Lincoln: An Illustrated Biography

Philip B. Kunhardt Jr.; Philip B. Kunhardt III; Peter W. Kunhardt

ISBN 10: 0679408622 ISBN 13: 9780679408628

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992

Synopsis

A biography of Abraham Lincoln chronicles his life and depicts him as president, military leader, politician, and family man, discussing his shortcomings and accomplishments. Tour.

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Reviews

YA-- The companion volume to an ABC television documentary, this splendid pictorial biography is filled with photographs, portraits, and illustrations of Lincoln, his family, and his contemporaries. Many of them, including original works by Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner, are from the famous Meserve Collection, a major repository of Civil War and Lincoln memorabilia. The textual accompaniment features many of the subject's own words as well as eyewitness accounts, which are set off in shaded areas. Each month of Lincoln's presidency is given a double-page spread devoted to pictures of the significant and ordinary people he encountered during that time period. A detailed bibliography gives references to primary sources and literature that would be helpful to serious and interested researchers.
- Nancy Bard, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This pictorial biography, a companion volume to a forthcoming TV miniseries, also stands well on its own. Most of the 900 illustrations are drawn from the Frederick Hill Meserve private family collection, a 19th-century photo archive that specializes in Lincoln material. Presented chronologically, the illustrations provide both a definitive visual record of Lincoln's life and a compelling view of the Civil War from the president's perspective. The text, by Meserve's grandson, former Life managing editor Philip B. Kunhardt Jr., and his two sons, relies heavily and effectively on quotations from Lincoln and his contemporaries. The book presents not an icon, but a man who "wrote like a poet, laughed like a hyena, and cried real tears." His consuming struggle to preserve the Union eventually led him to redefine its promises and extend its freedoms in ways that determined America's future. This work convincingly sustains and enhances Lincoln's position as a dominant moral figure of our history. 125,000 first printing; BOMC alternate.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The mystique surrounding Abraham Lincoln takes to the airwaves this fall in a documentary to be broadcast as a four-part ABC miniseries. Designed to accompany the TV series, this generously illustrated biography includes 900 photographs, daguerreotypes, drawings, paintings, and sketches depicting Lincoln from his Illinois youth, early public career, White House years, and the Civil War. While the volume is a major tribute to the 16th president, it also stands as evidence to the pursuits of Frederick Hill Meserve, who began collecting the photographs that are the book's basis. First his daughter and then his grandson, Philip Kunhardt Jr., continued his obsession. Subsequently, the latter's two sons, Philip III and Peter, were also intrigued by Lincolniana. The three male Kunhardts authored the text, and Peter is the creator of the TV documentary. Their tribute to Lincoln intersperses an engaging anecdotal narrative with pictures representing his saga and tragedy. Reasonably priced for a photographic volume, Lincoln is highly recommended for all libraries.
-Boyd Childress, Auburn Univ. Lib., Ala.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0679408622
• ISBN 13: 9780679408628
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 415