by Michael S. Green
Abraham Lincoln is among the rarest of historical figures,
in that the more you read about him, the more compelling he becomes. Readers quickly devour the multitude of books
published about him every year.
Southern Illinois University Press is bringing together a
vast array of Lincoln scholars to elaborate on the life and times of our
sixteenth president and his legacy. The Concise Lincoln Library is a buffet
of short, focused books, each concentrating on different areas of Lincoln’s
life.
Contributing to the series is Michael S. Green, professor of
history at the College of Southern Nevada, who has written Lincoln and the Election of 1860.
Before getting into the meat and potatoes of one America’s most divisive
election Mr. Green first serves his first two chapters as appetizers, covering
the establishment of America’s political parties, the fall of the Whigs and the
rise of the Republican Party.
As a side dish, Mr. Green’s linear narrative deftly covers
Lincoln’s early political career before presenting us with the main course, the
presidential election of 1860. He demonstrates
Lincoln’s masterful manipulation of back-room machinations of the Republican convention
to gain the party’s nomination. A sauce
of Lincoln’s opponents for the office of President of the United States
enhances the flavor of the high stakes involved the election. A discussion of Lincoln’s behind-the-scenes
political finesse in the run up to his election as president is the red meat at
the center of the meal, though by comparison to the other items accompanying it
on the plate it seems a bit small. A desert
of a brief analysis of how and why Lincoln won the election immediately
follows.
Lincoln and the
Election of 1860 is not a nine course dinner at a four star restaurant, nor
was it meant to be. It is an easily
digestible and satisfying lunch at the Bistro on the corner. It satisfies the apatite, yet leaves you
wanting more. Would I reccomend another
trip to the buffet of The Concise Lincoln
Library? Absolutely!
ISBN 978-0809330355, Southern Illinois University Press, ©
2011, Hardcover, 152 pages, End Notes & Index. $19.95
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