Safire has written a Civil War novel that is as inaccurate as any I've ever read. He confuses generals with similar names, for example. He has Baldy Smith at Shiloh with Grant, when it was actually C.F. Smith who was there. He takes Nathaniel Lyon out of Missouri, and puts him in Maryland in place of Nathaniel Banks.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. His worst blunder was when he was describing the capture of two Confederate soldiers and said they knew they would be sent north to Libby Prison, as bad in the north as Andersonville was in the south. They couldn't possibly have thought that, since Andersonville didn't even exist yet at that point in the war. Besides, Libby was a Confederate prison camp in Richmond, Virginia.

The book is obviously not well-researched, in spite of his long, impressive-looking section of notes at the end of the book. There are some great Civil War novels out there, but this is certainly not one of them.

If you want to read a good one, try one of these:

1. The Killer Angels
2. Walk Like a Man
3. Ride With the Devil
4. A Soldier's Book
5. Nashville, 1864
6. The Red Badge of Courage

I give this book 5 stars for its subject matter and detail, but two stars for the quality of writing, averaging to 4 stars overall.

This book will literally overwhelm you with detail, and to that extent it is a staggering achievement. There is a huge amount of detail here about political, military, and social figures of the Civil War era--more than most readers frankly would ever want to know. Is it accurate? Beats me. Is it interesting? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. For example, Safire creates an unforgettable characterization of Albert Sidney Johnston, the great Confederate general of the Western theater. On the other hand, there is far more detail here about Rose Greenhow, Kate Chase, and others too numerous to mention than I can imagine anyone wanting to know. And I speak as a Civil War buff of sorts.

This is in fact the story of the Civil War from the election of Abraham Lincoln to the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. A pivotal time in America's history, and Safire is right to assume that this subject merits close attention. This is a book you can truly immerse yourself in.

Unfortunately, the novel is pretty heavy going as a consequence of the vast amount of detail, and the rapidly and constantly changing characters and points of view. Safire's prose is heavy almost as though he himself is staggering under the weight of the details he presents. Well, that's how it seemed to me anyway.

This is not a book for the casual reader. But there is a lot here, and if you put in the effort (and it can be a pleasent effort) you will be both entertained and educated.

Safire has written what can only be described as "history nouveau'.At times soap opera, comedy, and tragedy that was the American Civil War, Safire has his pulse on what was. From the opening pages, to the conclusion the richness of the writing is outstanding. I recommend this book not only for the " weekend historian", but for the High School- College student as a historical primer. Don't be overwhelmed by the size of this Novel, once started it is impossible to put down, as the characters become alive in front of you. These "historical figures" were ordinary people caught up on extraordinary times, the humor is in the fact that when Safire if most serious he is fictitional, when most humorous he is historically accurate. The fun is trying to figure out which is which...

I consider Abraham Lincoln our greatest President - greater even than Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt or FDR - for no other reason than he performed the duties of his office under pressures that would have beaten down a lesser man. Consider for a moment. He had to quell a nation-shattering rebellion. The top generals of his eastern armies were incompetent. He lost two of his young sons to disease. He had to persuade those states still loyal to accept two very controversial initiatives: a military draft and emancipation of blacks. His wife was a spendthrift and mentally unbalanced.

LINCOLN'S MEN examines Uncle Abe's relationship with the men of his armies, particularly those citizens that enlisted (or were drafted) into the states' volunteer regiments. Realizing that the officer corps took care of its own, his concern was chiefly spent on such issues important to the non-commissioned ranks, such as pay, fair military justice, length of enlistment, battlefield health care, and supply. Lincoln's office door was always open to anyone, even the most humble of privates, who had a petition or grievance to present. I find this last fact truly amazing when, today, the White House is a virtual fortress denying casual access to the most innocent of visitors.

