Abraham Lincoln: Great Speeches (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Abraham Lincoln
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Book Summary Information
Author: Abraham LincolnBrand: Dover Publications
Editor: Roy P. Basler
Contributor: John Grafton
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1991-11-20
ISBN: 0486268721
Number of pages: 128
Publisher: Dover Publications
Book Reviews of Abraham Lincoln: Great Speeches (Dover Thrift Editions)
Book Review: Great Collection, Incredible Value
Summary: 5 Stars
Besides being almost universally considered the greatest American president among many other things, Abraham Lincoln is also one of the all-time best speechwriters. His concise, plain style was revolutionary in an era when verbosity and allusion were obligatory, and his speeches remain widely read and appreciated as literature long after his inflated contemporaries' have been forgotten. Lincoln understood as few have the profound ability of language to reach and move the masses; his style was at once accessible to all and up to the highest oratorical standards. That he is still very widely quoted by a great variety of people testifies to his works' enduring greatness. Needless to say, his speeches are also of immense historical value as both primary historical sources and biographical documents. Anyone even remotely interested in history or literature must thus be familiar with them.
This volume is a great introduction, containing sixteen speeches (counting several written works) over 113 pages. They range across Lincoln's life, from his first (1838) major political speech to his last public address three days before his death. Included are such landmarks as the 1958 "House Divided" speech and the 1860 Cooper Institute speech, perhaps the two biggest factors in his election; both inaugural addresses; the immortal Gettysburg address; the Thanksgiving Proclamation; and the Final Emancipation Proclamation. These are integral to American history and literature, and all Americans should be familiar with them - as should anyone with the slightest interest in great writing. Though less historically important, some other pieces - the "Letter to Mrs. Bixby," a woman who lost several sons in the Civil War, as well as Lincoln's parting remarks on leaving Illinois for inauguration - are at least as well-honed and moving. Most of the rest is primarily of historical interest, though fine phrases still crop up. For example, an 1848 speech in the U. S. House of Representatives in favor of Whig presidential candidate Zachary Taylor gives a good idea of Lincoln's early national politics. His 1861 and 1862 messages to Congress are even more valuable; numbers and other technicalities make reading somewhat difficult, but the addresses give great insight into the country's inner workings at a crucial time.
Simply put, the material is superb - absolutely essential for anyone at all interested in Lincoln, the Civil War, or Americana generally. Like all Dover Thrift Editions, it is important to realize that this is not a deluxe volume even though, unlike most, it has substantial notes putting each piece in the historical context without which most would be lost. One can easily find handsomer and more comprehensive Lincoln editions, but the price is near-unbelievable and the value simply incredible. Anyone looking for a cheap, readily available, and thoroughly excellent introduction can do no better.
Summary of Abraham Lincoln: Great Speeches (Dover Thrift Editions)
Representative collection of 16 masterly orations, correspondence, including "House Divided" speech at the Republican State Convention (1858), the First Inaugural Address (1861), the Gettysburg Address (1863), the Letter to Mrs. Bixby (1864), expressing regret over the wartime deaths of her 5 sons, and the Second Inaugural Address (1865).
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