GDG- Lincoln books

[Tom Ryan]

To follow up on this general topic, this morning Book-tv repeated Doris
Kearns Goodwin"s discussion of her book "Team of Rivals" that C-SPAN
recorded at the Book Festival on the Mall in D.C. a few months ago.  She
drew a packed audience into the tent, and delivered a basically
extemporaneous presentation with clarity and passion.  She physically looked
a little wasted, but that might have been from fatigue caused by the book
tour.

The book is still in my growing pile of "got to get to soon" reading matter.
The comments on this forum as I recall have been uniformly positive, so I
better move it to the top soon to find out what the hubbub is all about.

Tom Ryan

-----Original Message-----
From: gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com
[mailto:gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com]On Behalf Of James Cameron
Sent: Monday, January 01, 2007 10:50 AM
To: GDG
Subject: Re: GDG- Winter Stomp


Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:


<< On another subject, this morning on Book TV, James Simon talked about his
new book called "Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney: Slavery, Secession, and
the President's War Powers."  The author discussed the three issues listed
in the title, and more than once commented that Lincoln would not have been
elected president escept for Roger Taney's written opinion in the Dred Scott
case.  He tied the decision to the Lincoln-Douglas debates that led to
national recognition for Lincoln, even though he lost the Senate race to
Douglas in 1858.

Is this book on anyone's radar screen yet?

Tom Ryan >>

No, it has not, so I can't comment in any informed manner on the author's
contention.  That said, I tend to be skeptical about anything which attempts
to attribute a result which was influenced by so many factors, such as
Lincoiln's election, to a single "but for" such as Taney's Dred Scott
opinion.

I am currently reading "An Honest Calling", on Lincoln's law practice, by
Mark Steiner.  I'm not that deep into it yet, and thus far it has been as
much about the state of mid-19th century legal education and practice in
general, including how it related to Whig politics, as about Lincoln's own
practice in particular.


Jim Cameron



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