Lincoln's Gift

[Gene C]

Full title : Lincoln's Gift : How Humor Shaped Lincoln's Life & Legacy, by Gordon Leidner.

I was disappointed in this book.
First, it's about 22% smaller than a standard size book. That's not the authors fault. On the Amazon page under the product description, the dimensions are given, but the image shown of the book is deceptive.
Second, under the description it show 288 pages, but there are only 235 pages of text. That's only 82%. The other 53 pages are introduction, bibliography, source notes, index, etc.
I got less "book" than I was expecting.

It is well written and interesting. However, it is simply a well written short biography with some of Lincoln's humorous stories and jokes mixed in. This review best describes it.
"Gordon Leidner has brought together a compact history of Lincoln's life, peppered with wonderful anecdotes and stories that reflect the best of Lincoln's wit. --Jonathan W. White, Assistant Professor of American Studies, Christopher Newport University"

My second disappointment was the content. The title says "How Humor Shaped Lincoln's Life & Legacy". That is misleading. There was no "How' discussed in this book. In regard to the book content description and editorial reviews, these also were misleading. If you want "a study of Lincoln's humor", or to "explore the crucial role that humor played throughout his tumultuous professional and private life" you will have to look somewhere else. There was no discussion of that part of Lincoln's character. The "study" and "exploration" are just not in this book.

http://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Gift-Humo...PAX5FWJAV5