Provides a picture of Abraham Lincoln's life as a politician, from his beginnings in Springfield to his assassination in 1865, as reflected in the press of his time. Organized by date, the entries include his own published writings as well as reporters' stories, commentaries, and the public's letters to the editor, presenting an array of views in favor and in opposition of his policies, as well as mockery, attacks, and humor. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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<p>This striking portrait of Abraham Lincoln found in this book is drawn entirely from the writing of his contemporaries and extends from his political beginnings in Springfield to his assassination. It reveals a more severely beleaguered, less godlike, and finally a richer Lincoln than has come through many of the biographies of Lincoln written at a distance after his death. To those who are familiar only with the various “retouched” versions of Lincoln’s life, <i>Abraham Lincoln: A Press Portrait</i> will be a welcome—if sometimes surprising—addition to the literature surrounding the man who is perhaps the central figure in all of American history. <br><br>The brutality, indeed that malignancy of some of the treatment Lincoln received at the hands of the press may well shock those readers who believe the second half of the twentieth century has a monopoly on the journalism of insult, outrage, and indignation. That Lincoln acted with the calm and clarity he did under the barrage of such attacks can only enhance his stature as one of the great political leaders of any nation at any time. <br><br>Herbert Mitgang is author of several books, including <i>Once upon a Time in New York</i>, <i>The Man Who Rode the Tiger</i>, <i>The Letters of Carl Sandburg</i>, <i>The Return</i>, <i>America at Random</i>, and <i>Working for the Reader</i>.</p>
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