current major political parties claiming the mantle of Lincoln.

LGDC banner

Which is why on this #GivingTuesday I’m raising money on Facebook for The Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia and your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate $5 or $500. Every little bit helps. And on GivingTuesday Dec 3, Facebook will match a total of $7 million in donations first come, first served.

You can donate via this link. Thank you for your support.

The Lincoln Group brings in noted Abraham Lincoln scholars to present on their work. The Group also sponsors public events at the National Archives and Ford’s Theatre, tours of local Civil War battlefields and Lincoln sites, and helps fund scholarships for teachers to learn about how best to teach Lincoln and the Civil War to their students. We’re currently planning a program to fund student participation in educational events.

Today, in fact, I’m attending a lecture by the world’s foremost expert on the Lincoln assassination, Dr. Ed Steers. He’ll be talking about “Getting Right With Lincoln: Challenging Misconceptions About Our Greatest President.” If you’re in Washington, DC this morning, come on up to the Friendship Heights Metro stop and join us.

More on the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia FB page and website: http://lincolngroup.org/ 

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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How to Land in St. Maarten

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Since I’m supposed to be flying to St. Maarten today, this is a good time to show how to land there. It’s quite an experience. Princess Julianna International Airport serves the Caribbean island officially split between the Dutch side (Sint Maarten) and the French side (Saint Martin). It’s often called the most interesting airport landing in the world.

Back in 2016 we took a fantastic Caribbean cruise on Windstar cruise lines, beginning and ending at the port in Philipsburg, St. Maarten. In between, the Wind Surf, our 5-mast sailing ship, took us to Barbuda, Dominica, St. Lucia, Guadeloupe, St. Kitts, and St. Barths. It was an amazing trip. You can read previous posts by clicking here and scrolling down.

Upon our return to St. Maarten we decided to visit Maho Beach before heading to the airport for our flight home. Maho is a beautiful small beach whose sun and sand (and beachside bar) is second in famousness to its location at the foot of the major runway of the island’s airport. Often, sunbathers are outnumbered by budding photographers vying to take selfies as the commercial planes land over their shoulder. Like, right over your shoulder. People have occasionally been struck by landing gear, although admittedly only when stupid enough to stand on someone else’s shoulders to get a bit higher. But the fact is the planes come in low.

Equally dumb are the people who intentionally line up against the fence so they can say they got blown down by the blast of jets taking off a mere few dozen yards away. [Hint: The Danger sign is there for a purpose, as the families of those killed by jet-propelled stones can attest.] We took the incoming photos and videos from the beach but were wise enough to stand to the side to watch jets take off.

All of this reminiscing is somewhat bittersweet as, alas, we won’t be flying back into St. Maarten today after all. The new Windstar cruise we have been waiting months to enjoy was cancelled at the last moment due to engine trouble (given that this also is a sailing vessel, the irony is not lost on us that a mechanical problem killed the trip). This one was to take us from St. Maarten to the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao), plus Cartagena (Colombia) and Panama. We’ll reschedule and likely do this trip at a future date, but this week we’ll instead be “enjoying” colder climes.

So far our science traveling schedule is open ended for 2020 pending some important professional decisions, but we have plenty of “big trip” options in mind. Stay tuned.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

 

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The Exhaustingly Exhilarating Lincoln Forum

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I have just returned from the annual Abraham Lincoln Forum in historic Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The 3-day conference of non-stop meetings, presentations, and hallway socializing is somehow both exhausting and exhilarating. I came away with a great deal more knowledge, a renewed impetus for research, and a “to-do” list the length of my arm.

The schedule was shown in my pre-forum post, and the presenters didn’t disappoint. We heard about how the North felt they were an army of deliverance, how soldiers and Lincoln dealt with the constant reminder of death, and the intriguing story and legacy of how the first battle of the ironclad ships changed naval warfare. During the final day breakout sessions I participated in discussions on the Civil War Navy led by Craig Symonds and Anna Holloway. I even picked up a tip or two to discuss in my new book. I also had keynote speaker Sidney Blumenthal sign my copy of his book, my review of which will appear in the next Civil War Times magazine.

