What are you reading now?

[Laurie Verge]

Wait until you get May's issue where Rick and Wild Bill refute a leader in this field's theory... You'll be going outside and pointing guns at your head.

[J. Beckert]

I did that already and they're right - It can be done.

I think Booth shot himself.

[LincolnMan]

Wow, looking forward to it!

[Gene C]

I'd only try it with a water pistol, and I'd still make sure it was empty.

[Liz Rosenthal]

(03-17-2013 08:56 AM)Craig Hipkins Wrote:  I just started reading William Lee Miller's book Lincoln's Virtues. Has anyone ever read Miller before?

Craig

Craig:

My husband and I both read it, as well as President Lincoln: Duty of a Statesman, William Lee Miller's follow-up. Lincoln's Virtues is not only elegantly written, but makes the most succinct and best case of anything I've read before or since regarding the extraordinary nature of Abraham Lincoln's character and ethics.

I actually reached out to William Lee Miller a couple of years ago to let him know how much hubby and I enjoyed his books. He was very appreciative and perhaps a little surprised, as he probably hadn't gotten much fan mail compared to the more famous modern-day Lincoln biographers.

We were saddened to learn of Mr. Miller's passing over the summer. But at least he was able to contribute very worthy books for students of Lincoln to enjoy.

Another book of his that I highly recommend is Arguing About Slavery, which recounts the battle of Representative (and former President) John Quincy Adams and his 1830s allies in the House of Representatives to defeat the "gag rule" forbidding any discussion of slavery in the House. This gag rule was so bad that the streams of anti-slavery petitions sent to the House for their consideration not only could not be discussed or acknowledged, they couldn't even be tabled! If they'd been tabled, the record would have shown that Congress had received a petition about slavery, which was a big no-no. So these petitions sort of existed in a kind of existential limbo - sent to Congress and arriving at Congress's door, but not received, noted or tabled.

Right now I'm reading Diplomat in Carpet Slippers by Jay Monaghan (published in 1945), which focuses on Lincoln's foreign policy. Monaghan's writing style flowed well and combined humor with fairly sharp insight. I'm only about 1/4 of the way through the book, though. What do others think of this book?

[RJNorton]

Liz, I have had that book for as long as I can remember, and I do not recall what I thought of it, but I think it's valuable because there are not a lot of books on the topic. The Abraham Lincoln Book Shop maintains a list of 164 essential Lincoln books, and they include this book in their list along with the comment "Still the best work on Lincoln’s foreign policy."

[Thomas Thorne]

I am almost finished with with Walter Stahr's magisterial bio "Seward:Lincoln's Indispensable Man."

If I were giving a dinner party for historical figures who could engage in brilliant conversation I would invite Seward among others and surreptitiously record the proceedings.
Tom

[LincolnMan]

Volume Three of Shelby Foote's The Civil War. I had read all three volumes in the 1970's. I still find it a "mixed bag" of sorts. Foote is too detailed for me-I find myself getting lost or bored in the narrative. Still, I recognize that it is probably just me-obviously the work is a masterpiece.

[Craig Hipkins]

(04-11-2013 03:30 PM)Liz Rosenthal Wrote:  

(03-17-2013 08:56 AM)Craig Hipkins Wrote:  I just started reading William Lee Miller's book Lincoln's Virtues. Has anyone ever read Miller before?

Craig

Craig:

My husband and I both read it, as well as President Lincoln: Duty of a Statesman, William Lee Miller's follow-up. Lincoln's Virtues is not only elegantly written, but makes the most succinct and best case of anything I've read before or since regarding the extraordinary nature of Abraham Lincoln's character and ethics.

I actually reached out to William Lee Miller a couple of years ago to let him know how much hubby and I enjoyed his books. He was very appreciative and perhaps a little surprised, as he probably hadn't gotten much fan mail compared to the more famous modern-day Lincoln biographers.

We were saddened to learn of Mr. Miller's passing over the summer. But at least he was able to contribute very worthy books for students of Lincoln to enjoy.

