What did Lincoln read?

[Gene C]

No need to appoligize to me, you're right Laurie, I don't know. My previous post #31 is in error, because I thought Lincoln had known and believed the comments about the relationship with Jefferson and one of his slaves. I mistakenly thought it had been proven true. I appreciate the correction. If it came up as an issue in the 1850's, Lincoln is likely to have heard about it. I do not know of any comments that he may have had on the issue.

[L Verge]

(05-21-2014 11:04 AM)Gene C Wrote:  No need to appoligize to me, you're right Laurie, I don't know. My previous post #31 is in error, because I thought Lincoln had known and believed the comments about the relationship with Jefferson and one of his slaves. I mistakenly thought it had been proven true. I appreciate the correction. If it came up as an issue in the 1850's, Lincoln is likely to have heard about it. I do not know of any comments that he may have had on the issue.

Thank you, Gene. That was truly all I was looking for. I don't know if Lincoln knew about the claim, believed the claim, or ever spoke against Mr. Jefferson because of the claim. It's water under the bridge at this point in our history, imo.

[LincolnMan]

I was browsing through Abraham Lincoln Vol.1 by Albert Beveridge. He notes that while Lincoln was attending Dorsey's school in Indiana "the school books from which the teacher gave out his lessons were the Bible, Webster's or Dilworth's Spelling Book, Pike's Arithmetic and a song book." (Page 62).

[LincolnMan]

Now we know part of the reason Lincoln was a great speller- he read Websters!

[LincolnMan]

Interesting note on Lincoln's readings as found in article 'Lincoln's Jesse W. Weik Part 2" from The Lincoln Herald Summer 2016 Vol. 118 Number 2:
"...Lincoln did not like biographers...One remembers that Herndon, who pushed books at Lincoln, tried to get him to read a life of Burke. Lincoln declined on the ground that biographies were one-sided and colored."

Never heard that before about Lincoln.

[STS Lincolnite]

(02-05-2017 03:12 PM)LincolnMan Wrote:  Interesting note on Lincoln's readings as found in article 'Lincoln's Jesse W. Weik Part 2" from The Lincoln Herald Summer 2016 Vol. 118 Number 2:
"...Lincoln did not like biographers...One remembers that Herndon, who pushed books at Lincoln, tried to get him to read a life of Burke. Lincoln declined on the ground that biographies were one-sided and colored."

Never heard that before about Lincoln.

I had not heard that before either. I have heard many times that Lincoln read Weems' The Life of Washington and that it was a book that left a positive impression on him. So it would seem there is at least one biography that he read and held in esteem.

[LincolnMan]

I thought the exact same thing!