But the Forum is more than just scholarship, though there certainly is no shortage of that. It’s a chance for colleagues to compare notes, researchers to begin new collaborations, and friends to catch up since last meeting (which for many is, in fact, the last meeting of the Forum a year before). I found myself having deep discussions with some of the record number of fellow Lincoln Group of DC members in attendance (hence the long to-do list for follow up). With other DC-area colleagues I plotted future collaborations. I talked with photographer David Wiegers about future Lincoln statues to visit (and bought a calendar of statues in foreign countries). I even got to listen to a little blues guitar and harmonica by the inestimable Joe Fornieri.

One surprise happened during the first session. As we took a short break I notice that Michael Hardy was sitting in the row behind me. Mike runs the Facebook page “Liking and Learning About Lincoln,” which not only has shown incredible growth in the past year, under his guidance has continued to raise the amount members donate to the Lincoln Forum scholarship programs. Mike proceeds to tell me that he thinks about me every day, which I admit sounded a little weird until he reminded me of a conversation we had last year. I mentioned that I hadn’t written my Lincoln book for the deep scholars like Harold Holzer; I had written it to reach the public that might not pick up a scholarly tome. Mike took this to heart and uses that principle in deciding what to post on his page – the goal is to expand the knowledge among the populace. I wholeheartedly agree, and am humbled to do my small part in that regard.

One other surprise deserves mention. This past year the Forum arranged to have a sculpted bust of Lincoln donated to the town of Lincoln, Argentina. I have an personal affinity for Argentina, having spent some time there visiting a close friend a few years ago. Thanks to the Forum, that sculptor (and the original clay model upon which the bronze was cast) was on hand to explain his art while actually working on a new Lincoln bust while we spoke. As can be seen by the photos, sculptor Frank Porcu is amazingly talented and I thank him for taking the time to talk with me.

I have already put the Forum on my calendar for next year (yes, I have a 2020 calendar hanging on my wall quickly filling up). In the interim I plan to finish my next Lincoln book, give a few talks of my own, and continue traveling. On this last point I found my only disappointment of the last few days – an unexpected email informed me that my lower Caribbean cruise due to start in one week had been cancelled (ironically for a sailing vessel, because of necessary repairs to a propulsion engine). While not nearly as exciting or warm, I have plenty to do at home, including reading several new Abraham Lincoln books in competition for the Abraham Lincoln Institute annual book award to be given next March.

Time to get busy.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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On the Way to the Lincoln Forum

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George Buss David KentA funny thing happened on the way to the Lincoln Forum. After a career as a scientist, I became a Lincoln historian. And in a few days I’ll have the chance to join 300 of my colleagues at the annual Abraham Lincoln Forum.

The Lincoln Forum is a national organization for people “who share a deep interest in the life and times of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War era.” While my occupation was scientist, my avocation – now my focus – was Abraham Lincoln. From reading Jim Bishop’s The Day Lincoln Was Shot and Carl Sandburg’s Prairie Years and War Years as a boy to collecting various artifacts as a teenager to my 1300-volume book obsession as an adult, I’ve always been a bit of a Lincoln geek. [For the record, that’s a good thing.]

For many years I attended the annual SETAC scientific meeting, which inconveniently put itself on the same week as the Forum. In 2014 SETAC was a week or so earlier, thus allowing me to also go to the Forum for the first time. The same happened in 2015 – after winning a prestigious SETAC award in Salt Lake City I returned in time to attend the 20th Anniversary of the Forum in Gettysburg. Now my focus is completely on the Forum and this year (2019) will be my sixth straight year in attendance. I’ve met a lot of great people each year, including Lincoln reenactor George Buss and a field of scholars led by the incomparable Harold Holzer and Frank Williams.

