The amazing uneducated/self-educated Abraham Lincoln!

[Tom Emery]

Liz, as I said in my post, I am sure that he read books in the library; the fact that he researched the Cooper Union speech is evidence of that. Nicolay notes that he read newspapers there.

But I studied the history of the ISL for two years as part of a Library Services and Technology Act grant, and will have a 220+ page coffeetable sytle book with 1000+ footnotes and 130+ illustrations coming out in the next few months.

I have no reason to believe that he borrowed books "on the honor system." If you're implying that my research is faulty, I don't appreciate that. I examined all available records, previous writings and analysis, and talked to a number of people with knowledge of the subject.

Library regulations were very stringent in the 1840s and 1850s. While books were "borrowed" freely from the legislative libraries that were the forerunner of the ISL, I found no evidence to believe that Lincoln did that himself.

A 1966 article in Lincoln Herald outlines his ISL usage, in particular Robert's usage.