This book is clearly written, beautifully illustrated, and it provides for very enjoyable reading for adults as well as children.

The illustrations are a combination of watercolor artwork as well as sketches. The book is written in verse and makes a marvelous reading for young readers. I read it to my first grade class and they loved it.

Louise Borden's "A. Lincoln and Me" has the great good luck of being illustrated by Ted Lewin. Author and painter work quiet miracles herein, with Borden's young boy reflecting on Lincoln and the similarities they share (not the least of which includes the same birthday).

Lewin makes a powerful impression here with his pencil sketches of Lincoln shadowing the boy throughout the book. This deft use of pencil, juxtaposed with watercolor paintings of the boy, draw a subtle line between history and modernity, while the size differential (the boy is always smaller than is Lincoln) underscores Lincoln's importance, both in history and to the boy personally.

Really very highly recommended for any child, especially those who have an interest in either Lincoln or the Civil War.

This a wonderful children's book for early elementary teachers. It has so many possible uses. Some of these include: individual differences, historical fiction to interest children in history, and the introduction to money. Plus, the illustrations are simply fabulous. I just love this book!

This book achieves the perfect blend of storytelling, historical research, compassion, and artistry. Drawing from the primary documents (the letters are reproduced in the book), Winnick creates a fully believable context for the touching exchange between the President and a little girl we can all relate to. She presents an example of how to use our imagination to travel through time by studying our cultural heritage. The illustrations perfectly match the narrative, rich with detail. Our two year old daughter already loves hearing the story told while seeing the pictures. I can't wait to see her read it for herself. This book will be passed on for generations.

Mrs. Winnick brings magic to the Abraham Lincoln legacy. This book is a must for all children. I highly recommend this book for all parents to buy and read to their kids. It will not only provide hours of entertainment, but it will bring parents and their children closer together each time they read it.

While Mrs. Winnick's storytelling ability proves to be far beyond what the average children book writer is able to communicate, I found the oil paintings delightful and engrossing. Mrs. Winnick displays a true talent for the arts and really knows how to provide for children interesting and educational tales about our country's history. I highly recommend purchasing this book and sharing Mrs. Winnick's magic with your children.

It's clear to the readers of this book that Lincolns difficult time in his early years provided him with his remarkable attitude to forge the ideas in this book. His thinking is clear and relevant and timely. It is helpful for the reader to keep in mind Lincoln probably refered to these pages many times throughout his life to remind himself of the correct choices to make. I think this book belongs in everyones library!

Heard the taped version of Gene Griessman's THE WORDS
LINCOLN LIVED BY . . . this is a short but moving
compilation of quotations, followed by insightful commentary
that provides historical context.

In some respects, I wish I had read this . . . there was
much that I wish I could have revisited . . . as it was, I
kept pulling off the side of the road to jot down such
items as the following (so as to be able to share it):

[on diligence] "Half finished work generally proves to be
work lost." No other principle comes closer to accounting
for success than diligence.

[on tenacity] "I expect to maintain this contest until
successful or until I die or am conquered or until my term
expires or until Congress or the country removes me." Lincoln
believed that sticking to a decision once made would
strengthen the individual.

[on conviction] "The world shall know that I will keep my
word to friends and enemies come what will."

[on friendship] "The better part of one's life comes out of
friendships." Lincoln knew how to make and keep them.
He enjoyed companionship and knew how to attract
people.

There have been a small number of books published which attempt to collect in dictionary form the more noted words and remarks of Abraham Lincoln. Archer H. Shaw did "The Lincoln Encyclopedia" in 1950; Caroline Thomas Harnsberger collected "The Lincoln Treasury" in 1950; Ralph B. Winn wrote "A Concise Lincoln Dictionary" in 1959; Fred A. Kerner assembled "A Treasury of Lincoln Quotations" in 1965, reprinted in 1996; and Gabor S. Boritt published "Of the People, By the People, For the People" in 1996.

All of those volumes are most helpful in locating a Lincoln quotation, and Don E. and Virginia Fehrenbacher have compiled "The Recollected Words of Abraham Lincoln" (1996). Of course, this latter study selects the more important spoken words of Lincoln as recalled by listeners who heard them.