The cynical might say that Lincoln was simply a politician, in the basest sense, currying favor with those whose efforts in the trenches might potentially fail to keep him in power. Indeed, while he was constantly visiting with and reviewing the troops of the eastern armies, particularly the hapless Army of the Potomac, he never once called on the western commands of Grant and Sherman because, after all, they were consistent winners. While this favoritism is glaring, the author, William Davis, presents it simply as a father caring for the most needy of his children. I agree. The affection Lincoln engendered in "his boys" in all military theaters of operation is evidenced by the vote they gave him in the election of 1864, and the tributes accorded him by veterans' groups in the decades following the war. He was truly Father Abraham.

LINCOLN'S MEN is a well-researched, informative example of historical reporting. Two-hundred fifty pages of text are supported by a 14-page bibliography and 46 pages of notes. I have only two complaints, which prevent me from awarding five stars. First, the author includes virtually no examples of Lincoln's famous, rustic wit. (The author's style, at times, makes for very dry reading. Dry as a soldier's hardtack.) Second, there's no supporting section of photographs. However, I certainly recommend this volume to any student of the Civil War.

Given the mountain of books about either Abraham Lincoln or the American Civil War, one would think that someone would have come up with the idea of exploring the relationship between Lincoln and the rank-and-file Union soldier. But Davis is apparently the first to do so, and he handles the topic in a way that is bound to delight anyone interested in either topic, from the novice to the expert.

He has obviously thoroughly researched the wealth of letters, diaries, and other orginal sources that are available; his points are well documented. Moreover, he avoids repeating himself by either using the same source over and over again (as Ken Burns did in the Civil War series and Bruce Catton tended to do in his otherwise fascinating histories), nor does he pile up so much evidence on a single point that the reader becomes bored.

He explores the Lincoln-enlisted man relationship from a variety of angles, ranging from Lincoln's dismissal of the highly popular McClellan to his liberal use of his pardoning prerogative for wayward soldiers to veterans' attitudes in the 1864 Presidential election to his assassination. He frames much of the book in terms of Parson Weems's classic biography of George Washington, which depicted GW as "the Father of His Country," and suggests that the book had an early, perhaps subconscious effect on Lincoln, giving him a model to adopt when he became President--and makes a plausible case.

He also demonstrates that Lincoln very consciously invested in promoting a positive image of himself with the Union rank and file. Lincoln was very aware of how his position as President affected everyday Americans, and became (according to Davis) the first President to make an effort to be seen by ordinary citizens, especially Union soldiers.

This is a well-written, enjoyable book, satisfying in every sense. It was truly hard to put down.

This book is an excellent example of how one man was willing to take on the weight of the world to preserve a nation and take care of it's people. The world could use more "Abe Lincolns". An intimate look at Lincoln's intelligence, compassion, bravery, humor, and tremendous effection for his army, truely a role model for any generation. A smooth read that will give you a new found respect for the 16th President and the Civil War.

Two Gun Cohen is bigger than life. Like most biographies it is not a fast reading book, but it is a great book for anyone interested in the history of western Canada, China or interested in Jewish biography. I read the book after visiting places in England where Two Gun Cohen spent his youth,in the cities of western Canada where he spent his youth and China where he spend his mid life. The book is not for anyone that is not interested in history or biographies of unusual people. For me it was a great book; I wish that it was still available in hard cover, I am buying two addional copies for two friends of mine.

First of all, I should say that my primary reason for reading this book was not because of some particular interest in the story of Two-Gun Cohen. My first attraction to this book grew from my interest in the history of China, and particularly modern China, which I date from the Macartney's mission in 1783. This book did not disappoint. It is a very useful addition to the study of China in the period from the 1911 revolution through the Communist revolution of 1949 and beyond. It gives very little insight into the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), but there is lots of stuff written on that period.

