The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary

This dual biography details the lives of Abraham and Mary Lincoln from their births to deaths. However, the book is not always strictly chronological, choosing instead to group items of interest by topic rather than linear progression. The author makes up for this by providing a timeline at the beginning of the book (although perhaps placing the timeline at the end of the book would be more appropriate). Rather than being strictly narrative, the author provides small snippets of information placed on the page in columns reminiscent of a newspaper's pages. In this fashion, the author is able to flip back and forth between Abraham and Mary's lives easily. She is also able to include here and there little "fun facts," as I would call them, show more which would not fit into a traditional biography.

Subtitled "A Scrapbook Look," the book collects not only the photographic images typically included in biographies, but also images of letters, first drafts of speeches, newspaper articles, and so on. A particular favorite of mine was the inclusion of a recipe for Mary's white cake – "the best I've ever eaten" according to Abraham Lincoln (p. 41).

The book addresses the large elements of the subjects' lives (winning the presidency, assassination, etc.) as well as the seemingly mundane (games made up by their children, what they ate for dinner, etc.). As the author explains in the introduction, "it is the everyday events – the dinner table conversations and the complaints about ill-fitting boots – that truly bring the Lincolns to life. It is the mundane that makes them real. And it is the ordinary that will, I hope, leave you feeling as if you have just visited old friends" (p. ix). It is my opinion that author succeeds at these goals.

The book ends with supplementary material: a bibliography, an annotated webliography, extensive notes, and an index. The only downside I see to this book is that it is marketed for children. It seems to me that this well-researched, extensive biography is beyond the attention spans of most children (unless they are really, really into Abraham Lincoln) and is better suited for an adult audience. Unfortunately, I think many adults will miss out on this book because it wouldn’t occur to them to look in the children's section for a well-documented look at the Lincolns' lives. show less

This nonfiction scrapbook of the Lincoln's is an extremely entertaining presentation of the lives of these historical Individuals through a display of newspaper articles. I am a fan of reading about the several first ladies and enjoyed this book for its many articles and photographs about Mary Todd Lincoln. The book is stylized as a photojournalist scrapbook and has many interesting treasures and tidbits. The author Fleming documents in over 20 pages of notes, the chain of evidence of the authenticity of these articles. She also shares information I have never seen before in different articles. For Example, a newspaper article about French dignitary's visit to the White House, written in gossip magazine form, noted that the Mary Todd show more appeared to be a terrible hostess because she did not provide an interpreter for Mr. Lincoln. However, her detractors who scoffed about the First Lady were surprised when Mary Todd glided
and guided the French dignitaries through the White House speaking perfect Parisien french. Anything that praises my favorite First Lady ,Mary Todd Lincoln, is going to get a five star rating from me.
The book includes first hand accounts and articles and vintage photographs that span the couples births and their children's birth. Abraham was born in 1809 and Mary in 1818 in the Edwards home where Mary lived out her days after the death of her beloved husband.
The Lincoln's were good neighbors. An article shares that Mary Todd and her neighbor gave birth at around the same time. A Mrs. Dallman was to ill to nurse her newborn so Mr Lincoln hatched a plan to pick up Mrs. Dallman's newborn to be fed by his sweet wife Mary until Mrs. Dallman recovered . There are excerpts from Mary Todd's own journals where she stated : Mr Lincoln was the kindest and most loving father in the world" He was especially devoted to Willie and Tad who he nicknamed " the dear codgers"
The author notes in her introduction that " I longed to peel away they layers of myth and produce a close intimate portrait of a man" through this chronological scrapbook of Abraham Mary and their children she does do that. This makes a great coffee table book , because each time you flip open this book as I have done often, there is a very intimate sharing of pieces of the famous man's life. Author Fleming begins with a stylized time line she named " The Lincoln Years " she notes " Bold Italicized events were shared by Abraham and Mary" their courtship and break up and re- engaging are documented - each of their children's birth Robert in 1843, second Edward in 1846. Edward dies in 1850, the same year their third son William Wallace is born. In 1853 their fourth son Tad is born. William Wallace dies in 1862. Her oldest son joins the Union and survives the war. Her husband is murdered in 1865. In 1871 a third son dies, Tad dies of pleurisy. Mary Todd is committed because she wants to speak to her three dead sons and her dead husband. She breaks all ties with her son Robert, who allowed her to be committed.
I enjoy the fact that the author spends more time on this intimate portrait than on the leader, the statesman the emancipator Abraham Lincoln and reveals so many of the personal tragedies of the tragic figure Mary Todd, a woman who lost three of her four sons and her beloved husband.
Although there are two or more photos, drawings or lithographs on every page, there is only a half page for picture credits. However there is a full index in the back of the book. This is a concept book, which unabashedly is dubbed a scrapbook and that is its charm. show less

Fleming's biography of both Abraham and Mary Lincoln provides ample primary source ephemera to entertain and enlighten history buffs, set into the context of their time by her concise narrative.

Well written, approachable volume about the Lincolns, offering a balanced view of both Abraham and Mary Todd. Excellent addition to a middle school library, perhaps also to an elementary library. Fleming uses a scrapbook format to introduce new ideas, stories in the lives of thes two important historical figures, from birth to death, including photographs, digital copies of letters and speeches, recipes, and other details to bring this period of history to life.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think if students read more books like this one, history would really come alive. The Lincolns presents an interesting, new look at a familiar topic. I especially enjoyed Fleming's use of material from that time (recipes, magazine ads,etc). This book would be a great resource to introduce students to multi-genre papers. Fleming also has very detailed source notes, making for a very reliable biography.

5Q- This is an interesting biography of a mythical president and his famous wife. The author does an excellent job of representing them both in the scrapbook style design. The design and writing make the Lincolns approachable. The author includes details about them that are common amongst all of us. The style makes it easy to read in sessions, allowing the information to absorbed.
4P- Nonfiction is not necessarily the most popular, but this book will hook biography fans as well as those looking for a good story. Probably best for 10 and up.

In the same vein as her book on Eleanor Roosevelt, Fleming distills a tremendous amount of information into a readable and engaging scrapbook. Some of the images used have not been printed anywhere else, as per the author's lecture to my non-fiction course. The research that went into this title is obvious through each of the small sections. It is easy to read either small or large amounts of this book at a time as there are lots of breaks in the organization that do not ruin the flow but allow for non sequential reading.