Lincoln Forum 2019

As the schedule above shows, this year’s Forum should continue to raise the bar on Lincoln scholarship. Among the speakers will be the authors of books I’ve recently read (e.g., Brian Dirck’s The Black Heavens, Sidney Blumenthal’s All The Powers of Earth) or read within the last couple of years (e.g., Anna Holloway and Jonathan White’s Our Little Monitor). Many of the other books to be discussed are on my further list of books to review in my roles as a columnist in The Lincolnian, reviewer for Civil War Times and other magazines, and a member of the book award committee for the Abraham Lincoln Institute.

If you’re going to this year’s Forum, feel free to look for me during meals and happy hours (or just roaming the hallways between sessions). I’m looking forward to catching up with old friends, making new friends, and discussing Lincoln with perhaps the single largest regular gathering of Lincoln scholars and aficionados in the world.

See you at the Forum!

[Photo: Selfie with George Buss/Abraham Lincoln]

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

 

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Aquarium du Quebec – The Quebec Aquarium

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Aquarium du QuebecI have been to fifty-nine different aquariums all over the United States and in at least fifteen countries. One of them was the Aquarium du Quebec, the Quebec Aquarium in Quebec City.

My feelings about aquariums have evolved over the many years I’ve been visiting them. As a young boy I was inspired by the huge central tank in the New England Aquarium to pursue my love of marine biology. Recently I’ve become more aware of the downsides of big public aquariums, especially those that had stadium shows featuring seals, sea lions, walruses, dolphins, beluga whales, or orcas. The Quebec Aquarium provides a good look at both the good and bad about aquariums.

Aquarium du Quebec, Nautilus

The aquarium isn’t huge by the standards of some others, but it is certainly adequate for fulfilling its purpose, both entertainment and education. While adults do enjoy these venues, the main audience will always be the young in an effort to instill an appreciation for our watery planet. Present are different zones such as fresh and salt water, a Pacific zone, a coastal zone, and of course the large ocean zone with its expansive central tank and walk-though tubes. I especially liked Le Carrefour Scientifique, the view into the science lab area.

Aquarium du Quebec, Walrus

There was also a nice-sized outdoor area where they had the sea lions, polar bears, and a large walrus. I was a little concerned with these sections. The sea lion show was nice but raised the question of treatment. The polar bears looked rather bored and one paced along the wall repeatedly. The octopus was carefully hidden in its darkened cave to the point of questioning whether it was in the exhibit at all. Most disheartening was the state of the huge walrus. Ignoring the provided swimming pool (which was only a couple of lengths longer than its body), the walrus laid in the hot sun on the concrete surface repeatedly banging the metal grate as it desperately tried to be let back into a cooler enclosure. I found myself angry and crying at the treatment.

In contrast, the aquarium had a decent area set aside as a wetlands habitat and pathways that provided a calming experience. They also had some large sea-life centric sand sculptures, a snowy owl demonstration, and many educational displays.

Aquaruim du Quebec, polar bear

Overall I found the aquarium to be nice even though the plight of the walrus forced me to rethink my views on aquariums, in particular how they deal with larger animals. Activists have worked hard in recent years to bring this aspect of aquariums and zoos to public attention, and more and more aquariums have been altering or eliminating their big mammal shows, especially orcas, belugas, and dolphins. I’m still an aquarium fan, but I becoming more aware of the downsides, just as I long ago felt despondent at the small gorilla cage in a zoo we visited as schoolkids (a story for another time).

By the way, when in Quebec City be sure to go just a little north of town to visit the breathtaking Montmorency Falls.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Get Married

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Abraham and Mary Todd LincolnAbraham Lincoln married Mary Todd on November 4, 1842. It came as a surprise to many, possibly even Lincoln himself.

The fourth of seven children, Mary Todd was born in Lexington, Kentucky, to a wealthy slave-holding family. Her mother died when she was only 6 years old. Within two years her father, Robert Smith Todd, remarried and had another nine children with his new wife. Mary Todd and her siblings all had difficult relationships with their stepmother, who essentially ignored them while favoring her own growing brood. Despite these difficulties, Mary grew up in comfort and privilege. The celebrated statesman Henry Clay owned a plantation called Ashland down the road from the Todd household. When she was 13, Mary rode her new pony to Ashland, and Clay, the perennial presidential candidate, noted to his guests, “If I am ever President I shall expect Mary Todd to be one of my first guests.” The precocious Mary said she would enjoy living in the White House.