I have not read anything else by this author, so I cannot make comparisons to his other work, but I will say one thing: I like a guy who does his homework. This book is nothing if not well researched. That is, in fact, it's main strength. I used to be a country school teacher-believe me, I have heard every excuse in the book for why the homework wasn't done. And I have become weary in recent years of "historians" who pretend to be writing history, but in fact have no interest in what actually happened. Ever go to a library and try to get Gore Vidal's "Lincoln?" It's in the fiction section. Or how about Oliver Stone, who openly admits (without any sense of shame) that he plays loose with the facts? That kind of stuff sells to a nation of people who are products of the American public school system. But for those who really care about what actually happened, a higher standard must prevail. Daniel Levy holds to that standard, and even helps to establish it, because his careful workmanship serves as an example to those who would address the same period. Bottom line: this is just very good history.

Now to the story. This book addresses the question of who Cohen is in comparison with how he presented himself, or allowed himself to be presented. Cohen was not the "mover and shaker" that he is sometimes said to be. But he was not just a worthless pretender, either. As I see it, Cohen distinguished himself in two areas: He was a very good body guard for Sun Yat Sen, and he also had the dubious distinction of being a first rate gun runner. Other than that, he doesn't seem to have been able to get by without some kind of a hustle. He started life as a petty crook, and this set a pattern that really prevented him from having dependable, gainful employment when the chips were down. I don't mean that he could never get away from the life of crime. What I mean is that, because he took the easy way out as a youth, he never took the time to learn a trade. I always encourage young people to develop a marketable skill that they can fall back on if they ever need to. This is something Cohen never did, and there was a time in his later life when it really would have come in handy. While Sun Yat Sen was alive, Cohen was riding high. But after he died, and especially after World War II, Cohen suffered a long period of marginal or nonexistent employment. Nothing wrong with being an adventurer, but it really helps if you have a trade skill to take you through the dry periods.

Toward the end of his life, Cohen did manage to secure some very good work as a consultant because of his contacts in China. These connections, by the way, were genuine. It would be grandiose in the extreme to suggest that Cohen shaped the future of China. But he was well acquainted with some of those who did. That part of his self-presentation was not made up.

I gave this book five stars because it was so well researched. But it is also a very personal story of a man that I think, in some way, we all aspire to be. I respect Cohen for daring to step out and discover a world that so many of his peers shied away from. He was not satisfied with the ordinary. And he was in many ways a very likeable, if sometimes pathetic person. This was a very enjoyable book. It is not as quick a read as some others, partly because the author went to great lengths to verify his assertions. But I think any honest reader will find it to be a worthy contribution to the literature.

I long ago heard of Two-Gun Cohen, and was pleased when I found out that there was finally a biography of him. Daniel Levy has crafted a clear, well written account of Cohen and taken the time to delve deeply into his life. I was amazed at what Levy uncovered, from Cohen's World War I medical files (I am surprised that such material still survives), to the dossiers the State Department kept on him and the depositions chronicling Cohen's various court visits. More importantly, Levy obviously took pains to get Cohen's life right and to track down those who knew him well. For by going through his encyclopedic footnotes and seeing all the people he spoke to, one realizes that if Levy solely relied on the cold documentary history of records and newspaper clips, Cohen would have come across as a less interesting and much rougher character. What Levy has presented us with is a well-rounded view of this adventurer, and written a riveting and graceful history of an amazing man.

I concur with the other reviewers in general (I don't want to repeat the basic statements), but wanted to point out my defining moment of shock, not to say incomprehension, over Felix's crack-up. Why on earth did this occur? He is shown as being on top of things, when Enid has to have an abortion --- all described so well ---- and then, with no real explanation, JCO tells us "In early March it began..." Why?

Suddenly,he becomes (glibly?) like the old boxing bum he despised, and so disintegrates. The old bum is even able to spot him in a restroom and do him over(!). Sorry, but I just lost touch with the book at this point. I finished it, because so much of what had gone before was excellent. Lyle Stevick, especially. JCO certainly got inside male characters in a way most women who write do not. This was particularly so over the effect sports have on men who practise them (as opposed to sitting on their rear ends watching...). Perhaps JCO should have taken up boxing...

