
Abraham Lincoln
A Life
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Narrated by:
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Douglas R Pratt
About this listen
Hailed as the definitive portrait of the sixteenth president, Lincoln scholar Michael Burlingame's impressive two-volume biography has been masterfully abridged and revised.
Based on deep research in unpublished sources as well as newly digitized sources, this work reveals how Lincoln's character and personality were the North's secret weapon in the Civil War, the key variables that spelled the difference between victory and defeat. He was a model of psychological maturity and a fully individuated man whose influence remains unrivaled in the history of American public life.
Burlingame chronicles Lincoln's childhood and early development, romantic attachments and losses, his love of learning, legal training, and courtroom career as well as his political ambition, his term as congressman in the late 1840s, and his serious bouts of depression in early adulthood. Burlingame recounts, in fresh detail, the Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln marriage and traces the mounting moral criticism of slavery that revived his political career and won this Springfield lawyer the presidency in 1860. This abridgment delivers Burlingame's signature insight into Lincoln as a young man, a father, and a politician.
The book is published by Johns Hopkins University Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.
©2023 Johns Hopkins University Press (P)2024 Redwood AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"A brilliant work of depth and detail. A monumental and indeed vital achievement." Jon Meacham, author of And There Was Light)
"Thanks to this expertly crafted abridgement, Michael Burlingame's monumental biography of Lincoln is more readily accessible." James Oakes, author of The Crooked Path to Abolition)
"This skillful one-volume abridgement...now adds the attraction of accessibility to greatness." (Allen C. Guelzo, Princeton University)
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the longest serving president in US history, reshaping the country during the crises of the Great Depression and World War II. James MacGregor Burns's magisterial two-volume biography tells the complete life story of the fascinating political figure who instituted the New Deal. The Lion and the Fox details Roosevelt's youth, education, and his rise to national prominence, through his first two terms as president. The Soldier of Freedom is a moving profile of a leader gifted with rare political talent in an era of extraordinary challenges.
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Dedicated Author
- By Michael on 01-13-24
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An American Marriage
- The Untold Story of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd
- By: Michael Burlingame
- Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Based on 30 years of research, An American Marriage describes and analyzes why Lincoln had good reason to regret his marriage to Mary Todd. This revealing narrative shows that, as First Lady, Mary Lincoln accepted bribes and kickbacks, sold permits and pardons, engaged in extortion, and peddled influence
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Interesting
- By Frances Hampton on 02-13-22
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And There Was Light
- Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle
- By: Jon Meacham
- Narrated by: Jon Meacham
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Hated and hailed, excoriated and revered, Abraham Lincoln was at the pinnacle of American power when secessionists gave no quarter in a clash of visions bound up with money, race, identity, and faith. In him we can see the possibilities of the presidency as well as its limitations. This book tells the story of Lincoln from his birth on the Kentucky frontier to his leadership during the Civil War to his tragic assassination: his rise, his self-education, his loves, his bouts of depression, his political failures, his deepening faith, and his persistent conviction that slavery must end.
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A Winner
- By Diane Moore on 10-31-22
By: Jon Meacham
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The Black Man's President
- Abraham Lincoln, African Americans, & the Pursuit of Racial Equality
- By: Michael Burlingame
- Narrated by: Tony Isabella
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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In a little-noted eulogy delivered after Lincoln's assassination, Frederick Douglass called the president "emphatically the black man's president," the "first to show any respect for their rights as men." Douglass pointed not just to Lincoln's official acts and utterances, like the Emancipation Proclamation or the Second Inaugural Address, but also to the president's own personal experiences with Black people.
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Serious issues
- By Amazon Customer on 06-02-23
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Making the Presidency
- John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic
- By: Lindsay M. Chervinsky
- Narrated by: Lindsay M. Chervinsky
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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The United States of 1797 faced enormous challenges. The father of the new nation, George Washington, left his vice president, John Adams, with relatively little guidance and impossible expectations to meet. Adams was confronted with intense partisan divides, debates over citizenship, fears of political violence, potential for foreign conflict with France and Britain, and a nation unsure that the presidency could even work without Washington at the helm. Making the Presidency is an exploration of the second US presidency, a period critical to the survival of the American republic.
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A non-comprehensive deep cut on Adam's Presiency
- By DB1089 on 09-22-24
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Lincoln's Lieutenants
- The High Command of the Army of the Potomac
- By: Stephen W. Sears
- Narrated by: James Conlan
- Length: 31 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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The high command of the Army of the Potomac was a changeable, often dysfunctional band of brothers, going through the fires of war under seven commanding generals in three years, until Grant came east in 1864. The men in charge all too frequently appeared to be fighting against the administration in Washington instead of for it, increasingly cast as political pawns facing down a vindictive congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War.
