That Lincoln Boy

[Gene C]

This is a nice book for young people about the early years of Abraham Lincoln covering his life through the New Salem years.

Written in 1968, about 140 pages with several, nicely done, simple illustrations.

It has some nice details that many other books about this period of his life lack, such as
- "By the time Abe reached the earliest of his teens he could count within a radius of four miles of the Lincoln cabin, forty-five boys and forty-five girls under the age of seven, and twenty-three boys and twenty five girls between the ages of seven and seventeen".
- Potatoes, which were a new fad in Indiana and which were peeled and eaten raw like apples, always should be planted "in the dark of the moon"
- Matthew Gentry, his school mate, had gone completely insane by the age of fifteen. It was Matthew's father, James Gentry who hired Abraham to go with his other son Allen for Abraham's first flat boat trip to New Orleans.
- Thirty five pages cover his second trip to New Orleans, Dennis Offutt, the Armstrong wrestling match, time in New Salem, but no mention of Ann Rutledge.

Authors note at the back of the book - "Occasionally conversation has been invented. The incidents, as described, occurred."

This was one of those nice unexpected $0.01 finds that turned out to be a very pleasant surprise.
That special seems to be gone, but it still is very reasonably priced, the author has also written several other books for young people including "Abraham Lincoln in Peace and War", a more complete and well illustrated biography about Lincoln's entire life, that I can also recommend.

https://www.amazon.com/That-Lincoln-Earl...incoln+boy

Of the several Lincoln books for young people that I have read, this is one of the better ones.