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The Life Of Abraham Lincoln For Young People - American Era History Book Review

February 12th, 2009, is the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincolns’ birthday

The Life Story of Abraham Lincoln for Young People - American Era History Book Review

History Book Review:

Book Title/Title Page:

The Life of Abraham Lincoln For Young People
Told in One Syllable Words

By Harriet  Putnam
Illustrated
Copyright 1906
Published by McLoughlin Brothers, New York

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About This Version

This is a review of an American era antiquarian history book that is a short biography of the life of Abraham Lincoln created especially for younger people to read. This is an unabridged, and enhanced ebook version which includes the original text and illustrations, plus additional supplemental images and photographs, and music.

The original, printed version of this book is a good quality hardbound book, printed in a large type format, for easy reading. The book includes approximately 144 textual pages, with associated images. There are about 60 images, most of which are black and white images, however there are also color plates. The presentation, editing, and production are flawless; a modern word processing program could not have done better. 

The original content has been enhanced and supplemented by additional images and photographs of the era, and a selection of civil war music. The images are associated with the text, and may be magnified for better viewing, and can also be viewed as slide shows. This version also includes a selection of music of the period, and the Civil War.

While the printed version of this antiquarian book is rare, and  out-of print,  it can be found, especially on the Internet; the purchase price depends on the condition of the book.  Since this book was published over a hundred years old, even one in good condition will be somewhat delicate, and easily damaged. Often books of this age are not really suitable for normal, every day reading because the act of reading them might damage them. Even so, it is still possible to find a printed version of the book, and they are very readable if the book is in good condition.

Obviously, the downside of reading this ebook version is that you will need a PC to read it. It’s difficult to curl-up in your favorite chair, and read an ebook from a PC screen; (however, it is not completely out of the question if you have a laptop computer). However, there is also an upside to reading an ebook: you will be able to hear music of the Civil War, and view images, and search the text, and print pages, etc, and it won’t be worn-out in a hundred years.

The author, Harriet Putnam, is also known for her art work, and prints of her work can be viewed, and purchased on the Internet. The Life of Abraham Lincoln includes five color prints that are popular among enthusiasts. Putnam also wrote another book entitled Lives of the Presidents, Told in One-syllable Words.

Comments:

This book is unique in that the story is told in one syllable words.  Multi-syllable words are broken into their individual syllable

Written especially for young people, the text and grammar are geared to the younger reader, and every word is divided into it's individual syllables. This is a great book for reading comprehension, pronunciation, and to practice reading out loud, or silently.

As an example,  the following paragraph of the book; note how the words are purposely
broken into syllables:

"The hut, not much more than a cow-shed, held the fa-ther and moth-er, whose names were Thom-as and Nan-cy, and their girl child, Sa-rah. These three were the first who saw the strange, sad face of the boy, who, when he grew to be a man, was so great and good and did such grand deeds that all the world gave most high praise to him."

This book is a classic story of Abraham Lincolns’ life. From his meager birth in a tiny  cabin, to his legendary strength, and honesty, and humor, and compassion. It's the story of the Rail Splitter, who worked hard to earn money and help his family, and who spent his evenings studying and reading by the light of a fireplace in order to better himself.

The images throughout are perfect for the young reader. Pictures of Lincoln as a child offering fish to a soldier, or seeing him as the Postmaster, or a store clerk, help young readers identify with Lincoln. His defense of the underdog, and compassion for animals is well illustrated. This version includes a photograph of a replica of the tiny cabin in which Lincoln was born that really illustrates how small the cabin was; the whole cabin isn’t much bigger than most bedrooms.

These images have an impact on young people; pictures of Lincoln reading and studying by fire light, or splitting rails, or reading to his son, Tad, etc, are images that I still recall from my own childhood.

The images  necessary to tell about the Civil War are quite tame. They convey the story without being graphic. The images are mostly black and white sketches, with some color images; there are a few actual photographs that were gleaned from other sources, including an actual picture of Lincoln visiting Union troops.

Several of the music selections are Civil War songs that are played by an orchestra, in the original, authentic instrumentation and style of the Civil War. They sound very much as
they did in 1865.

The story of Abraham Lincoln is the story of America; the story that anyone can attain greatness, and make a difference, if they are honest, and hard working, and have the desire, all of which Abraham Lincoln possessed.

Since this is an antiquarian work, the style and prose of the post-Victorian era in which it was produced, lend a certain flare, and drama, that is not present in many modern biographies. It adds a certain quaintness that is pleasant, and fun to read because it is far detached from our modern American era history.

This is a fine book for a young persons first time exposure to the life of Abraham Lincoln.

 

The End
BJ012709YPL01

 

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Table of Contents

 

CHAPTER I. THE BABE OF THE LOG CABIN AND HIS KIN

CHAPTER II. THE NEW HOME AND THE FIRST GRIEF

CHAPTER III. READING BY THE FIRELIGHT ; THE NEW MOTHER ; THE FIRST DOLLAR

CHAPTER IV THE SLAVE SALE; LINCOLN AS SOLDIER, POSTMASTER, SURVEYOR,
AND LAWYER

CHAPTER V. LEADER FOR FREEDOM; LAW MAKER LINCOLN AND DOUGLAS 39-54

CHAPTER VI. LINCOLN AND DOUGLAS

CHAPTER VII. THE PEOPLE ASK LINCOLN TO BE THEIR PRESIDENT   

CHAPTER VIII. IN THE PRESIDENTIAL CHAIR; THE CIVIL WAR BEGINS

CHAPTER IX. EARLY BATTLES OF THE WAR

CHAPTER X.  GRANT WINS IN THE WEST, AND FARRAGUT AT NEW ORLEANS

CHAPTER XI.  ANTIETAM, VICKSBURG, GETTYSBURG

CHAPTER XII. CHATTANOOGA, CHICKAMAUGA, LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. LINCOLN'S
GETTYSBURG SPEECH

CHAPTER XIII. GRANT IN THE EAST; LINCOLN CHOSEN FOR SECOND TERM

CHAPTER XIV. RETURN OF PEACE; LINCOLN SHOT; HIS BURIAL AT SPRINGFIELD

 

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About the Author

If you want your child to learn about Abraham Lincoln, and develop an appreciation for good character traits such as honesty, hard work, and the desire to learn, then take a moment and learn more about The Life of Abraham Lincoln for Young People.

Antiquarian history books – wonderful sources of American era history

What's the difference between a American book to a UK book?

There's this book that I want to get called forever, and I think that it's already been released in the UK. Its coming out in July, but is there going to be a difference between the text and writing style? There is a difference in the cover, but let me know.

When British children's/YA books are published in America, they *may* change spelling and the occasional British vocab word to an American one. But they may not. And if they do, they will only be very minor differences. The style won't be different.

When American children's/YA books are published in the UK, they usually don't change a thing about the text.

British and American ooks for adults are pretty much never changed for publication on the opposite side of the Atlantic.

The cover is immaterial; it's normal for books to have different covers in different countries.

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