However, Gene Griessman has put together an entirely different publication. Although it often quotes Lincoln, the theme is actually to inspire and motivate its readers to make an attempt to imitate the immortal Sixteenth President. In this, Prof. Griessman has done a superb job. His book is outstanding. Furthermore, he has identified the sources for the quotes utilized in each small chapter. All fifty-two units are named after one of Lincoln's noteworthy traits, such as "Determination," "Courage," "Honesty," etc. Not only does Griessman give us Lincoln quotes, but he also weaves each one into a little jewel of an essay on that particular subject. If a reader peruses a chapter a week, he or she will have a year's worth of inspiration.

In addition, this small volume contains "Biographical Notes" on the main figures cited and also a Bibliography of the sources quoted. Dr. Griessman has utilized his background in speaking and teaching the fine art of motivation to write this particular book. He also impersonates Abraham Lincoln for large audiences and has authored numerous books and articles.

Wayne C. Temple, Illinois State Archives

This book proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the "good doctor" was completely guilty of conspiring with John Wilkes Booth. Despite the way the Mudd family has manipulated the story and the media for decades, the truth is finally coming out!!!

A True account of Mudd's involvement. Though he cried foul, "The guilty dog barks the loudest".

The Notes' section alone is worth the cost of the book!

I chose this title, because it was true, at least for me. As Americans, we (some of us, not all) "think" Russians are not "very intelligent", "backward" and even, "less than human."
After reading this book, I tend to "get on my soapbox" to help people understand what few choices, the Russian people ever had in the outcomes of their lives! I never knew this before purchasing and reading Mr. Lincoln's book!
If you cannot be convinced by the poverty imposed on the Russians through Mr. Lincoln's words, you will be convinced by the heart-wrenching photographs; the children who appear as hopeless, hovels designed as homes with animals living within, death from starvation was not uncommon. And all the time, Russia refused (those in power prior to the Revolution)to feed her people, wheat was being shipped to other European countries.
And the Russians never questioned the motives of the Tsar; after the Revolution, they still starved and were murdered by Stalin and Hitler.
We need to change our attitudes and this book did it for me.

In the forward, W. Bruce Lincoln states the book is "...an effort to explore the lives, thoughts, hopes, and dreams of the men and women who lived in the world's largest empire and to convey some sense of the tensions that tore at the fabric of their existence on the eve of the Great War and the Revolution of 1917." In this effort he succeeds brilliantly.

We see portraits of Tsar Alexander III, Nicholas II, Pobedonostsev, Lenin, Rasputin, and a host of other generals, officials and ordinary people who shaped that era.

We get an insider's look at what life was like in a peasant community, inside the peasant's izba or house, and their attitudes towards schooling, medicine and religion. We go inside the growing factories and the slums the workers inhabited in the cities with rapidly developing industry. We see the new nobility of the industrial barons, the revolutionaries fighting the tsarist autocracy, the defenders of the Old Order...all come to life in these pages.

Graphic descriptions are given of the vicious pogroms against Jews. The impact of the Trans-Siberian Railroad in both economic and a political aspects is covered. The 1904 war with Japan is there with its criminally incompetent generals and and admirals and the war's impact on the development of the Revolution of 1905 as well as the mood of the populace as the nations slides toward the Great War.

This well written, illuminating, detailed and well documented book is a classic work on the Russian society of those years and fleshes out the soul of Russia as few other books do. 16 pages of photos. Highly recommended.

The book I ordered, In War's Dark Shadow, was exactly as the seller described it - in perfect condition. Since the book is not longer in print, I feel lucky to find one that looks as if it has never been used. The book was shipped promptly, and the seller was a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend this seller!

thanks!

Daniel Weinberg is a gentleman and a scholar, as well as the proprietor of the Abraham Lincoln Bookshop in Chicago. His great talent for acquiring and interpreting artifacts of the Lincoln era shines in this book, which includes some of the best-ever images ever published of the conspirators who helped John Wilkes Booth plan an attempted kidnapping of President Lincoln, and, later, assisted Booth in aspects of his murder plot in April 1865. Weinberg and his fellow historian (James Swanson, who contributes a masterful text, setting the pictures in context) provide a richly illustrated historical tapestry in this generously made coffeetable book. If you want to know what life was like after their arrest for David Herold, Sam Arnold, Samuel Mudd, Lewis Powell and their cohorts, you need look no further than this extraordinary volume. Any Lincoln library that does not include this book lacks an essential new cornerstone.