As you can see, I really liked the book up to the point where JCO (not Felix) loses it. I almost felt as if I was watching some other writer take over her character and proceed to write him out, sans perception. This is a vintage book, now, so I don't suppose many people will post this page, but I write FWIW and IMHO, as they say.

That said, dear potential reader, do buy it in paperback. It's worth it.

FGH

Joyce Carol Oates is a gifted writer, and although I enjoyed this book because of its attention to detail, that detail was also one of the aspects I didn't like. I was impressed with Ms. Oates study and expertise of boxing, but I also found it detracting to the story, at times. Still, this is a good book and worth the read.

I read this book a number of years ago and I can still remember, vividly, what the story is about--the characters--the setting. I took to watching boxing for a while after I read it, not the big title matches but the small town boys going at it dreaming of fame. Thanks to Ms. Oates' love for boxing I found a new way to see this "sport". But that is not what I remember most. I remember a character who is nothing short of a despicable, who does evil, unspeakable things and who I was made to care about. I don't think he will ever leave me...I couldn't forget him if I tried. Reading Oates can make you a more compassionate person--if you want her to our not. What a gift. Read the book, you won't be sorry you did--and, it is my guess that you too will remember this one.

This is the best tool I've ever used. Her book makes reading your cards come alive and comprehensive. I use this book every night. The spreads really do speak to me, and I now understand the relationships between upright and inverted. This is the only book you'll ever need!

First of all, I would like to say that this book is FANTASTIC. This author, Sylvia Abraham, really understands life's problems and questions. She has created the most exact tarot card reading layouts and accurate interpretations I have ever read...I've been studying Tarot for over 30 years, and I know "truth" when I read it! She accurately answers real questions about: love, money, home, children, legal issues, jobs, moving...and more. I do recommend this book to Tarot card beginners as well as Tarot card professionals.

First of all, I would like to say that this book is FANTASTIC and worth every penny. This author, Sylvia Abraham, really understands life's problems and questions. This book was long overdue and has fulfilled a need for tarot card layouts that pinpoint EXACT situation areas, such as: love, money, home, children, legal issues, jobs, moving...and more. A novice, using this book as a guide, could perform an amazing first time card reading. This book answers very real questions with interpretations that are extremely accurate. Having studied Tarot Cards for over 30 years, I know truth when I read it! I do recommend this book to Tarot card beginners as well as Tarot card professionals.

This book should be shelved next to "The Bible Codes". The Bible codes claimed to find meaningful patterns in the way letters are distributed through the bible; Kikawada and Quinn claim to find a meaningful pattern in the repetitions and contradictions of the biblical text. They claim this is the author's art, rather than evidence of separate texts having been sutured together.

Their reading is simply not convincing. The repititions in Genesis do not look like the similar repititions in other Near Eastern literature. They have a different quality, which is evident to any reader who is willing to look at the texts as historical documents rather than as some kind of lifeline to God.

The documentary hypothesis lives. Kikawada and Quinn are forgotten by all but a handful of tenacious Christians. Do a websearch and see who supports their theory - evangelical Christian organizations.

I am surprised that this book has never attracted the attention it should have. Quinn and Kikiwada, two Berkeley scholars, make a compelling case for reading Genesis 1-11 as a unified text. The documentary thesis, with the sometimes convoluted efforts to separated out even fragments of verses to various author,s was very much a product of late romanticism and the belief in the representation of time and progress in natural phenomena--from the discovery of time differentiation in sedimentary rocks to the awareness that star gazing was a look into different times simultaneously. This same documentary thesis was popular among Greek scholars at the same time. Few critics now argue that Homer's Iliad is a mere patchwork, yet the documentary thesis of the composition of Genesis remains.

