Lincoln concise biographies

[mbgross]

I am hoping that a slew of my friends will want to read a Lincoln biography after the Lincoln movie comes out. I was wondering what you folks thought was the better of two concise biographies. Lincoln by Guelzo or Abraham Lincoln by McPherson? I value your opinion.

[RJNorton]

Hi Mike! I remember you from the old Abraham Lincoln Online Friends of Lincoln Mailbag. Welcome!!

I would recommend Dr. McPherson's. He is a member of this forum, and his works have already received much praise here. I will also recommend another concise biography. When folks think of Dr. William Hanchett they might first think of his well-known Lincoln Murder Conspiracies. However, among his other works, there is a 134-page biography of Lincoln titled Out of the Wilderness - The Life of Abraham Lincoln. I consider it an absolutely delightful read for folks who are looking for a quick, easy-to-follow way to learn about Abraham Lincoln.

[Rob Wick]

Not sure it would be considered "concise" but the best single-volume biography of Lincoln remains Benjamin Thomas's book Abraham Lincoln. For readability, the single-volume biography by Sandburg still ranks high.

For current books, George McGovern lent his name to the biography of Lincoln for the American President's series, which was edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. I say lent his name because he didn't write it.

Best
Rob