On April 13th I went on a John Wilkes Booth Escape Route tour in
Clinton, Maryland, and just by sheer luck, Mr. Swanson was in attendance and though it was the 3rd time I'd been on the tour, it was the best. He is a most enthralling person and though I didn't know who he was for almost an hour, he was obviously very knowlegeable on the subject of the assassination. He was kind enough to sign a copy of his book for me that I purchased in the Surratt Society bookstore and wrote a very lengthy and personal note in it-but I'm rambling- The book is simply fabulous-The text is extremely informative and the photos are the best I've ever seen-some are very rare and have never been published before-This book is a MUST for anyone interseted in either the Civil War or the Lincoln assassination- it's definitley top drawer and well worth ever cent-I can't recommend it highly enough!

Lincoln's Assassins: Their Trial And Execution is a cold, clear look at the aftermath of a crime that forever changed American history. President Lincoln's assassination and the subsequent execution of his killer, John Wilkes Booth, is a well known event, but afterward, in the spring and summer of 1865, a military commission tried eight other people as conspirators in Booth's plot to murder Lincoln and other officials. Filled with period photographs and historical records as well as comprehensive, detailed text, Lincoln's Assassins is a fascinating and even disturbing close analysis of a time of turmoil and mourning across America. A welcome and invaluable addition to Lincoln historical studies and reference collections.

Ironically, it was my daughter who told me about this book. A lab student from the University read it to her 2nd grade class and Ingrid was immediately besotted. I am the one who usually recommends books to this first year teacher! When she began her year of teaching back in August, the first gift I gave her was my beloved THANK YOU, MR. FALKER, my favorite Polacco book. I wanted her to know how important a teacher is in the life of her students. I still think of Eleanor Mills, my sixth grade teacher many, many decades ago!
Anyway, MR. LINCOLN'S WAY is one of six Polacco books that I gave to my daughter for her birthday. It is the touching story of an African American Principal and how he cares so much for his students that he goes out of his way to reach 'the problem child.' "Mean Gene" (who is white) is the school bully; he terrorizes the children, especially those who are different because of their race or nationality. Mr. Lincoln discovers that Gene is passionate about birds and gives him a project--filling the school atrium with birds. Gene ends up having a complete personality change which is even noticed by his teachers. The key to this story is Principal Lincoln who takes the time to discover why Gene acts out--a cruel, racist father. As teachers, we sometimes have students who are 'unlovable' and we never take the time to think why: Did this child have breakfast? Is he even loved? Is he beaten at home? I think if we spent more time learning about our student's backgrounds, we could touch more lives.

I liked the book because it was showing people that it doesn't matter what color you are or what heritage you came from, everyone is the same.

In Patricia Polacco's "Mr. Lincoln's Way," she shows the power of teachers and administrators to reach even the most unreachable kids. Typically for Polacco, she weaves magic with her illustrations and makes the story intriguing as well.

"Mean Gene" is the bully of the school, the one who has been taught to hate anyone different from himself. But Gene has also been taught, by his grandfather, to identify and love birds. He knows everything about birds, from the types of trees they like to nest in to the kind of food they need to eat. Mr. Lincoln latches onto this talent and nurtures it, asking Gene to be in charge of figuring out what should go into the school's atrium. As Gene eventually blossoms, so do the ducks who live in the atrium--and as he helps herd the ducklings towards the pond, so is he led by Mr. Lincoln towards greater understanding and tolerance.

This is a lovely book for just about any age. Younger kids can just enjoy the pictures, while older kids may want to discuss the idea of prejudice and consequences for actions. It's a treat to see a black principal with a whole culturally diverse student body, too. Highly recommended.

This book gave economist John Maynard Keynes a huge influence on perceptions of the peace treaty signed after World War I -- an influence that has been controversial ever since. Critics still argue over whether Keynes exaggerated the deleterious effects of the treaty on Germany's economy. Some also contend that the account, which was widely read during the 1920s, encouraged both German intransigence to overturning the treaty and Allied acquiescence in allowing it to be overturned -- two key factors in the rise of Hitler and the reconsolidation of German military power before World War II.

