Friday, March 27, 2009

Random Lincoln Soundbites

It's Friday ("Take out the trash day" in modern political parlance), and I'm cleaning out my Lincoln-related inbox of the random stories I've been collecting.  None of them merit a full post, but I couldn't quite overlook them either.

Lincoln scholar reviews recent Lincoln books

Up and coming Lincoln scholar Jason Emerson, author of The Madness of Mary Lincoln and Lincoln the Inventor, offers his assessment of the most important recent books about Abraham Lincoln.  His piece, from the April 2009 edition of American Heritage, is available on their website.

Piece on Mary Lincoln

Erin Carlson Mast, of the Lincoln Cottage, has a special guest post on PreservationNation about Mary Lincoln.  It is a wonderful piece that tries to explain how some of the harsh treatment of Mary is unfair, although part of it stems from her often abrasive personality.  You can read it here.  (An aside: I visited the Lincoln Cottage last month and was very impressed by the facility and by the warmth of those who worked there.)

William Lee Miller on Lincoln and Shakespeare

William Lee Miller, author of Lincoln's Virtues and President Lincoln: The Duty of a Statesman, is currently researching Lincoln's fascination with Shakespeare, which should be a fine book.  Last month, Miller gave a lecture about the project in Virginia, which has been posted as a podcast here.  Miller is an engaging speaker, so I'm sure the lecture is entertaining and informative.

New Lincoln Bobblehead

Everyone has a bobblehead these days.  It used to be limited to superstar athletes; now everyone on the bench has a bobblehead too.  Plus, political figures have gotten in on the act; there are several bobblehead Obamas floating around these days.  Lincoln has gotten the bobblehead treatment -- one of them sits on my desk (a gift).  Next month, a new Lincoln-related bobblehead will be released, this one of the Lincoln Memorial.  (If they can make a lifesize bobblehead Jesus, I suppose they can make a bobblehead marble statue.)

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