Lincoln's Birthday: a comprehensive view of Lincoln as given in the most noteworthy essays, orations and poems, in fiction and in Lincoln's own writings

About this book

This volume is a curated anthology that gathers the most noteworthy essays, orations, fiction, and poems about Abraham Lincoln, alongside a selection of his own writings. The opening pages explain that, despite the Library of Congress holding over a thousand Lincoln titles, no single work has yet assembled the “golden words” of the Man of the People. Editors have drawn from poets such as Howe, prose tributes by Rice and Oldroyd, and the speeches edited by Nicolay and Hay, presenting them in a compact “small compass” that can be read with a standard biography for a fuller picture. The book also includes Lincoln’s brief autobiography, a series of biographical sketches, and commentary on the celebration of his birthday, offering readers a concise yet comprehensive view of the first American president.

The anthology reflects a late‑19th‑century editorial voice, marked by reverent diction and a didactic tone aimed at both scholars and educators. Its style blends formal essayistic prose with lyrical excerpts, preserving the language of the original contributors while guiding readers toward an appreciation of Lincoln’s character and legacy. Those who enjoy historical compilations, literary tributes, and primary sources, particularly teachers, students, and readers interested in the cultural memory of Lincoln, will find this collection both informative and evocative.

Opening lines

An astounding number of books have been written on Abraham Lincoln. Our Library of Congress contains over one thousand of them in well-nigh every modern language. Yet, incredible as it may seem, no miner has until to-day delved in these vast fields of Lincolniana until he has brought together the most precious of the golden words written of and by the Man of the People. Howe has collected a few of the best poems on Lincoln; Rice, Oldroyd and others, the elder prose tributes and reminiscences. McClure has edited Lincoln's yarns and stories; Nicolay and Hay, his speeches and writings. But each successive twelfth of February has emphasized the growing need for a unification of this scattered material. …

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