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An exhausting theme
11-21-2013, 07:09 PM
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An exhausting theme
Roger's post on Sidney Blumenthal got me thinking about something which I've pondered for quite a while.

In 1934, James G. Randall presented a paper at a joint meeting of the American Historical Association and what was then known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association. His paper was titled "Has the Lincoln Theme Been Exhausted?" As you can read, Randall answered a resounding "no" spurred mainly by his distaste for amateur historians and popularizers.

In the inaugural issue of the Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, Mark E. Neely Jr., answered Randall's call with his "The Lincoln Theme Since Randall's Call."

I will let those interested read both articles, but what I want to explore is this. Are we getting to the point of saturation where Lincoln books are concerned? Is a three-volume (at 500 pages each!) history of Lincoln and politics necessary? Of course, each generation has to interpret Lincoln based on its own experience and intellectual underpinnings, but at what point is one more book one too many?

In the field of history there are two general tracks. The first is popular history, written generally by journalists, although some academic historians fall into that category due to their accessible writing style and past sales. Obviously, Blumenthal would fall into the popular category. Historically speaking, Carl Sandburg and Ida Tarbell would also fit into that genre. Most of the time, popular historians write general biographies, although sometimes writers such as Harold Holzer will write what would be best described as a monograph, like his book on Lincoln as president-elect or on the Cooper Union speech. I say best described, because generally the definition of a monograph is a book on a single subject written by an academic historian.

The second track is academic. More likely you will find these authors writing monographs, although general biography is usually written by an academic historian who doesn't have to worry about getting tenure. That's why David Herbert Donald or Michael Burlingame could write full-scale biographies. Most academic historians hold general biography in disdain, as do tenure committees.

I dip my toes in both waters when it comes to buying books on Lincoln. Most people buy the more popular books, as it fits closer to their own interests. Someone interested in the Lincoln-Douglas debates in passing will likely get Allen Guelzo's history and bypass Harry Jaffa's, although Guelzo, by his own admission, owes much to Jaffa. There's nothing wrong with that given that most people's interest in Lincoln is more along the lines of a "buff" rather than in scholarly works.

I use this only to make a point. In academic writing, there will always be fresh interpretations whether it's based on new evidence or a reevaluation of the old. No work can ever be said to be above revision. Every so often an academic will synthesize the current work on Lincoln to bring out another biography. It seems to me it's in the popular sphere where the glut is truly felt. Do we really need three volumes on Lincoln's politics?

Best
Rob

Abraham Lincoln in the only man, dead or alive, with whom I could have spent five years without one hour of boredom.
--Ida M. Tarbell

I want the respect of intelligent men, but I will choose for myself the intelligent.
--Carl Sandburg
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Messages In This Thread
An exhausting theme - Rob Wick - 11-21-2013 07:09 PM
RE: An exhausting theme - L Verge - 11-21-2013, 09:25 PM
RE: An exhausting theme - Rob Wick - 11-21-2013, 10:28 PM
RE: An exhausting theme - L Verge - 11-21-2013, 10:41 PM
RE: An exhausting theme - Rob Wick - 11-21-2013, 10:44 PM
RE: An exhausting theme - Joe Di Cola - 11-22-2013, 10:38 AM
RE: An exhausting theme - L Verge - 11-21-2013, 10:53 PM
RE: An exhausting theme - Rob Wick - 11-21-2013, 11:02 PM
RE: An exhausting theme - L Verge - 11-21-2013, 11:32 PM
RE: An exhausting theme - Rob Wick - 11-22-2013, 08:46 AM
RE: An exhausting theme - L Verge - 11-22-2013, 10:34 AM
RE: An exhausting theme - Rob Wick - 11-22-2013, 10:58 AM
RE: An exhausting theme - LincolnMan - 12-02-2013, 08:00 AM
RE: An exhausting theme - Rob Wick - 12-02-2013, 10:33 AM
RE: An exhausting theme - Mike B. - 12-22-2013, 11:15 PM
RE: An exhausting theme - Rob Wick - 12-23-2013, 10:56 AM

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