The author grew up on the next block in Fall River; she knew Lizzie from the "dubious source of in-group hearsay". Lizzie Borden was the sane, civilized woman accused of a madman's crime. The case interests many because of her sole opportunity to commit the crime, yet the idea of guilt is incredible. There are two legends. One was a simple, warm hearted girl who became the victim of the police and an ambitious DA. The other was a grasping murderess who lusted after a fortune (p.29). Up on the Hill they thought Lizzie did it, also loved her Dad, but suffered from a "spell" or temporary insanity seen in some families. Lizzie's mother suffered from migraine and fits of rage (p.47). The author claims a form of epilepsy for the crime.

VL claimed Lizzie's inquest testimony told what specific facts Bridget was paid not to tell. But does anyone have any proof that Bridget was ever paid to shield Lizzie? Page 38 tells of the good works Lizzie did before the tragedy. VL read both volumes of the Trial transcript and the preliminary investigation. VL believed Uncle John was used in a scheme to get Abby away from the house that morning, and mailed a letter to cover it up. VL also tells how the Fall River Globe and Providence Journal were against Lizzie, while those who knew her Dad were not. VL imagines a hiding place from the testimony about not searching "2 or 3 dresses" (p.153). Wasn't this confession of "culpable negligence" just a trick to make the jury believe that dress was there? Page 121 tells of a "broken off handle", but common sense says it was sawn off! Page 210 tells about Jennings secret documents kept hidden to his dying day, and beyond, to prevent their use in "any new phases of police investigation". VL notes circumstantial evidence stands while eyewitnesses may lie or be mistaken, and is the only evidence available for crimes done in secret. It may be questioned by "the man in the street" because it assumes or infers from the facts (p.215).

VL says Lizzie was lucky in that her judge was appointed to the bench when her lawyer was Governor. But I wonder if assigning the right judge to the right case is just payback time (p.229). The book skips over Kieran's testimony and its importance (p.235)! Kieran could not see his assistant from the doorway when he was on the floor, and could only see him if he turned his head when going down the steps. VL is also wrong in stating the hatchet found in the cellar was the murder weapon; we know now that the murder weapon left a shred of gilt paint in Abby's skull, so it was fairly new. And Knowlton knew this! VL also omits Justice Dewey's quotes on evidence and experts (p.291-4); it is as true today as then.

The verdict of 'not guilty' was followed by a lengthy joyous pandemonium of cheers. The Providence Journal was alone in expressing dissatisfaction (p.296). Book Six tells of the aftermath. Lizzie's unpopularity resulted from two events. The suppression of "The Fall River Tragedy" (based on articles from a newspaper) meant that people could not reread the story. The Tilden-Thurber episode of alleged shoplifting was the last straw. Could the Yankees on the Hill accept parricide but choke on shoplifting (p.305)? VL quotes Phillips as to "signs of a lack of balance in later years" (p.306). And Lizzie became declasse after that big Maplecroft party for actors. VL says Bridget later moved to Montana, married, had children, and died aged 86 years (p.313). She concludes by telling about Lizzie's later years, death, and funeral. Emma broke a leg after hearing this, and and died ten days later. All lie buried in Oak Grove cemetery. In 1991 Arnold R Brown published his solution to the crime. Lizzie (and Emma and Uncle John) were innocent of the murders, but not of the cover-up.

I have read many, many books about the Lizzie Borden case, and this one is the best. Not only is it so well-written that I find it impossible to put down, it gives an indepth history of the case and presents many facts which previously had been ignored. Although I don't necessarily believe Miss Lincoln's solution to the case (her diagnosis of Lizzie's temporal epilepsy is a bit far-fetched), I entirely believe her assertions that Lizzie hid her dress under another dress, that Lizzie wore her father's coat while she killed him, and that Lizzie did go to the barn to break the hatchet handle with the "vice-like thing" and was seen by the ice cream vendor. Miss Lincoln writes with the premise that since she is a woman and from Fall River, she can better understand Lizzie, the woman, than any other writer. She may be right. She has an uncanny ability to take the most innocuous comments made by Lizzie and others and see them for what they really were: clues. This is a good starting place for a Lizzie Borden novice, and a good read for someone who is just curious about the case or just enjoys a good book.

On a stiflingly hot August morning in 1892 Lizzie Borden, of Fall River, Massachusetts, chopped her stepmother to death with an ax. An hour and a half later, she killed her father the same way. Although the story has been told by those least qualified to do so -- outsiders and men. Now, for the first time, this famous American crime is examined by someone with all the proper credentials: Victoria Lincoln is a native of Fall River and thus knows the never-revealed "inside" story of the crime that insular community regarded as its "private disgrace"; she is a woman, and as she convincingly demonstrates, the Borden murders -- and their solution -- can be fully understood only by a fellow woman.