With an extensive knowledge of linguistics, rhetoric, and literary theory as well as the careful use of the evidence used to jsutify the documentary thesis, Quinn and Kikiwada produce a reading of the first eleven chapters of Genesis which reveals a sophisticated and elegant construction that is far from being a patchwork or mosaic. Genesis 1-11 is a layering of chiasmus upon chiasmus, with each reinforcing the general themes of dispersion, a theme whic runs counter to that other closely related Near Eastern narratives of creation and the flood.

The late Arthur Quinn died prematurely, but it is time that biblical commentators and biblical scholars paid these two men their due.

In this fairly short and tightly reasoned book (unfortunately not now in print), Isaac Kikawada and Arthur Quinn argue very convincingly that the "documentary hypothesis" has had its day. Their thesis: that a hundred-odd years of scholarship inspired by Wellhausen's theory has _itself_ produced the very evidence which proves it false. In order to support this contention, the authors examine the portion of the Bible at which support for the "documentary hypothesis" seems strongest: the story of Noah and the Flood. And true to their aim, they deftly show that the very features of the text which seem to support multiple authorship can, when viewed slightly differently, also be seen as evidence that the text is the work of a single author capable of great brilliance and subtlety. It is this last point that I think deserves the greatest emphasis. Too often, the stories of the Jewish scriptures are written off as "primitive" or "barbaric," and superficial contradictions or immoralities are taken as evidence of the unsophistication of the text's author(s) and target audience. Recognizing and questioning our hidden assumption here is an essential step toward recognizing the possibility that -- as Kikawada and Quinn put it -- if we think we spot an error in the text, it is more likely we who are at fault. For consider: since the "documentary hypothesis" requires a "redactor" who was not unduly concerned about obvious "contradictions," why do we rule out the possibility that a _single_ author might have been similarly unconcerned? And if the latter possibility is _not_ ruled out, why do we assume that these apparent "contradictions" are not stylistic contrivances that are intended for a more sophisticated audience than we have thus far considered? And in that case, might not the very features of the text revealed by proponents of the "documentary hypothesis" be themselves evidence of a deeper unity and design? Why, rather than look for such unity and design, do we assume the "redactor" must have been so stupid as to be unable to recognize difficulties that are obvious to any child (and indeed were discussed in the Talmudic literature at least two millennia ago)? Kikawada and Quinn have laid waste to the "documentary hypothesis" by accepting what is good in it and showing that it undermines itself. This little book will be of interest to all who wish to defend the integrity of Scripture, and especially to readers of Umberto Cassuto's _The Documentary Hypothesis_ (unfortunately not now in print either).

This is an excellent biography. The only reason I rate it 4 stars rather than 5 is that it is a bit dry at times, especially when Guelzo drops out of what I call his narrative biography mode and into his history lecture mode. During those times, I was tempted to ask, "Is there going to be a test next week?" :)

Nevertheless; I've read six other bios of Lincoln and what makes this one especially interesting and unique, as far as I know, is that rather than exploring his life only through his actions, it explores his intellectual and political development and his growth as a religious seeker. The author then uses those observations to try to explain not only Lincoln's Civil War accomplishments but also his domestic policy achievements.

I apologize if this review has also drifted into "the lecture mode." I do highly recommend this book for both the academic and general reader.

I've read, I suppose, 500 books and articles about Abraham Lincoln, but Allen Guelzo's Redeemer President is by far the best on the subject of the beliefs that animated the 16th President. Lincoln's ideas on politics, the economy and social relations -- and especially on religion -- are clearly (but not too simply) described, and Guelzo shows how these developed over time and influenced Lincoln's actions. The book is most satisfying because it presents a convincing portrait of Lincoln as he understood himself, and so makes him less enigmatic -- but no less complex -- than he is usually shown.

