Boys' and Girls' Biography of Abraham Lincoln

Shaw, James H.Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.2

Word count: 109K words
Chapters: 11

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Boys' and Girls' Biography of Abraham Lincoln by James H. ShawAuthor: Shaw, James H.,Language: English, Class: E456: History: America: Civil War period (1861-1865), Release Date: Jan 20, 2011

Editor's review

This is a biography of Lincoln aimed at young readers, a public-domain history title. It recounts Lincoln's life in relatively simple English and serves as an introductory text for learning about a figure from the American Civil War era. Its positioning is clear: it is not noted for scholarly rigor but tells the story in a way suited to young people, with comparatively accessible language. For Chinese readers, its value lies in providing an original English-language biography that can be used for English reading practice or as supplementary reading alongside American history study. Readers should keep in mind its period limitations and narrative perspective and should not treat it as the only or most authoritative Lincoln biography. Overall it suits as a starting point for historical interest or as English extensive reading material, not as a book for in-depth research.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Middle school students studying American history who want supplementary English reading
Beginner to intermediate readers who need English extensive reading material
General readers with an initial interest in Lincoln's life
Teachers who want a public-domain biography as supplementary classroom material

Not a good fit for

Researchers who need rigorous scholarly biographies with detailed source citations
Readers who want a Chinese-language Lincoln biography
Adult deep readers uninterested in a juvenile narrative style

Reading tips

Start with the table of contents to understand how the life is divided into stages, then read chronologically.
Read alongside a timeline of the American Civil War to clarify the people and events.
Organize new vocabulary into three categories—people, war, politics—and review them together after finishing.
Read in comparison with another Lincoln biography, noting differences in narrative perspective.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English?

According to the information available, this is an English-language public-domain e-book released by Project Gutenberg, and the language is English. Chinese readers will need some English reading proficiency or a dictionary tool. It is suitable as extensive English reading or supplementary English material on American history.

Is it suitable for primary school students to read directly?

Although the title is aimed at young readers, the original text is in English, and primary school students may find it difficult to read directly. It is better suited to middle school students with basic English reading ability, or to selected reading accompanied by a teacher or parent. If the English foundation is weak, readers may first read a Chinese biography of Lincoln and then attempt this book.

Can it be used for historical research?

It is not recommended as a primary basis for research. It is a popular biography aimed at young readers, with concise narration and a lack of academic notes and detailed citations of historical sources. For research, authoritative academic biographies and primary sources should be consulted; this book is better suited as an introduction for interested readers or as English reading material.

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About the author

Shaw, James H. Author

James H. Shaw is an author about whom relatively limited public information is available; only one of his works is held in the collection, namely Boys' and Girls' Biography of Abraham Lincoln. Judging from the title and subject matter, Shaw focuses on biography written for young readers, taking the life of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States, as his subject and seeking to present this historical figure's life story in a style accessible to children and adolescents. Books of this kind typically serve both to spread knowledge and to cultivate character, and they are common in the tradition of juvenile reading in the English-speaking world. Because reliable information about the author's life, nationality, professional background, and the date of composition is lacking, it is difficult at present to assess the overall shape of his writing career or to determine the place of this book within his body of work. Readers with a further interest in the author would do well to consult the contents and publication details of the original volume.