Miss Lincoln comes up with startling new findings in her penetrating analysis of the crime. Among them: the hitherto unknown motive for the killings (a secret no one but an inhabitant of Fall River, Massachusetts, ever could possibly disclose); a startling new hypothesis to account for Lizzie's celebrated "peculiar spells" that casts new light on how the crime was committed; and the place where Lizzie hid the dress she was wearing at the time of the murders -- a mystery that has been plaguing criminologists for years.

A PRIVATE DISGRACE is far more than a superb book of fact crime; it is a distinguished piece of writing. Victoria Lincoln is a seasoned, best-selling novelist who has a special relationship with her subject: as a child, she not only lived up the street from Lizzie Borden, but knew her personally. Step by step, Miss Lincoln unfolds the background of the crime; she evokes the special mores of the Fall River upper crust who lived "up on the hill"; she painstakingly re-creates the inquest where Lizzie nakedly admitted her guilt and then was saved by a fantastic stroke of luck -- because of a technicality, the damning inquest trial. But Miss Lincoln does not end with Lizzie's celebrated aquittal; she takes the story beyond to her latter days when, as Lizbeth of Maplecroft, Lizzie lived perhaps her strangest life of all.

The Borden case is one of the most enduring -- and perplexing -- landmarks in American crime annals. A PRIVATE DISGRACE is bound to be regarded as the classic book on this classic American crime.

Ever asked the question, "What was that ship? When did it sail? Why do we know of it? If you buy this book, your questions will be answered. From the Aaron Manby to the Zuytdorp, this book has them all. Even a list of "literary ships" such as the Africa Queen and the Caine.

"Ships of the World" describes each ship in detail including it's dimensions, builder, hull, origin, and ultimate disposition.

A "must" for any naval historian.

Please buy this book. Lincoln is my brother-in-law and he's an all around good guy. If you want to know anything about ships, ask Lincoln.

This book that goes from Titanic to Noah's Ark is a wonderful reference book for all reader's. It is well written and has fabulous pictures. Two thumbs up for Lincoln Paine!

This book was well worth reading but even tho they move to Alaska and build a log cabin on their homestead they don't live off the land. Eventually they build a dairy farm.

The husband has to hold down jobs till they get the dairy farm going.

I guess I expected more of a "live off the land type book"

All the descriptions of picking wild berries and catching salmon makes your mouth water !!

Inspite of the silly title it was pretty good.

It is rare in this modern age of cynicism and apathy to find such an example of family values and caring as was portrayed in the pages of this matchless work. Turn one page and be touched by a family ceaseless struggle to make it in "The Great Land", turn another and be refreshed by humorous vignettes of homestead life, turn another and be moved to tears with memories of a REAL family ( so much like my own) that laughs together and works together. Ms. Lincoln has truly captured the American spirit is this glorious telling of one family's dream.Second only to the genious who wrote this book, must have been the one who illustrated it. From what I have seen, this illustrator will surely go down in history as the greatest who ever wielded a crayon! READ READ READ!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has everything you could want in reading material, action, adventure, drama, humor, and that unique spirit that makes it truly Alaskan. This book is a great representation of how things used to be and in some respects how they still are. Nothing beats small town, Alaskan life and nothing beats my Grandma!

Who knew what a romantic and visionary Mary Todd Lincoln was.
Whether fact or fiction M. Kay duPont gives us a powerful and at times "delicious" insights of a (much) misunderstood era of American history. duPont gives the reader an easy to read story of a very complex, strong and driven woman. One who became a power, if not the power, behind a President.
Mary Todd Lincoln comes alive in this book.... you will grow to admire her, want to comfort her in your arms... while scolding her at the same time. duPont gives you insightful compassions of her struggles and tragic personal losses. The reader will come to appreciate these struggles (she) and our country went through during this era of American history. Most of all the reader may come to realize that had Mary Todd been a woman of the 21st Century, (perhaps) Mr. Lincoln would be known as the man behind her.

Good luck with future publications, wish you all the success you deserve.

Paula L.Eichner
111 Holly Hill
Sunset, SC 29685

As a life long student of Abraham Lincoln, I am aware of the fact that Mary Todd was an intelligent, well educated and polished lady. Kay Dupont has done a superb job of making Mary a human being - like the rest of us - while not losing any of her strengths or good points. Yes, she is still strong and a bit stubborn, but what a lady she was. This book is an easy read and one that any student of Lincoln should add to his/her library.

