Book Corner by Curt Baker, LaSalle County Historical Society June 2008
In this the anniversary year of the Great Lincoln Douglas debate, I thought it only fitting to share a couple of books on our 16th President, the books discussed there-in are available either at the LaSalle County Museum, or your local Book store. I invite you to share some of your favorite historical books with me for inclusion in future articles. I will try to stay focused on local history, local persons of historical significance, or local authors of history. I look forward to your thoughts.
For the Young Historian:
ABE LINCOLN: Log Cabin to White House
As a young reader I became enamored of the stories behind our many great presidents and as such, started my passion for history. I see ABE LINCOLN: Log Cabin to White House by Landmark Books (available at the LCHS Museum in Utica), as just one of these books. It is a great starter book for someone fifth grade and higher. It provides a nice early look at A. Lincoln and allows the young reader to learn both of Lincoln and the history surrounding him. I encourage this as an early starter to American History for your favorite child, nephew or niece, grandchild, etc.
For the More Advanced Historian:
Team of Rivals: the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
This is a 2005 publication by Simon and Shuster in conjunction with the Lincoln Library. Imagine a man that moves from obscurity to the White House, along the way, he assembles a team to face the crisis of Civil War, not based on who will support him, or even those who liked him, but simply of the most able politicians of the day. Lincoln was little known at the time compared to Governor Salmon Chase (Ohio), NY Senator William Seward, and even the great Missouri statesman Edward Bates, the three front runners for the Republican nomination in 1860, how then did Lincoln first become THE nominee, then THE President, and along the way, get them to put aside their own ambitions to do what was best for the country in working with him. This book is an interesting insight, into the four men who shaped our country and the one man most recognized for saving the Union. If you haven’t already read this, I strongly recommend it for the avid historian, politician or Lincoln fan.