Keynes' book remains highly readable in many sections, even today. He was not only a brilliant economist, but a superb writer with a keen eye for the foibles of the great men of his time. However, some sections of the text, such as the one dealing with reparations, are abstruse and less suitable to the modern audience. These are still brilliantly told, but unless you are a grad student or a scholar with a particular interest in the many details of Germany's economy in the early part of the century as well as the demands put on it by the treaty, you are not likely to find these sections as gripping as the others.

The book must be read by those interested in the Versailles Peace Treaty and the aftermath of its signing. Even today, the power of Keynes' argument is evident. I've just recently finished reading Margaret MacMillan's "Paris, 1919," and while I enjoyed the book, I found her arguments against Keynes to be unconvincing. MacMillan says the actual collection of economic claims against Germany was rather modest, less, for example, than Germany collected from France in the aftermath of the 1870 war. But Keynes admitted the allies might not hold Germany to all the economic terms of the treaty. He still felt strongly that many of those terms - whether enforced or not - discouraged sound planning by German investors, companies, and its government, and unnecessarily impoverished the German people. This he felt was bad for not just Germany, but all of Europe.

The Economic Consequences of the Peace was written in 1920 by Keynes, who was not already recognized as the most influential economist of the 20th century, a condition he would only attain when he wrote his famous General Theory some years later, and can be interpreted as a personal outburst against the heads of state of the four countries who participated in the Group of Four (France, Italy, UK and the USA) and decided the fate not only of the defeated countries (Germany and Austria) but also of the whole world, in a way that Keynes was adamantly against and which led to his resignation of his capacity of an important negotiator in the British delegation. One has also to remember that Keynes had always been against the war and lost some important friends in the conflict.

The portrait he gives of the different negotiating abilities of French's Clemenceau, United States' president Wilson and British Prime Minister Lloyd George is a devastating picture of the different motives each one of them had at the time: the aim of Clemenceau was to exact revenge to French's traditional enemy and to debilitate Germany as much as possible, thus postponing her return to prosperity and to menace again France. WIlson's, portrayed as a good man but lacking any negotiating feature a man of his stature should have, was a frail man only to save his face in the moral stances he took in his preliminary 14 points Armistice proposal, which led to the initial surrender of the Germans to the Allied forces. The British Lloyd George was only worried about upcoming elections in his country and was playing all the cards (good or bad) he had to save himself from an humiliating defeat to the Liberals.

The outcome of it all was a Peace Treaty who despised each and every point of reality, representing a burden Germany would not be able to pay, thus leading to the dismantling of an economic European system that led famine, social disturbance and finally to the World War II.

The book is a best-seller ever since and very easy to read and should be also recommended to every one interested in the power broker skills one has to have to succeed (Clemenceau) or fail (Wilson) in negotiation as hard as this one.

Great British economist John Maynard Keynes second book recounts his assessment of the economic consequences of the Treaty of Versailles, where he was a member of British delegation as an economic expert.
Keynes starts with providing a dazzling psychological analysis on how the treaty came to be.
"When President Wilson left Washinghton he enjoyed a prestige and a moral influence throughout the world unequalled in history ... Never had a philosopher help such weapons wherewith to bind the princes of this world. How the crowds of the European capitals presses about the carriage of the President! With what curiosity, anxiety, and hope we sought a glimpse of the features and bearing of the man of destiny who, coming from the West, was to bring healing to the wounds of the ancient parent of this civilization and lay for us the foundations and the future"
Alas, this was not to be. American idealism, French quest for security and British distaste for alliances and hypocrisy created an unworkable solution. Soul of the treaty was sacrificed to placate domestic political process, and as the result put Germany in the position of defiance and economic insolvency; the position which at the bottom drew sympathy from the former Allies and as the result contributed to brutality of the second conflict.
Keynes draws a picture of pan-European economy which was destroyed by the treaty and rightfully predicted that not only Germany will not be able to pay, but will be obligated to pursue the expansionist policy at the expense of her weak Eastern neighbors. Treaty did not contain any positive economic programme for rehabilitation of the economic life of Central powers and Russia. One just could not disrupt the economic position of the greatest European land power, at the same time strengthening it geo-politically and suffer no horrible retribution. ""The Peace Treaty of Versailles: This is not Peace. It is an Armistice
for twenty years." - said Foch about such a agreement.

