He Knew Lincoln

Tarbell, Ida M. (Ida Minerva), 1857-1944Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 33K words
Chapters: 4

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.He Knew Lincoln by Ida M. TarbellAuthor: Tarbell, Ida M. (Ida Minerva), 1857-1944,Language: English, Class: E456: History: America: Civil War period (1861-1865), Release Date: Jul 18, 2018

Editor's review

This is Tarbell's reminiscence of Lincoln, written from the perspective of someone who knew the people around him and interviewed them. It is short, yet it brings a historical figure down from the pedestal into everyday life. Rather than piling up grand battles and speeches, the author draws on the oral accounts of those who had contact with Lincoln, letting readers see his humor, weariness, hesitation, and perseverance. For readers familiar with Civil War history, the book offers details of the man beyond the archives; for those encountering Lincoln for the first time, it is a light entry point. The Project Gutenberg edition preserves the original text and is well suited as an introduction to reading in the original English. Read it as oral history rather than as a systematic biography, and you will better appreciate the restrained, warm tone of the author's narration.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in the American Civil War and Lincoln's life
Language learners who want to meet a historical figure through a short work in original English
Readers who enjoy oral history and memoir
Students who need light English material for intensive reading practice

Not a good fit for

Serious researchers expecting a full, systematic biography of Lincoln
Academic readers who need extensive notes and source criticism
Readers who prefer Chinese and do not wish to engage with the English original

Reading tips

Read through once for the narrative tone, then a second time looking up unfamiliar historical names and events.
Read alongside a timeline of Lincoln's era to help place the scenes mentioned.
Read one or two sections at a time, allowing time to appreciate the author's tact in relaying others' memories.
After finishing, try retelling the detail that struck you most to check that you have truly understood it.

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 a complete biography of Lincoln?

No. It is closer to a reminiscence, focusing on the observations of people the author met and interviewed, and it is limited in length without attempting to cover Lincoln's whole life. It is best read as a supplement, not a replacement for a systematic biography.

How difficult is the English, and what level is it for?

The original is nineteenth- to early twentieth-century English, traditional in syntax but not very difficult overall, and not long. Readers with intermediate English can finish it with a dictionary, and it works well as intensive reading material in the original.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

It is a public-domain electronic text that preserves the original content, is free to obtain, and is easy to read and search on electronic devices. It provides no modern scholarly notes, so readers must supply background information themselves.

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About the author

Tarbell, Ida M. (Ida Minerva), 1857-1944 Author

Ida M. Tarbell (1857–1944) was an American writer and investigative journalist. Publicly available material is limited, so no speculation about the details of her life is offered here; her ten works in this catalog nonetheless show a wide range of subjects. She wrote a biography of Abraham Lincoln's early years, popular histories of Napoleon Bonaparte and his empress Josephine, and short story collections such as He Knew Lincoln that present the everyday side of historical figures. She also addressed current issues, including tariff policy, the situation and role of women in the business world, and themes of war and peace. Her prose is clear and plain, weaving historical sources and personal anecdotes into highly readable narratives that combine documentation with popular writing, leaving noteworthy works in both history popularization and social commentary.