This book does not definitively answer the question whether the involuntary commitment of Mary Todd Lincoln subsequent to the assassination of her husband was just. It does portray Robert Todd Lincoln, the only surviving son of MTL, who initiated the proceedings, in a light more favorable than any previous biography to analyize the event.

As a person who works in the area of mental health law in the State of Illinois, I have found this book to be an invaluable resource in understanding the history of mental health law as it has evolved in this state. That said, there are instances in which legal terms are misused or misinterpreted by the authors, which leaves some question as to the authoriativeness of the opinions they express.

This is largely a work of history. As such, it animates the colorful characters involved in the insanity trial and the developments in the years prior. This is far more interesting any fiction I have read, and its historical basis makes it helpful in considering how we treat family members and the mentally ill today.

With patience, and believe me it's worth it, you will discover the basic truths regarding Mary Todd (her supposed insanity) and her relationship with her eldest and only surviving son Robert (who had her institutionalized). This is a fantastic story of not only the legal mindset of the day regarding medicine, pyschology and women, but a story of a family that deeply cared for each other yet found it nearly impossible to express that love. Based on a large packet of notes and letters hidden away by Robert Todd Lincoln in his Manchester, Vermont home and subsequently discovered by his grandson Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith in 1980, this is hands-down the most factual account you will find anywhere, well documented with footnotes and references galore. Alas, Beckwith (the last of the Lincolns) is dead, but his decision to allow publication of this very private material was based on the fact that if Robert had not want it to be known he would have burned the packet rather than hiding it away for future discovery. If you want more gossip about the Lincolns, this is not the book for you. If you want a clearer understanding of who this great lady Mary Todd and her son Robert Todd Lincoln were, this is the only place you'll find it.

This book is a good book for those of you out there who want to learn more about the Kennedy and Lincoln Assassinations and what interesting things made them similar. ENJOY!

I bought this book when it was first published, but like many "buffs," I didn't seriously read it because I didn't have any interest in a lone gunman viewpoint. Unlike most self-styled experts, Lattimer actually knows what he is talking about (as both a ballistics expert and a former combat surgeon). But what makes this work most valuable is that Lattimer used actual scientific evidence to back his opinions. For example, he actually shoots skulls and animal carcasses with a Carcano to reproduce the wounds and movements of JFK during the shooting. Go to your local medical school library and look up the peer-reviewed medical journal articles written by Lattimer on this subject if you want an objective scientific view.

This folder is an excellent starting point for any new coin collector. The folder has a nice lock-in feature preventing the coins from falling out. The recent dates ensure that the folder can be filled without too much difficulty from simply rooting through pocket change regularly. Highly recommended for young people who wish to start a coin collection.

I was given this book by my dad when I was little...it got me interested in coin collecting and is inexpensive! I would recommend it as a gift for kids or adults...it makes a fun hobby!

Donald starts off his book as an iconoclast, intent on reversing the apotheosis of Lincoln. Lincoln was not, he asserts, the god among us that many ardent admirers believe. He gives examples of this uncritical adulation and states that Lincoln has been claimed by Mormons, vegetarians, and other disparate groups anxious to claim a popular figure as their own.

But, as it turns out, Donald's iconoclasm is a bit false. He reexamines Lincoln's more controversial points, and casts his verdict with the purveyors of the Lincoln legend. Did Lincoln imprison thousands of people without charges or trial? He did, but they deserved it. Did Lincoln destroy the Constitution by starting a war without the approval of Congress? Yes, but he had to abrogate the Constitution in order to save it.

Donald starts out bravely but in the end, cops out in favor of sentimental Lincolnism. I thought it a bit disappointing.

