This handsomely illustrated volume commemorates Abraham
Lincoln’s 200th birthday and gives rare insight into the President
who shook the world—and whose words and example endure today in
nations from Siberia to Mexico to Pakistan. This is the official
book of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum ALPLM
in Springfield, Illinois that has welcomed more than one million
visitors since its 2005 opening.
Using the exhibition halls as a launching point, this book offers
stories, anecdotes, and never-before-seen images and artifacts from
the museum’s vault. It positions Lincoln as a man of his century, a
time ripe with Industrial Revolution, travel and culture,
abolition, and war. Worldwide events figure into the story:
Britain’s emergence as a democracy, Russia’s freeing of the serfs,
Japan’s opening to foreign trade, Germany’s unity under
Bismarck.
Every page reflects the humor, integrity, and unique style of
leadership that made Abe Lincoln a legend. Quote boxes reveal his
sayings; cartoons give a glimpse of him from domestic and foreign
shores; sidebars highlight archaeological discoveries, such as the
store where young Lincoln held his first job. Personal incidents
tell of his special relationship with son Willy; his love for his
wife; and the reverence he has inspired in such luminaries as
Tolstoy, Gandhi, and Thatcher. With multiple promotional venues and
copies displayed in both the Lincoln Store and the new store at
Gettysburg, this book will become a centerpiece for state and
national Lincoln Bicentennial celebrations.