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Summary
Summary
The words of President Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address are as relevant and meaningful today as they were in 1863. In this handsomely illustrated book, Michael McCurdy's art extends the power and force of Lincoln's speech, imbuing it with an excitement and energy that will ignite the interest of readers of all ages. With a foreword by one of America's preeminent historians, Garry Wills, and an afterword by McCurdy about his great-grandfather who fought at Gettysburg, this bookis at once personal and universal.
Author Notes
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 - April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln led the United States through its Civil War, its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional and political crisis. In doing so, he preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and modernized the economy.
Lincoln was a self-educated lawyer in Illinois, a Whig Party leader and a state legislator in the 1830s. After a series of highly publicized debates in 1858, during which Lincoln spoke out against the expansion of slavery, he lost the U.S. Senate race to his archrival, Democrat Stephen A. Douglas. In 1860, Lincoln secured a Republican Party presidential nomination. His presidential election resulted in seven southern slave states to form the Confederacy before he took the office on March 4, 1861.
Lincoln is regarded by historians as one of the greatest United States presidents. During his term, he created the system of national banks with the National Banking Act. This provided a strong financial network in the country. It also established a national currency. In 1862, Congress created, with Lincoln's approval, the Department of Agriculture. Lincoln was able to appoint five Supreme Court justices during his time as president. He is largely responsible for instituting the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address of 1863 became an iconic statement of America's dedication to the principles of nationalism, republicanism, equal rights, liberty, and democracy. Lincoln held a moderate view of Reconstruction. On April 15, 1865, six days after the surrender of Confederate commanding General Robert E. Lee, Lincoln was assassinated at the Ford Theater by John Wilkes Booth, a noted actor and Confederate spy from Maryland.
Lincoln was married to Mary Todd Lincoln on November 4, 1842. They had four children, all boys. Only the oldest, Robert, survived to adulthood. After Lincoln's death, Robert committed his mother, Mary, for a short time. The death of their children had a profound effect on the mental health of both Lincoln and his wife.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
K UpMcCurdy brings the important words of America's 16th president to life for a new generation of children bombarded by violent acts. With just a few lines of Lincoln's speech per double-page spread, a pace is established that allows the language to sink in and take hold. The wood engravings, depicting sweeping panoramas and crowds that continue beyond the page, provide the dark serious tone and high drama appropriate for the subject. (Interestingly, wood engravings were the choice of Leonard Everett Fisher in his interpretation of The Gettysburg Address [Watts, 1963; o.p.]). The scenes alternate between the action of battle and the quiet artifacts left behind, from a parade of slaves``all men are created equal,'' to a processional of spirited laborers``dedicated...to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.'' These are interspersed with views of Lincoln addressing the crowd from various perspectives. A brief foreword by Gary Wills, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lincoln at Gettysburg (S.&S., 1992) provides insight into the reason for the common burial ground. An afterword by the illustrator explains his family connection to the Civil War and, therefore, his inspiration. A valuable addition for every collection.Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
McCurdy creates powerful, large-scale black-and-white illustrations like those in his Giants in the Land to match Abraham Lincoln's classic speech in this handsome volume. On oversize pages, scenes of Lincoln delivering the address at the Gettysburg battlefield alternate with visualizations of the imagery contained in it. For example, a line of people carrying building tools marches across the pages as Lincoln proclaims that ``it is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work.'' As Lincoln concludes, resolving that ``government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth,'' the cheering crowd gazes out from the page into the future-a fitting conclusion to an American classic made new again. All ages. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Foreword by Garry Wills. With considerable care, Lincoln's words have been arranged as accompaniments to a series of dramatic images in a thirty-two-page visual exposition that complements their intensity and power. McCurdy's finely detailed black-and-white scratchboard illustrations have the feeling of Civil War-era etchings. The book is beautifully designed, from jacket art to trim size to the choice of ivory-toned paper. From HORN BOOK 1995, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The deliberate pace Lincoln's words acquire when spaced out in this powerful, somber book gloriously introduces the most famous speech in American history to a new generation and gives fresh meaning to those who have read and heard it before. Everything about the book is admirable. The type is beautiful, simple, and restrained. The black-and-white illustrations strike an interesting balance between the look of period engravings and the cropping and muscular vigor of a more contemporary point of view. In a particularly striking spread, readers see the close-ups of crosses marking graves while in the background a crowd has gathered to hear the speech on a plain marked by a cannon-blasted tree. Another scene shows a group of wounded, bandaged men--one without a foot, one without a forearm--who serve as visual reminders of the human cost of battle. A short introduction by historian Garry Wills provides context without weighing the book down with information; the more personal note about McCurdy's great-grandfather Jack, who fought in the battle and lived to tell about it, adds a satisfying sense of connectedness between the generations. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4^-6. An oversize book, this volume includes an introduction by Gary Wills, an afterword by the artist, and the text of the Gettysburg Address. The large black-and-white illustrations feature scenes of the orator and his audience, as well as pictures they might have imagined while listening to the speech--battle scenes and symbolic tableaux. Skillfully composed and occasionally striking, the artwork makes this a good choice for libraries with an audience for a picture-book edition of Lincoln's famous speech. --Carolyn Phelan