Gulezo, in his book, decides to concentrate on the intellectual and religious development of our sixteenth president. Since Gulezo readily admits that religion did not play a very important role in Lincoln's actions, I am not sure why he chose to highlight this area. With this criticism aside, Gulezo writes a highly readable and absorbing narrative of Lincoln's life. Like all good historians, Gulezo focuses his narrative without forcing opinions on the reader. After reading the book, it is abundantly clear that Lincoln remained a Whig moderate on the slavery issue. Gulezo correctly and intelligently seals the continuum between his Whiggish beliefs in the American System and his views toward slavery. He is not the phlegmatic opportunist of Hofstader nor the evil racist rumored but denied by Kearns-Goodwin and Spielberg. The most valid criticism of Lincoln, phrasing it as Barry Goldwater might, may be his moderation instead of his extremism in the pursuit of virtue; maybe it is a sin. In summary, it would be difficult for me to conceive of a better writen biography of Lincoln. After finishing this book, I was left with a much better understanding of this president.

Jim Bakker has struck a resounding chord with his book on Prosperity and the Coming Apocalypse. Unlike an earlier reader who misunderstood Jim, he doesn't attack pre-tribulationism, but clearly shows from the biblical that the church may well experience the Tribulation. My question to the earlier reader is if God didn't spare the early church from such persecution, and they were probably a lot more pure in their expectations of Christ's return, why should God spare the Church of the 21st century from persecution, especially as it deals with the Church of Jesus Christ in the United States. We are a materialistic, soft, and spoiled church who argues about everything, and is accountable to no one. It's about time that God did some purifying, and that the Church SHOULD go through some of the Tribulation. Mr. Bakker is not embracing "Kingdom Now" theology, as the earlier reader suggested, and he should re-read Bakker's book to know this. The only problem with this book is it is dated as far as Y2K is concerned, and Bakker's insistence on a meteor is plausible, but not scientific. Maybe God would use His own creation to do the job. Only He knows, but Jim's treatise on prosperity is golden and should be read by all those who are in the wealth, health and prosperity, as well as the name it and claim it gospel, far more damaging than some other things. Highly recommended!!!!!

I literally consumed this book. There is nothing but truth to what Jim Bakker has to say, read this book, sit with your Bible and search the scriptures yourself. I have recently been rethinking the PreTrib Rapture "concept" and Bro. Bakker has given me reason to doubt what I have been taught all of my life. I see that Christians will go through at least a portion of the Tribulation as a refining process, taken out only before Judgment comes to the earth. I also see that God will provide for His children in ways that only He can. I understand more fully the NEED to prepare for the coming times. If you read this and do not come away with a renewed hunger to get closer to God and Love the Lord more than you ever have you have greatly missed something in this book. Be Prepared. You will have your theologies challenged. I recommend this book highly, I wish all pastors and leaders would read this book and glean the warnings that are here. Focus on God and not the things of the world!

I too, can't believe I bought a book by Jim Bakker. And, I really liked it!

Just finishing a phenomenal book series on Raptured Christians, I was compelled to read more on "The End Times." I was concerned about where in the Bible it spoke about "Rapture." I found all the pertinent Tribulation scriptures in Revelations, yet none of "Rapture." So, I searched and searched for anything that would lead me to this. I thought, "My God, what has this world come to for me to have to go to Jim Bakker for info on RAPTURE." Much to my surprise, it had nothing I was looking for, yet everything I needed to read.

Jim speaks of our unconscious dependency on $$$, material things, wealth and things we take for granted daily such as utility, electricity, communications and so on - in our society today. And how we've become so accustomed to making all those things our God without even knowing it. Thus, making the Devil even more deceitful than one can comprehend. Perhaps we should challenge ourselves to see just how much "abundance of this world" is really a part of us. I know I feel awakened... I hear Jim Bakker urging us & crying out to us like John the Baptist did in Jesus' time to make straight the path of the Lord. It behooves us Christians to listen hard for God's guidance, rather than to our own pride slaying the words of other Christians whom we feel may not be in sync with our own beliefs. I hope Christians (like the choosen Jews of biblical times) find themselves choosing Jesus this time - and NOT Barrabas - because they're too content with the way they're living.