By: Stephen W. Sears
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Mr. Jefferson's Hammer
- William Henry Harrison and the Origins of American Indian Policy
- By: Robert M. Owens
- Narrated by: Doug McDonald
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Often remembered as the president who died shortly after taking office, William Henry Harrison remains misunderstood by most Americans. Before becoming the ninth president of the United States in 1841, Harrison was instrumental in shaping the early years of westward expansion. Robert M. Owens now explores that era through the lens of Harrison’s career, providing a new synthesis of his role in the political development of Indiana Territory and in shaping Indian policy in the Old Northwest.
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Title = Truth in Advertising
- By William Jenks on 06-18-19
By: Robert M. Owens
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Lincoln vs. Davis
- The War of the Presidents
- By: Nigel Hamilton
- Narrated by: Rick Adamson
- Length: 32 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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From a renowned biographer comes the greatest untold story of the Civil War: how two American presidents faced off as the fate of the nation hung in the balance—and how Abraham Lincoln came to embrace emancipation as the last, best chance to save the Union. With a cast of unforgettable characters, from first ladies to fugitive coachmen to treasonous cabinet officials, Lincoln vs. Davis is a spellbinding dual biography from renowned presidential chronicler Nigel Hamilton: a saga that will surprise, touch, and enthrall.
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loved the insights of inner cabinets.
- By Amazon Customer on 11-07-24
By: Nigel Hamilton
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Lincoln in Private
- What His Most Personal Reflections Tell Us About Our Greatest President
- By: Ronald C. White
- Narrated by: Ronald C. White
- Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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A deeply private man, shut off even to those who worked closely with him, Abraham Lincoln often captured “his best thoughts", as he called them, in short notes to himself. He would work out his personal stances on the biggest issues of the day, never expecting anyone to see these pieces of writing, which he’d then keep close at hand, in desk drawers and even in his top hat. The profound importance of these notes has been overlooked, because the originals are scattered across several different archives and have never before been brought together and examined as a coherent whole.
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A Good One--Highly Recommend
- By Jeffy on 04-18-23
By: Ronald C. White
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Team of Rivals
- The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
- By: Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 41 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry. Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war.
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Beautiful, Heartbreaking, and Informative
- By JJ on 09-10-12
What listeners say about Abraham Lincoln
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- joan m.
- 09-24-24
What an Extraordinary Human Being!
This was an excellent account of an extraordinary man who faced opposition and struggles throughout most of his life. His childhood was heartbreakingly devoid of love and attention. His deeply rooted sense of fairness and his incredible compassion made him a successful lawyer, and later a great president - despite facing secession and soon after, a civil war.
The narrator grew on me! Kind of a coarse voice, and he made frequent mistakes with the text, but he lent welcome humor to many passages, and he read with feeling.
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- nick
- 07-25-24
Well done!
Succinct but sufficient. Good narration, well written. Lots of primary and secondary sources. Gratifying to hear his contemporaries give praise to him. Lincoln is my oldest hero.
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- JoelB
- 05-01-24
A Deep Look Into the Life and Times of Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln: A Life
I have finished listening to the audio book, Abraham Lincoln: A Life, masterfully read by @Douglaspratt. The audio book is taken from a condensed version of the original. As it is, there are 36 chapters of narrative. It covers Lincoln’s life from his childhood to his final day.
The chapters on his family and early years give insights into the formation of his anti-slavery views, and aspects of his character.
What struck me most were Lincoln’s responses to the political issues of his day, the foremost being the slavery issue and with that, the preservation of the Union.
While Lincoln declared openly that he thought slavery to be wrong, his stated priority as President was to preserve the Union.
As I listened to Lincoln’s life unfold, I could not help but draw parallels to today's politics. It has led me to conclude that politics has not changed all that much.
In his attempts to thread the needle regarding the slavery question and preservation of the Union, I wonder how Lincoln would have fared against the true believers and the issues of today.
Lincoln faced problems not entirely unlike those encountered by the most recent Presidents. Abolitionists thought him to be too compromising, while pro-slavery opponents considered him to be too uncompromising. His party was splintered. He was at times forced to remove cabinet officials or generals who were convinced that their way was so much better that they would resort to subterfuge to have it.
The military was unprepared to fight against the Rebellion. The highest ranking generals were incompetent. Newspapers were sometimes vicious in their attacks, particularly the New York newspapers. He was sometimes described as ape-like, a baboon, or coarse and uncouth, but he was more the wise man and diplomat than any of his critics.
Lincoln seemed to be filled with a rare degree of humility and kindness. When Lincoln was forced to remove a man from office or transfer him to a less prominent position, he often expressed his great satisfaction with the best performances in the post from which he was removing him.
Constitutional questions arose concerning property rights and habeas corpus. Lincoln sometimes found himself in uncharted territory concerning the Constitution and its application. He was accused by some of being a tyrant. His appeal to the unusual circumstances of the time is controversial to some even now. Some of Lincoln’s statements would brand him a racist by today’s standards, but he was a man of the times and understood the opinions of the populace well.
Lincoln is shown in the book to be a politician of the highest ability and a man of integrity in spite of the pressures upon him. Those of us who enjoy history, biography, and politics, will find this audio book to be a thorough and thoughtful treatment of one of Americas great Presidents.
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