Lincoln Reconsidered is a collection of provactive essays that probe the multiple depths of Abraham Lincoln--life and mythology. He paints Lincoln's portrait onto the background of the sectional conflict that led to the Civil War. Originally published about 1961, Donald's stories remain fresh and relevant. In fact the reader will encounter the thesis and outline for his recent prize-winning biography of Lincoln. I first encoutered LR in 1962 when I taught Advanced Placement American History and assigned portions of the book to my students. They loved it; you will. Donald is a superlative historian and stylist. Listen to these chapter headings: Getting Right With Lincoln, Reconsideration of Abolitionists, Herndon and Mrs. Lincoln, Folklore Lincoln, An Excess of Democracy. Readers of Donald's Lincoln will want to have this as a companion reference piece. It's rare for an historian's essays to experience such a rich and extended publishing history. Here's a quote from my faded copy of LR, a touch of wisdom for our parlous times: "...Lincoln knew that there were limits rational human activity, and that there was no virtue in irritably seeking to perform the impossible. As President, he could only do his best to handle problems as they arose and have a patient trusdt that popular support for his solutions would be forthcoming. But the ultimate decision was beyond his, or any man's, control. 'Now at the end of three years struggle,' he said, 'the nation's condition is not what either party, or any man, devised, or expected. God alone can claim it.'" Page after page runs like this, and virtually every theme connected to the Civil War gets enough discussion to stimulate and edify.

Although at times the essays in this do not always focus directly on Lincoln, in one he is compared to Bismark, they all reflect the greatness of the man and his post in the Amercan Civil War. This is a must have for those interested in political control of the military, nation building, and or Lincoln.

"Lincoln the War President" presents seven essays, five of which are by Pulitzer Prize-winning historians, that focus specifically on Lincoln's execution of the Civil War. In "The Shadow of a Coming War," Robert V. Bruce starts the collection off with a fascinating look a the premonitions of civil war that haunted the American republic since the independence was declared, including Lincoln's reluctance to accept war as a real possibility. James M. McPherson's essay "Lincoln and the Strategy of Unconditional Surrender" catalogues Lincoln's brilliance as a "national strategist," dealing with not only military but also political and economic concerns as well. David Brion Davis looks at "The Emancipation Movement" in terms of both its promising goals and its disappointing results. In "One Among Many: The United States and National Unification," Carl N. Delger considers the Civil War as a successful attempt at true national unification, offering the counter-examples of Italy, Germany and Switzerland. Kenneth M. Stampp's essay, "One Alone? The United States and National Self-determination," explores the issue of self-determination and how the Southern struggle for independence compares to other historical examples, including the Eastern Europe after the Soviets. Not surprisingly, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. considers a historical analogy in "War and the Constitution: Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt," looking at how the pair clearly went beyond the limits of the Constitution in trying to defend the nation and the idea of freedom. Finally, Gabor S. Boritt's essay "War Opponent and War President," traces Lincoln's transformation from a Congressman denouncing the Mexican War, to the war president who wanted the Confederate Army destroyed, to a leader speaking out for reconciliation.

"Lincoln the War President" is certainly a thoughtful collection of essays that are enhanced by a concerted effort to put Lincoln's situation and actions in context, trying to keep an eye on the "big picture." In that regard the comparisons to other times and places are useful for helping history students appreciate Lincoln's virtues. While this is a book that students of Lincoln and Civil War buffs will enjoy, it should prove just as interesting to casual students of American History. The arguments it presents would certainly be provocative for both high school and college students to consider. Consequently, these essays would provide teachers with great supplementary material for teaching about Lincoln and the Civil War.

Being interested in the legality of Lincoln calling on troops to supress a domestic and not a foreign threat is appealing to me, since it was, what I thought, a violation of the powers of the presidency. Grabbing this, I thought it might bring aboveboard his actions. The title is somewhat deceieving in that the first 4 1/2 chapters discuss the founding fathers and their ideaology on various presidential powers and states' rights: intriguing to read, but way too much history of the constitutional debates. Finishing the book, I came to realize this was the author's way of defending his conclusions: that Lincoln did not abuse his powers and acted within the bounderies of constitutional law (though the last chapter discussing Lincoln's enfringement on Free Speech is hard to swallow as legal.) Still a fascinating read on the topic of constitutional power,that is just as important today as it was then.

