What are you reading now?

[Gene C]

Just started Benjamin Thomas's biography of Lincoln, copyright 1952. The first fifty pages are realy good.

He does make an interesting statement about the Ann Rutledge romance..."Thus comes to the culmination a legend for which no shred of comtemporary evidence has been found. Nothing in Lincoln's writings support it"

[LincolnMan]

Thomas was a personal friend with Sandburg. I was somewhat stunned when I read somewhere about a month ago that he committed suicide. Anyone have more info on that?

[BettyO]

I'm reading While God is Marching On - The Religious World of Civil War Soldiers by Steven E. Woodworth. Good stuff! I love books about the "common soldier" during the war more than the tactics and generals.....

[Rob Wick]

Thomas was a personal friend with Sandburg. I was somewhat stunned when I read somewhere about a month ago that he committed suicide. Anyone have more info on that?

Bill,

In November of 1956, Thomas was diagnosed with throat cancer. Three days later he committed suicide. He decided he wanted to spare his family the long, drawn out battle and I imagine probably decided he didn't want to have to go through it himself (after all, he knew what Grant had gone through when he died from throat cancer).

According to John Hoffman's article on Thomas, he is buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery near Oliver Barrett and Harry E. Pratt.

Best
Rob

[LincolnMan]

Thanks Rob. How sad. I didn't know he was buried there-and as many times as I've been there!

[Christine]

I just started 'Team of Rivals.' I wanted to read it before seeing 'Lincoln' but don't think I'll get it done before that! I'm really enjoying it, but I wish her footnotes were either at the bottom of the page or at the end of the chapter. I hate having to flip front to back every couple of paragraphs!

[Joe Di Cola]

Thomas was a personal friend with Sandburg. I was somewhat stunned when I read somewhere about a month ago that he committed suicide. Anyone have more info on that?

Hi, Bill,

One of the best items on Benjamin P. Thomas is in the Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, Vol. 19, Issue 2, Summer, 1998. You can get access to this on line. I hope this helps and that youy can call it up. I wish I knew how to add a link to this!

Joe

[Rob Wick]

Joe,

Here you go.

Best
Rob

[Joe Di Cola]

Joe,

Here you go.

Best
Rob

Thanks, Rob,

Someday I am going to learn how to do that! Send a copy to Bill Nash, too--he made the initial inquiry. Thanks.

Joe

[J. Beckert]

I just started reading "The Journals of Richard Proenneke- The Early Years" 1967 - 1973.
I'm sure a few of you have seen "Alone in the Wilderness" on PBS. Proenneke built a small log cabin on a lake in Alaska in 1968. He filmed a lot of his activities, including the construction of his cabin, which he completed with only hand tools. He was an amazing craftsman. He also kept daily journals, which this book details, from the time he went there in 1967 to prepare to build his cabin. He spent most of the next 30 years there in almost total isolation. A very interesting read for anyone who loves the outdoors.

[L Verge]

If things don't go the way I want them to this coming Tuesday, I may need to read that book to learn how to build a cabin somewhere in isolation for the next thirty years - but it won't be in Alaska, too many snowflakes. I prefer temperatures between 40 and 80, low relative humidity, moderate rainfall, and no severe weather. Any suggestions for a location?

[J. Beckert]

Oh, please, Laurie... Then deprive us of all of your vast knowledge of the Lincoln assassination and all things Southern? Banish the thought, you Rebel. You'd be impossible to replace here.

[BettyO]

Well..... I'll GLADLY go to Alaska -- love the white stuff! It's these hot, humid Virginia summers where you feel like you can't breath and have to SWIM everywhere that I hate with a passion. And as I get older, I can stand it less and less..... my ideal temperature? 50 - 0 degrees!! HA!

[Laurie Verge]

Everybody is replaceable, Joe, but thanks for the kind words. Barry Cauchon called me the Iron Lady of our group the other day, but I told him I prefer to be called a Steel Magnolia - so we're sticking with that!

Back on topic: New books on Mr. Lincoln include Lincoln as Hero by Frank J. Williams and Lincoln and Medicine by Glenna R. Schroeder-Lein. I just received review copies from the University of Chicago Press yesterday, so can't tell you much about them yet.

[J. Beckert]

You can't go either, Betty! How would we find out new stuff about Powell?

As much as I despise the hot weather, 50 below zero is a bit much. There are several DVD's of Proenneke's films out there. In one, he says cutting firewood if it's no colder than 25 below with no wind, is very agreeable. It shows him cutting logs- with a handsaw!