What are your top five Lincoln books?

[Rob Wick]

My five are going to be a little different. I realize that they won't be what many would think of when recommending a book, but I'll explain further in a minute.

1. Herndon's Informants -- It's because of William H. Herndon that we know anything about Lincoln's early days. However, people wanting to understand where he came from need a guide a little more accessible. Although it's an expensive book, it's a requirement for anyone wanting to know about the very early years. Douglas Wilson and Rodney O. Davis leave all of Herndon's evidence intact, but provide a context for what is wheat and what is chaff.

2. The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln -- In my opinion, the only way to truly know who Lincoln is, or what he stood for, is to read what he wrote and what he said. The one thing I've always admired about Lincoln is his clarity in thought and writing. Oh, and even though it is a multi-volume set, it is one title, so it still counts.

3. Abraham Lincoln: A Biography -- When a person familiarizes themselves with the first two, then they are ready to begin on secondary works. Even though it's old, Benjamin Thomas's book is still considered one of the best single-volume biographies. Thomas, like Lincoln, wrote with clarity and wit.

4, Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and Abraham Lincoln: The War Years -- OK, I know. This is a six-volume set and includes two different titles. It's my post, and I'll cheat if i want to. If one reads the first three selections, they can then make their way through Sandburg's million+ word opus with a little more confidence that they can pick out the dross and still maintain the poetry and magic that Sandburg put into the work.

5. The Evidence -- Again, someone wanting to know about Lincoln's assassination would probably prefer to read Blood on the Moon or American Brutus, but to get a handle on what the country faced when Lincoln was murdered, they need to walk through what investigators pursued and see what they saw.

As most of you can tell, I strongly prefer primary material over secondary sources. Of course, no one who just wants to familiarize themselves with Lincoln will go through three of the works I've outlined. I understand that. But if one wants to get as true a picture of just who Abraham Lincoln was, they have to do more than read what biographers, no matter how good their works may be, thought of him.

Best
Rob