Abraham & Mary Todd Lincoln

Children's Literature

This biography describes the personal and public lives of both President Lincoln and his wife. It begins with chapters about each of their childhoods and young-adult years. The third chapter focuses on Abraham and Mary Todd as a couple and their early years of marriage. The book points out the difficulties of Lincoln's political career, particularly the hate mail he received regarding Civil War issues and Lincoln's own premonitions of death. The biography is somewhat unique in that much of it is focused on Mary Todd Lincoln. The author writes in the introduction, "Mary was not as flawed, and Abraham was not as saintly as legend would have it seem." However, the book notes some of Mary Todd's difficulties such as her tendency to overspend. The seventh and final chapter of the book is devoted to the 17 years of Mary Todd Lincoln's life after her husband's death. The book includes various photos of the Lincolns and text from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. There is also a timeline, a glossary page, and a section called "Further Information." This title is part of the "Presidents and First Ladies" series. 2005, World Almanac Library, Ages 8 to 12.
—Lynn O'Connell