This book is long overdue. There's so much written about Abraham and so little written about Mary. Throughout history, Mary has been maligned for her excessive shopping, manic-depressive behavior and frigidity. This book puts her behavior in perspective...and reveals quite a robust and lustful sexual liasion with Abe. Equally important is the insight gained about Abe, his many physical disabilities and his reluantancy to run for political office. A well-woven story.

For some reason, perhaps because many intellectuals suffer from and write about it, depression has become a trendy psychological affliction among people who by objective criteria have little to complain about.

Julian L. Simon suffered from depression for many years, yet he was able to defeat it through an eclectic approach incorporating ideas from his Jewish cultural background, cognitive therapy, existential therapy, Eastern philosophy and other sources. It's refreshing to find someone who emphasizes that depression derives from an unhealthy form of self-absorption that needs to be disputed vigorously. Stop making comparisons between your actual life and some hypothetical "ideal" life; recognize that you have an obligation to provide an emotionally healthy environment for the people you love; cultivate the values that conflict with your depression. In general, take action against your depression instead of selfishly wallowing in it.

Although Simon mentions his economics research only in passing in _Good Mood_, I also recommend reading his books about the positive trends in the environment, population and general material well-being to provide some cognitive support for a better attitude towards the human prospect.

The premise of Simon's theory is that depression is due to our tendency to compare ourselves to others, how we used to be, what we hope to be, etc. It sounds simplistic, but the book is actually very comprehensive. Rather than making generalizations about all depressed people, he details many different methods and combinations of methods so that you can choose the ones that will work for you.

lofas

This book presents the full-length versions of some of Lincoln's best oratory feats. Great Speeches contains fifteen of Lincoln's best along with his famous letter to Mrs. Bixby, who lost all five of her sons during the war. Here is an excerpt as only Lincoln could create:
"I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom."

What you get from the book is a fabulous primary source from which to quote our sixteenth president. What you do not get is a lot of analysis on his underlying motivations. Although a short essay at the beginning of each discourse helps place Lincoln's words in historical context, you will not find a wealth of scholarly insight into why Lincoln gave each particular speech and what the implications were to the nation. Nevertheless, Great Speeches helps the reader understand this incredible man in a manner unbiased by the opinions of others.

Highly recommended for anyone wishing to learn more about President Lincoln and some of the issues he faced during a time of incredible national upheaval.

I am hesitant to say much of anything about a historic figure as iconic as Abraham Lincoln, simply because I feel that there is very little to say that hasn't been said, and said better, already. Two brief points, then:

1) In addition to being one of our greatest presidents, Lincoln was also one of our greatest WRITERS. Certainly as a rhetorician he has had few peers - Dr. King is the only American who springs to mind.

2) If you're think about buying this, JUST DO IT. Jeez - it's only a buck fifty. What have you got to lose?

PS Here's a great big "THANK YOU" to Dover Publications for making this and other fine books available at such an economical price. I don't know how you guys do it, but please, DON'T STOP!

First, I would have to say that this book, i.e., Great Speeches (Dover Thrift Editions) [UNABRIDGED] by Abraham Lincoln is by no means an easy read and would have suited better as an audiocassette or a CD. However, as one starts to read his great speeches, e.g., His "Farwell to Springfield" speech, Gettysburg address and annual messages to Congress (or the moving letter to Mrs. Bixby regarding the deaths of all her five sons); then one starts to understand the true genius that this former President was blessed with. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in either history or public speaking: since it is a great aid for both.

When I first picked up this book, I was excited, because it seemed to combine my love of history and science. Indeed, I enjoyed the first half of the book, with its tales of identifying the Czar's family's bones and debating whether certain historical figures had certain conditions. It made me think about all of the great historical answers hidden six feet under. However, the second half of the book turns to straight genetics and the ethical questions new discoveries have raised. Personally, I did not enjoy the second half as much, though I am appreciative of its quality.

I came across this book while I was away at sleepaway camp for the first time at Vasser Collage. One of my older friends, Ashley, was reading this book and I got interested. I spent my remaning [$$$] on this book, and let me tell you! This book is so much more than just a textbook, it helped me explore, for the first time, the world of DNA. Now I am usinf this book for a biography of Abraham Lincoln, and its helping drasticly. Now I am even more sure that when I grow up, I want to be an epidemiologest. If I could choose any book for a favorite, this would be mine! I would highly recomend this book for anyone whose careeer path is similar to mine, of anyone skilled in the medical feild, or anyone looking for a long, interesting, read.

The painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was the dwarfish son of first cousins, who may have suffered from a hereditary dwarfism. Abraham Lincoln, however, was an uncommonly tall man. His height may be a sign that he had a genetic disorder known as "Marfan Syndrome". In 1962, the syndrome was diagnosed in a 7-year-old boy, who was an 8th-generation descendant of the great-great grandfather of the president. The most serious health problem Lincoln bore in life was "melancholia" and he could also have been predisposed to depression, because major depressive illness has a significant hereditary component.
Well-known genetic diseases in royal families are the madness of King George and the bleeders among Queen Victoria's descendants. The son of the last Tsar, Nicholas II, was one of those bleeders. Nicholas and his family were executed and recently DNA techniques were used to identify their bones.