I pray for all the Christians out there that they hear Jesus Christ through Jim Bakker or whomever He chooses to send ahead of Him, as Christ leads us through that narrow path to the Righteous One.

When I first read these reviews it convinced me to buy this book. Though it is very useful the only problem it has is it's presentation. if it were presented like some of the other verb 501 books like Spanish, Italian, French, etc.. this book would be golden. Thus this book is hard to follow. don't get me wrong it is a good book but its potenial was not fully realized.

On the whole, I use this book as much if not more than I do the dictionary. The reason is simple: you get the shoresh and the binyan with every single verb, a must in a university level Hebrew class. This book probably won't be much use to the beginner (it's real value lies with the shoresh and binyan/gizrah, and, to a less extent, with the past and future conjugations of the verbs). However, if you ever plan on getting past the bare bones basics (i.e., if you want to be able to say more than "Shalom" and "Ayfo ha Mesahdah?"), then you will want to pick it up. The reason I gave the book four stars is that it was written left to right as opposed to the more correct right to left. However, while this is quite unnatural, it can be overcome.

Since most of us who are involved in Hebrew study use a reference book like this constantly, why is it in paperback? Even with careful handling, a thick book like this doesn't stand a chance in paperback. Within a year the owner must contend with loose pages, as others in my class have also discovered. If this problem were corrected, I would immediately rank this as a 5-star book because it contains many verbs along with their vowel markings, and it is far easier to use than Tarmon's Hebrew Verb Tables. (It's good to have both books!) Another problem: Many verbs aren't listed in the index, even though they are actually in the book. This can be frustrating--especially if a person isn't sure of the root of a word. But, aside from these two problems, the book is indispensable to the student of Hebrew!

If you're looking to read a good book about the women in Abraham Lincoln's life and the impact they had on him as a person and a politician, this book is not for you. If you want a book about the infinite glories of Ann Rutledge, the vile degeneracy of Mary Lincoln, and a brief, shallow summary of inconsequential women who passed through Lincoln's life without leaving any distinctive impression, this book is a better fit.

In "The Women in Lincoln's Life," novice Lincoln historian H. Donald Winkler attempts to explain how the sixteenth president was "dramatically shaped" by "a succession of remarkable women." (p. 1) He begins with the boyhood impact of Lincoln's mother and stepmother, shows a young Abraham as awkward wooer and indecisive romancer, and finally the mature lawyer and statesman as miserable married man. Winkler discusses in some detail the Ann Rutledge legend, the embarrassing courtships of Mary Owens and Mary Todd, and of course the Lincolns' 23-year marriage.

Once Abraham Lincoln marries Mary Todd, there really are no other important women in his life, as any biography of the man will show, except perhaps Eliza Gurney. Unfortunately, Winkler chooses to introduce an entire host of other nominal women, many of who met Lincoln only once in their lives, and one who never met him at all. This cast of extraneous characters includes women such as Anna Elizabeth Dickinson, Anna Ella Carroll, Dorothea Dix, Kate Chase, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Sojourner Truth, Princess Agnes Salm-Salm and Vinnie Ream. And while the number of women Winkler includes in his study is high, the depth of the study itself is quite low.

The first red flag for any wary reader of The Women in Lincoln's Life is that Winkler is related to Ann Rutledge. The flag begins to flail when Winkler spends no less than five chapters focusing on Ann, her family, her life, and her relationship to Lincoln. There is little doubt in the minds of most Lincoln scholars that Ann and Abraham had a relationship, though its importance in Lincoln's life is still in dispute. Winkler believes their relationship was the seminal point in Abraham's life, and as the book moves past Lincoln's New Salem days and Ann's death, he ties Ann's memory to anything and everything in Lincoln's life that he can. Winkler prescribes to the belief - held most prominently by Lincoln's former law partner William Herndon - that Ann Rutledge was the only woman Lincoln ever loved, and her death was a black hole that swallowed up every possible scrap of happiness for the rest of Lincoln's life. He spends the remainder of the book trying to prove that theory, as so many other historians have tried before him.

