THE LINCOLN NOBODY KNOWS

by Richard N. Current ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 15, 1958

The mythical Lincoln is a vast compound of apocrypha and truth, of exaggeration and contradiction, and, most of all, of enigmas. In an effort to separate the spurious from the real, Mr. Current, author of Daniel Webster and the Rise of National Conservatism, assiduously examines some of the controversies and redefines some of the issues which blur the possibility of an accurate figure. Though information about Lincoln's personal life and psychological complexion is sparse, Current makes trenchant efforts to yield some true statements about such questions as: Lincoln's paternity, his mother's paternity, his love for Ann Rutledge and whether her death was the source of the expression of sadness that so often registered on his face; the turbulent marriage to Mary Todd, his tendencies toward mysticism, if not spiritualism, after the death of his beloved Willie, his religious (or non-religious) beliefs. The political aspects are probed with the hope of discovering what Lincoln's personal feelings were towards the decisions and policies he inaugurated, towards slavery, his own responsibilities for the war, Fort Sumter. After relating various possibilities involved in the assassination (Confederate conspiracy plotted by Jefferson Davis? political enmity with Andrew Johnson responsible? Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton?), Mr. Current recalls the post-mortem canonization taken up by the Radicals who needed a Saint for their party, reinforced by people who had once bitterly opposed him, but accepted by the receptive masses who grieved for him. This fine biography is addended by a bibliographical essay which offers what the author considers to be the best of Lincolniana in specific areas.

Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1958

ISBN: 0809000598

Page Count: -

Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1958

Categories: NONFICTION