These stories and others are described in this interesting book about DNA, genetics, clones and ethics. Each chapter in this book is a thrilling tale about something like fragile X-es, double Y's, the sheep Dolly or the Cheddar Man.

I have not read the book in its entirety just yet I have read the first 5 sections in the book and I have found them somewhat tedious. The book is filled with diverse topics which only a few have been able to stimulate my interests.

This book provides insight into the tender moments Abraham Lincoln had with his wife Mary. Mary Lincoln does not come across as a shrew or a nag but as a loving wife that from time to time yielded to frustration and had to bear the personnal loss of two sons. Each time, Abraham seemed to know when to comfort her or when to leave matters unsaid.

I read and re-read this classic. Through Irving Stone's elaborate descriptive words, I feel, see and live what Mary Todd "Molly" did. I can smell the oranges, feel the velvet dress, and experience the political turmoil of the times prior to and during the Civil War. I don't even consider this book fiction. I am a romantic at heart, and she showed true devotion and undying love for Honest Abe. She taught me traits to look for in a man, and what to overlook. I am grateful to my father for giving me this book before he passed away.

This book is a real page turner. I live about 80 miles south of where her farm was and I had never heard of her. Its hard to think that someone like this could do the things she did and buy everyones silence. This book makes you glad you were not left homeless in that time. I have talked to some people that lived in and around Hershey and North Platte and they remember the rumors of the goings on on the farm. A great read and hard to put down. Add Annie cook to your list of nightmares.

i read this book years ago, i was still a teenager, I couldn't fully comprehend all that was written, I was just excited to see my great-grandfather's name mentioned in the book, thinking back this reality that was still scares me. Even with everything that has happend since the book was relesed and everything that will happen in the future. I still can't believe that woman was from my hometown.

I have heard many rumors about Annie Cook and her muderouse ways. No one understood the extent of Annie's power that I have heard said about her. I am a victem of domestic violence. I understand how a person can be raped of their will and their soul. This story was so well written it made me embark on a year long investigation of my own. I uesd the directions in the book for the yard sale after Annie died. I found the Cook Farm. Thanks for adding that. The farm has changed. But the barn in the picture of Annie you added in the book is still there. And it looks the same.So is the chicken coops with the bungalo. I found Lizzy, Mary and her husband in the North Platte Cemetery. I was so moved to see that these are real people. I work on genelogy,it is my passion. So I looked the Cook family up in the 1920's census. And Mary is listed as a hired hand! Is this the way Annie got back at her family? Or was Mary a Tax wright off? Lord ,Annie can discust me from her grave. I take my hat off to you Nellie.I could not have listened to the story. I had a hard time reading it. That should let you know It is a very good book1

While previous reviewers may dispute some of the facts recited, it remains that this is a great read about a man whose accomplishments deserve to be remembered. Indeed, a list of his feats would shame many of the more well-remembered aviators whose fame was based more upon subsequent movies than fact.

For instance: Beachey flew upside-down around the Washington Monument, buzzed the Capitol Building until Congress adjourned to see what was happening, and then landed on the White House lawn to meet Mrs. Teddy Roosevelt. It served his purpose perfectly as a lead in to his words to Congress "If I had had a bomb you'de be dead." He was an ardent supporter of aviation as a national defense tool and worked to prove it his whole life.

Mr. Marrero does not purport to offer a scholarly work, nor does he intend that this be a benchmark. Instead, we have a long-overdue refresher of what should never have been forgotten.

I enjoyed the book I borrowed sufficiently that I bought my own copy for my collection. And while I would not put it on the same literary level as, say, Hemmingway (hence only an 8), I would recommend it to anyone.

Frank Marrero writes from his heart, and that is a truly valuable quality in any historian. I learned about an admirable and legendary man, in a field at which I wouldn't have looked twice if it weren't for Mr. Marrero's folklorish and mythical style of writing. Beachey does indeed deserve such love and praise. I hope many more people research and write about him, and such writings would in no way take away from Mr. Marrero's devoted tribute.

It is exciting whenever anyone unearths a buried treasure and shares it with the world. Frank Marrero has done just that. Lincoln Beachey, the man who was key in starting the U.S. Air Force, is now deservedly on center stage.

This exciting and fast-paced read is informative, educational, and even surprising. This is a peak into the past that will delight anyone, whether or not they have any interest in aviation.