by Carl Sandburg, copyright 1932 and 1960. 350 pages
The book is in two sections.
Part One is a short biography of 149 pages.
While short, Sandburg gives a fair accounting of Mary's good side and her more controversial side. He takes a "middle of the road" approach when describing her life. Not overly praising her virtues and not being overly critical of her faults Written almost 100 years ago, the Acknowledgements and Sources section at the beginning of the book helps to put the book in perspective to other biographies of Mary Lincoln.
Part 2 consists of selected letters Mary wrote and received from 1840 to 1882 (165 pages edited and commented on by Paul Angle) and an Appendix of 21 pages about the supposed wedding which Lincoln failed to appear. Interesting to read Mary's letters as a young woman of 22, caught up in the excitement of her social life of herself and her friends. Most of the letters are from her White House years and those following the death of Lincoln. She writes of the political hardships she sees around her and the tragedy of Lincoln's death, latter Tad's death, and the bitterness of her perceived money problems. These selected letters were a little hard for me to read, they are mostly sad and bitter. A woman in poor health, worried about money, has lost most of her family and now feels she has little to live for.
Mary's life was the fulfillment of her dream and ambitions (wife of the president), but the reality and situations she finds herself in were certainly not what she expected. It was not a life of "happily ever after".
The biography part of this book is interesting, her personality and thoughts are clearly seen through her letters.
Available on Internet Archives -
https://archive.org/details/marylincolnw...5/mode/2up
Hit the "Borrow" button.
I found the following sections of special interest
Contrast between Mary and Abraham p. 63-64
Neighbors comments about Mary's temper p. 69
Mary's half-brothers killed in the war p. 86
Lady President p. 87-92
Stoddard and Mrs. Lincoln's mail p. 98-101
Willie Lincoln's death p. 101-105
I wanted my own copy because it is written by Carl Sandburg and a printed copy is easier for me to read than an online version.
Prices vary greatly. I found my copy (hard cover, in good condition w/ dust jacket) from ABE Books for $25.
Mary Lincoln Wife and Widow
