Dear Mr. Lincoln: Letters To The President - Softcover

Harold Holzer is Chief Communications Officer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He is the author of many books on the Civil War era, including Lincoln on Democracy with Mario Cuomo, Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: The Civil War in Art with Mark E. Neely, Jr., and The Lincoln-Douglas Debates: The First Complete Unexpurgated Text. For Dear Mr. Lincoln Mr. Holzer won the Barondess/Lincoln Award of the Civil War and the Award of Achievment of the Lincoln Group of New York. He has recieved numerous other awards and honorary degrees for his Lincoln scholarship.

This work provides a fascinating account of the thoughts of a nation as directed to President Lincoln through correspondence. Originally organized and weeded by personal secretaries, the surviving letters are arranged topically, as they were sometimes kept by Lincoln himself. The introduction provides the background needed to understand how the large volume of mail to Lincoln was handled and sorted. The letters cover a wide variety of topics, from advice, complaints, and compliments to threats. For example, he was advised to grow a beard, chided about Mrs. Lincoln's spending, and awarded the city of Savannah as a Christmas gift by General Sherman in 1864. Brief editorial comments following the letters help the reader place them in context. Overall, the work is well organized and edited and provides additional insight into both Lincoln and public opinion at the time. Recommended for all libraries.
- Barbara Zaborowski, Cambria Cty. Lib., Johnstown, Pa.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.