Synopses & Reviews
The First American. Frontiersman and backwoods attorney. Teller of bawdy tales and a spellbinding orator. A champion of liberty some called a would-be tyrant. Savior of the Union and the Great Emancipator. All these are Abraham Lincolnin his time Americas most admired and reviled leader, and still our nations most enigmatic and captivating hero.
Timed to complement the new motion picture Lincoln, directed by Steven Spielberg, Lincoln: A President for the Ages introduces a new Lincoln grappling with some of historys greatest challenges. Would Lincoln have dropped the bomb on Hiroshima? How would he conduct the War on Terror? Would he favor womens suffrage or gay rights? Would todays Lincoln be a star on Facebook and Twitter? Would he embrace the religious rightor denounce it?
The answers come from an all-star array of historians and scholars, including Jean Baker, Richard Carwardine, Dan Farber, Andrew Ferguson, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Allen C. Guelzo, Harold Holzer, James Malanowski, James Tackach, Frank J. Williams, and Douglas L. Wilson. Lincoln also features actor/activist Gloria Reuben describing how she played Elizabeth Keckley, the former-slave-turned-confidante of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln; and a selection of speeches and letters that explore little-known sides of Lincoln; The Faces of Lincoln,” exploring his complex contemporary legacy.
Whether youre a lifetime admirer of Lincoln or newly intrigued by his story, Lincoln: A President for the Ages offers a fascinating glimpse of his many-sided legacy.
Review
Wall Street Journal"The companion book to the coming film, Lincoln: A President for the Ages, asks great historians "What would Lincoln do?" in situations from Hiroshima to The Daily Show With Jon Stewart."
Review
Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright Tony Kushner, author of the screenplay for "Lincoln""I was delighted to read this collection of essays by people who have grappled with Lincoln and who’ve come to know him, each on her or his terms, and on Lincoln’s terms as well. Here are Lincolns that you’ll embrace, Lincolns you won’t recognize, Lincolns you'll be skeptical of or maybe angered by, and Lincolns who’ll add richness and depth to the Lincoln you already know."
Wall Street Journal
"The companion book to the coming film, Lincoln: A President for the Ages, asks great historians "What would Lincoln do?" in situations from Hiroshima to The Daily Show With Jon Stewart."
Huntington News
“In fact, it's an excellent one-volume introduction to Lincoln's political career.”
Civil War News
“Written by some of the country’s leading Lincoln scholars, these essays update our understanding of the 16th president as the Civil War community eagerly absorbs Spielberg’s new film.”
History Wire“Essays from leading writers and scholars that offer fresh insights into the complex legacy of America's most fascinating icon.Whether you've yet seen Steven Spielberg's new film Lincoln or not, your experience will be enhanced by reading this Participant Guide.”
Synopsis
This companion book to the major motion picture has leading historians answering the question: What Would Lincoln Do?
Synopsis
Lincoln, in theaters November 9, portrays America's 16th president when he faced two colossal challenges: winning the Civil War, and passing the Thirteenth Amendment, outlawing slavery and making permanent the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation. The politics of wartime, which required unity at all costs, conflicted with divisiveness of slavery. The president had to be at once true to his ideals and employ old-fashioned political cunning to outwit his rivals.
This companion book, featuring a foreword by screenwriter Tony Kushner, invites historians and Lincoln experts to imagine Lincoln in eras other than his own, facing challenges of those times. How would Lincoln have handled the Second World War, or the politics of Civil Rights era, or the modern Republican Party? Using the character of Lincoln presented in the film - a man of high principle and low cunning - the book shows how Lincoln, a president for the ages, might indeed have taken America forward during other historic moments of drama and opportunity.