Winkler's obsession with Ann Rutledge goes even farther, however, as he paints a portrait of his famous relative as the quintessential woman in all of American history: she is angelically beautiful, profoundly intelligent, religious yet also a freethinker, and the honer of Lincoln's intellect and ambitions. Indeed, if one were connect all the lines Winkler threads about Ann's purported effect on Lincoln, one would undeniably conclude that her mere existence saved the Union during the Civil War!

The eminent Lincoln scholar Douglas L. Wilson once wrote that Herndon's theory of Ann Rutledge's death as the source of Lincoln's lifelong melancholy was "simplistic and hopelessly overdrawn." Winkler's presentation of Ann Rutledge in his book - which resonates heavily of Herndon -- can be dubbed likewise.

Considering Winkler's bias in favor of Ann Rutledge, it should come as no surprise then that The Women in Lincoln's Life is Mary Lincoln-bashing of the highest order. Winkler takes a page from Herndon and asserts that Lincoln never loved Mary and married her only out of a sense of duty. He also takes a page from Michael Burlingame's book "The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln" and asserts that Lincoln's married life, in which he is the victim of emotional and physical spousal abuse, drove him from home, into politics and into the presidency - a situation that would not have occurred had he married the sweet, mild-tempered Ann. Winkler even blames Mary Lincoln for her husband's assassination. (p. 213, 222)

As for the other women in the book whom Winkler unbelievably dubs "the supportive women in Lincoln's life," (p. 225) only Eliza Gurney, a devout Christian with whom Lincoln discussed spiritual matters, had any lasting impression on the man. The inclusion of the others is never convincingly justified and seems predicated on the fact that they met him once, and some were beautiful and flirtatious.

All in all, one walks away from "The Women in Lincoln's Life" exasperated at the Ann Rutledge overload and the shallow justification for the majority of the other women in the book. It is clear that Winkler wanted to write a book about Ann Rutledge, but, finding the topic already overdone, decided to throw in a few other women and call it a study of all women in Lincoln's life. What Winkler attempts and fails to do in this 256-page book, Douglas Wilson accomplishes with more thoroughness and objectivity in one chapter of his work "Honor's Voice: The Transformation of Abraham Lincoln." A reader interested in this aspect of Lincoln's life would do better to read Wilson's book, and leave Winkler on the bookstore shelf.

I was quite thrilled when I saw this book in the bookstore. I have read numerous books on Abraham Lincoln, however, this was a perspective about his life I had not read much about. Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed reading this book. It was very well-written and engaging; enough so that it only took me two days to read it. I was captivated. Yes, at times the book seemed prejudicial against Lincoln's wife and biased in favour of Ann Rutledge, however his point of view was very interesting to note. I highly recommend this book to anyone willing to get a firm grasp on all aspects of Lincoln's life. It was just incredible!!!

It seems to me that a few reviews of this book have been extremely unfair, especially those by Mr. Emerson and someone who calls himself "kdpsyd." Mr. Winkler is an accomplished scholar and award-winning author who has written the first full-length book on this intriguing subject. I purchased the book after reading reviews from authoritative sources, and have found it to be extremely informative and fascinating. As "Civil War Times" noted, this book is "important and highly provocative and readable." "Civil War News" called it intriguing and engrossing and "quite thought-provoking. . . with careful notes and an impressive bibliography." "Today's Books," an independent report to the news media on the book-publishing industry rated this book "a best read." Such recognition is given only to "the top ten percent of new books published and distributed in America each year."

Building upon the latest published Lincoln scholarship, Mr. Winkler has developed startling new insights and added fresh information about Lincoln's New Salem years, including the most complete story in existence of Ann Rutledge's life and the
Lincoln-Rutledge romance.

The book is obviously based on solid research and should be read by anyone interested in what previously has been a puzzling aspect of Lincoln's life.