Once past the Introduction, which is so laden with copious details of the lurid opulence that attended the coronation of Nicholas II and Alexandra that the effect is almost soporific, this is a marvelous history of Russia's immense cultural heritage. It would be a finer work if it were, say, a 2-volume study, able to reach deeper and leave a more comprehensive mark; for a single-volume history of an epic thousand years, however, it is rich with nugget after nugget of genuine scholarship and understanding about a seemingly infinite panoply of artistic richness. Lincoln not only covers all the arts- architecture, painting, music, literature (his revelations of Gogol are alone worth the price of the volume!), he exquisitely realises the integration of his subject into a fine general history of Russia. Catherine the Great is given rather short shrift, not much meat there, but the chapters on the Romantic period and the rise of Realism are fascinating and meticulous crafted. This is history writing Richard Pipes can only dream of- readable, deep, authentic, and sensitively attuned to genuine literary merit. I recommend this book to anyone interested in a solid history of Russian arts; it's intelligent, beautifully paced, and not burdened by unnecessary digression. Russiaholics, of course, will eat it up!

It skimps quite a bit on Russia's musical history but otherwise rates excellent and exhaustive in its examination of Russian culture. A little dry at times, and often focuses more on breadth than depth, giving some insight into Russian history, a lot of insight into Russia's visual arts and art patrons, and a good analysis of the books thesis, one why Russia's has been suspended between, "Heaven and Hell," although it does not exhaustively examine the theme of the title.

Bruce Lincoln has chosen a very apt title to describe Russian history and culture. On one hand Russia has been plagued with an often violent history and tyrannical rulers. On the other Russians have adapted to the cultures of their invaders and the cultures they absorbed through their own invasions. This process has enabled Russians to develop an amazing cultural and intellectual heritage that should be envied by the entire world. I bought this book to help me understand Russian music - which I find to be among the most beautiful ever written - and film for a research project on Eisenstein. I found the approach very useful in understanding a this great film director given the political nature / and purpose of his films. However, the book will enlighten your understanding of the 19th century literary greats Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and particularly Gogol.
It is suitable for the expert of Russian studies as well as the novice - so long as you can appreciate great art as well as the failures and the achievements of man. Ochin Khorosho

Going to Lincoln Park for the first time (in the early 70's) was one of the best family outtings we ever had. We were there as part of a special Polaroid day, and the special "Polaroid passes" we had tied to our wrists allowed us kids to ride on everything in the park for only 50 cents!

Unlike the modern theme parks, we were allowed to bring in our own food. Dad set up a home base in the picnic area where he cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on a portable grill. The folks spent all day chatting with the other Polaroid employees while us kids went nuts all around the park (I was still young enough to enjoy the colorful rides in Kiddie Land, yet old enough for most of the adult rides (except the big Coaster...!)). That day started a yearly tradition (either going with the Polaroid group or on my birthday in July). But, 30 years later the park is gone (and Polaroid pretty much is too!)....

This book really brings back a lot of memories! You'll re-discover attractions you may have forgotten about, and you'll learn quite a bit about the park. It has a lot of pictures and you'll go through this book very quickly!

Overall, the book is a treat, but you'll find yourself wishing it was longer. It leaves you hungering for a bit more. I would have liked it to include pictures of *all* the attractions, and maybe an overhead plan/map of the park. (It was kind of hard trying to picture where everything used to be located.) But, this is the only aspect of the book that I found was lacking.

I'm really glad I bought this book, and if you have a Lincoln Park story to tell, you'll be glad you did too! You'll then be compelled to write about what the park meant to you! (We should turn these review pages into "Lincoln Park Remembered - Part 2"!)

I have missed Lincoln Park so much since it's demise. I was so afraid this wonderful place would be lost forever. To see it come to life again in this book brought back so many happy memories. My grandfather used to take my brother and I every Wednesday during the summer. The pictures and stories stirred memories,smells,sounds, and smiles long forgotten. If you ever had the privilege of going you would also enjoy locating the video "Lincoln Park Remembered", with photographs and film clips. How nice to be able to step through the gates again!

Lincoln Park Remembered is one of those special books that from the moment you receive it you just know you will never part with it. The publisher was able to obtain hundreds of remarkable photographs from members of the community who wanted very much to see that very special place honored and remembered. I remember long Summer days spent there as a child with my parents and grand parents and how everyone was able to find things to do that suited them to a T. This book is like a personal photo album and I look forward to introducing and sharing Lincoln Park with my daughter, who will just have to trust me when I tell her the place was holy.