Another book of his that I highly recommend is Arguing About Slavery, which recounts the battle of Representative (and former President) John Quincy Adams and his 1830s allies in the House of Representatives to defeat the "gag rule" forbidding any discussion of slavery in the House. This gag rule was so bad that the streams of anti-slavery petitions sent to the House for their consideration not only could not be discussed or acknowledged, they couldn't even be tabled! If they'd been tabled, the record would have shown that Congress had received a petition about slavery, which was a big no-no. So these petitions sort of existed in a kind of existential limbo - sent to Congress and arriving at Congress's door, but not received, noted or tabled.

Right now I'm reading Diplomat in Carpet Slippers by Jay Monaghan (published in 1945), which focuses on Lincoln's foreign policy. Monaghan's writing style flowed well and combined humor with fairly sharp insight. I'm only about 1/4 of the way through the book, though. What do others think of this book?

Liz,
Thanks for your response. I have read the first few chapters of the book and like you and your husband, I am enjoying it. It is indeed "elegently written." I too have a copy of Miller's The Duty of a Statesman which I plan to read when I finish Lincoln's Virtues. Some grerat reading!

Craig

---

(04-14-2013 07:33 AM)LincolnMan Wrote:  Volume Three of Shelby Foote's The Civil War. I had read all three volumes in the 1970's. I still find it a "mixed bag" of sorts. Foote is too detailed for me-I find myself getting lost or bored in the narrative. Still, I recognize that it is probably just me-obviously the work is a masterpiece.

Bill,

I too get bored with books that detail the location of every single regiment in the action. I need maps of regiment locations to keep up with it. Noah Trudeau does this well in his book on Gettysburg. I did, however, thoroughly enjoy Shelby Foote's semi fictional account of Shiloh. I read it in one day!

Craig

[Gene C]

(04-14-2013 06:54 PM)Craig Hipkins Wrote:  I did, however, thoroughly enjoy Shelby Foote's semi fictional account of Shiloh. I read it in one day!

Craig

Me too, although it took me a little longer to read it.

[GARY POPOLO]

Hello to all. Well I finished reading Betty's Allas Paine. What a great book. Betty I can't wait for your next book on Mr. Paine. I don't know what other information you have on this man and his times but I can't wait to read your next book! Great Job! Now I just finished reading Blood on the Moon by Edward Steers Jr. I was told by members of this forum that this was one of the best books written on the Lincoln Assassination. I have to say you were all right. What a great book. Very informative with information that I never knew about Lincoln and his conspirators. My next book as soon as I can order it from the Surratt house is The last confederate heros. Can't wait to read this book. Best Gary

[LincolnMan]

Ok, just finished Vol. 3 of The Civil War by Shelby Foote. It was a tedious read, but read smoother in the latter half of the book.

[L Verge]

I just got an offer from Amazon to buy a paperback entitled Eighteen Pages. When I went online to check it out, I found that it is yet another historical fiction piece by author C. Fenway Braxton. Since I had been previously duped into purchasing Mr. Braxton's ridiculous The Plot to Kill John Wilkes Booth, I passed on this piece of wasted paper also. Be aware of that author's name...

Also advertised along with Eighteen Pages was a surefire hit by a retired history professor, Michael Deeb. His fictional offering is entitled The Lincoln Assassination: Who Helped John Wilkes Booth Kill Lincoln? There is another fiction book entitled Sic Semper Tyrannis, but it is definitely not the well-written, well-worth the price work of the same name by William L. Richter.

[Jim Garrett]

(04-14-2013 07:33 AM)LincolnMan Wrote:  Volume Three of Shelby Foote's The Civil War. I had read all three volumes in the 1970's. I still find it a "mixed bag" of sorts. Foote is too detailed for me-I find myself getting lost or bored in the narrative. Still, I recognize that it is probably just me-obviously the work is a masterpiece.

My wife got me the trilogy for Christmas right after the Ken Burn's series came out. I made it through volume 1 and have never picked it up since. A couple of years after the Burns series I attended a lecture given by Foote. He started off by reading a few short remarks. He put me to sleep. Then he put the prepared remarks away and started just talking on the fly and taking questions. He was remarkable. He was the Shelby Foote that everyone wanted as their uncle after watching "The Civil War".

[LincolnMan]

Nice story Jim! The guy obviously knew his stuff- but man he is a hard read!