I think I might have a title...now I need a book

[Rob Wick]

Bill,

Not a problem. To be honest, I haven't started looking too deeply into Mary Lincoln: Wife and Widow, although I imagine that Sandburg probably felt a biography was needed. What I find interesting about this is that Paul Angle, who collected the documents that make up the second half of the book, was willing, even eager, to work with Sandburg despite Sandburg's role in the Wilma Minor affair. Sandburg at first believed the Minor letters to be genuine, although Angle proved they were frauds, making Sandburg look (rightfully) silly. Angle remained a lifelong friend of Sandburg.

Most critics, I think, were generally favorable to it, although I have found a review by a man named Benjamin Stolberg who thought Angle's part was fine, but said that Sandburg lacked knowledge of psychiatry, which he said was necessary for anyone to write her life's story. That rankled Sandburg, who mentioned it to Alfred Harcourt in a letter a few years later.

Sandburg's biographer, Penelope Niven, doesn't really go into much detail about the book. By the way, I would strongly urge anyone interested in Sandburg to find a copy of Niven's biography. Mine, as you can see, is well-thumbed.


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Rob