Robert Todd was rather progressive for a nineteenth-century southern slave owner, and he encouraged his daughters as well as sons to get an education. In part because her stepmother wanted her out of the way, 14-year-old Mary was sent to live at Madame Mantelle’s finishing school for young ladies. There she received a classical education that concentrated on French and literature. She became fluent in French and also studied dance, drama, music, and, of course, the social graces needed to attract a suitable husband. Unlike most women of the time, she also took a keen interest in politics, becoming both knowledgeable and ambitious—and Whiggish. But like all women, politically she had to live vicariously through her husband.

In the fall of 1839 Mary moved from Kentucky to Springfield to live with her older sister Elizabeth, who had married Ninian W. Edwards, son of the former Governor of Illinois. The Edwards home was the center of Springfield’s social scene, and given that the city had far more single men than eligible women, their home was the place to shop for a well-heeled husband. Mary was in her element. Her advanced education gave her the advantage of choosing which of her many suitors she might spend time with, among them Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln.

Joshua Speed invited Lincoln to one of the Edwards soirées. Although Lincoln’s six-foot-four-inch lankiness towered over Mary’s five-foot-two-inch roundness, the two began courting over the winter of 1839–40. The courtship was somewhat one-sided. Lincoln remained a rough, uncouth, awkward man who alternated between sitting quietly and blurting out inappropriate faux pas. He was charmed by Mary’s knowledge and wit, often staring at her in apparent awe as she led the conversation. Still, she saw something in him and their unlikely courtship blossomed, with Mary doing most of the courting.

Initially supportive, Mary’s family (in particular, her sister Elizabeth) came to oppose the mismatch, feeling Mary could do much better. Lincoln was deeply hurt by this opposition, but the two continued to see each other and eventually became engaged.

A Hiatus

And then they stopped. Somewhere between late 1840 and early 1841 they abruptly called off the engagement. Many believed that Lincoln backed out, fearing he could not suitably meet any wife’s needs as a husband because of his distracted nature. Earlier he had told the wife of his circuit-lawyer colleague Orville Browning that he had “come to the conclusion never again to think of marrying” because he can never be satisfied with any one who would be block-head enough to have me.” Lincoln also may have been distraught that his intimate friend Joshua Speed was leaving Springfield to move back to Kentucky. Whatever the reason, Lincoln and Mary were no longer courting throughout 1841 and into 1842.

One More Try

Sometime in 1842 Mary and Lincoln began secretly courting again. Despite Elizabeth’s opposition, the two often met at the Edwards house and sat on the low couch for hours, talking about life and love. Likely they also discussed politics, as by this time Lincoln was actively involved in Whig party activities and Mary was as ambitious as he, perhaps even more so. Their romance bloomed again, enough that Mary flirtatiously and anonymously wrote a letter backing up Lincoln’s own anonymous letter to the local paper mocking James Shields, a political rival. Shields, feeling his honor had been attacked, challenged Lincoln to a duel. Lincoln tried to back out of it, but when Shields insisted, the tall and muscular Lincoln offered up heavy broadswords as weapon of choice. Faced with a severe disadvantage, the short-armed Shields allowed himself to be talked out of the fight.

To the astonishment of the Springfield social set, Lincoln and Mary suddenly decided they would get married—that night. Elizabeth Edwards claimed the wedding occurred with only two hours’ notice, and indeed the marriage license was issued that very day. Lincoln had a “deer in the highlights” look as he approached the hurried ceremony in the Edwards parlor. According to friends, when Lincoln was dressing for ceremony he was asked where he was going, to which he replied, “I guess I’m going to hell.” At least one Lincoln scholar believes Mary may have seduced Lincoln the night before into doing something that obligated him to marriage. Whatever the reason, they were married on November 4, 1842. A week later he seemed resigned to the fact, closing a business letter with, “Nothing new here except my marrying, which to me, is matter of profound wonder.”

[Adapted from Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America]

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!