"Lincoln's Constitution" first examines the Constitution as Lincoln found it at the beginning of his administration, with emphasis on state - federal relations, including the right of secession. Like most modern legal scholars, Prof. Faber clearly sides with Lincoln on this (and most other constitutional issues), but he is also careful to show that believers in states' rights and secession had good historical reasons for their views. With this background, the author then examines the Constitutional issues Lincoln faced in dealing with the unprecedented challenge of waging the Civil War. Here the focus shifts to presidential war powers and civil liberties in time of war. The author points out where Lincoln was right (in light of later precedents) and where he was wrong. Again, the views of both his supporters and his critics are fully examined. Finally, Faber clearly explains the relevance of all these issues for citizens of our own time.
Authoritative, up-to-date and balanced, "Lincoln's Constitution" is an essential supplement to J.G. Randall's classic (but now dated) "Constitutional Problems Under Lincoln."

The author tries to 'prove' that Ann Rutledge and Abe Lincoln were truely in love, and planned to marry before her untimely death. Does he achieve this lofty objective?. I think he does, using mostly quotes and stories, and the unfairly ignored book by Lincolns former law partner, Mr. Walsh walks the reader thru the history of New Salem, the ways of life back then, and the people that remembered Ann and Abe as they were. He writes about some historians, who for one reason or another, refuse to accept the possiabilty that part of Abe died with Ann in 1835. The writing is crisp and informative and very helpfull in understanding how it was to live in the 1830's and beyond. Most of all i believe Mr. Walsh achieved something else-thats always tricky when writing about mythical figures like Lincoln. He made him very human....highly recomended

This is a book that has been 50 years overdue. The book effectively destroys the unwarrented attack on Ann Rutledge by Mary Todd Lincoln's defenders. Walsh shows that not a single person in New Salem at the time denied the affair. It was only when the Randalls in the mid-20th century decided to become Mary Todd Lincoln's defence attorneys that there was even a question about Ann Rutledge's affair with Lincoln.

A question that has never been answered is why did it matter? Why did MTL's defenders feel it cast aspertions on MTL if Lincoln was involved with a woman four years before he even met her?

"True Stories About Abraham Lincoln" features woodcut illustrations by Charles Turzak, with accompanying stories from Lincoln's life by Ruth Belov Gross. The text is printed in red ink opposite the black woodcut prints. The stories deal with both the triumphs and tragedies of Lincoln's life. However, the woodcuts dictate what parts of Lincoln's life are included or omitted. Consequently, there is no reference to the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the Civil War is dealt with in rather general terms. Still, with each two-page spread a separate unit, this book is easily accessible by young readers, who will find the artwork as fascinating as the stories and might be interested in doing something similar as an art project.

He's a lot more than a face on a penny. This little paperbck contains many true tales about Lincoln's life, from his birth in a log cabin, his hard work on the farm, the first book he owned, up to his presidency and assasination. The 22 stories are very short and written in simple language. The text is easy for even young children understand, but some of the topics are heavy, including the death of Lincoln's mother while he was still a child. This book brings to life the humanity of Lincoln as a boy and a man. It is illustrated by black and white woodcut prints, with red ink for the text.

This book covers the story of Charles Keating and his effort to run an S&L like a Kingdom to benefit his family and political views. This book offers the reader a very well documented, thought out telling of the Keating story. You can actually see when he starts to take for granted the public-trust he has and start to us it for his own purposes. Although to be fair to him, it was not all because he was conniving, he was also a truly bad businessman that seamed to make gold into lead. He was defiantly the poster boy for the whole S&L scandal. I would have liked to have more detail on his overall political dealings. Overall this is an interesting and well-written book.

A riveting read that takes you inside the fascinating world of Charlie Keating. Could not put this book down, no matter how hard I tried. A must-have!