This is the first in a series of articles about books that shaped the hearts and minds of some famous Americans.
Dennis Hanks, Abraham Lincoln’s cousin, described his young relative as “hungry for books, reading everything he could get his hands on.” That hunger had two practical consequences: Lincoln often walked miles to borrow books from a distant neighbor or friend, and he reread and studied many of the books he could track down, thereby making them a part of his interior library.
"The boyhood of Lincoln—An Evening in the Log Hut," 1868, by Eastman Johnson. Library of Congress. Public Domain
Here are some of those books that influenced Lincoln’s thinking and helped mold his character.
The King James Bible
The Bible was the core of Lincoln’s personal library. He read it when young and throughout his adult life, memorized and often quoted passages from Scripture, and included Biblical phrases in his speeches. In his 1858 “House Divided” address at the Illinois Republican State Convention, he said the famous: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”Just as importantly, the King James Bible helped forge the rhythms and syntax of Lincoln’s oratory. Read the Gettysburg Address, and the cadences of those ten sentences echo the beat and meter of scripture.
The Lincoln Bible, used during his oath-taking, is an Oxford University Press edition of the King James Bible. Public Domain
The Works of Shakespeare
After Richmond fell to Union forces in April 1865, less than two weeks before he was assassinated, Lincoln visited that war-battered city. On his return trip to Washington aboard the steamer River Queen, Lincoln read aloud from “Macbeth.” In his biography of Lincoln, “And There Was Light,” Jon Meacham writes of that occasion, “He mused on Macbeth’s soliloquy after the murder of Duncan—verses that touched on ambition, the pain of difficult decisions, and the inescapability of tragedy.”As with the Bible, Lincoln immersed himself in Shakespeare’s plays, doubtless drawn by their drama and insights into human nature, and by the majesty of their words. And, like the Bible, these plays and poems markedly influenced Lincoln’s style of writing and public speaking.
‘The English Reader’
Title page from the 1816 publication of "The English Reader" by Lindley Murray. Internet Archive. Public Domain
Compiled by Lindley Murray and published in 1799, this popular book went through almost 50 editions. Lincoln called it “the best schoolbook ever put into the hands of an American youth.”
The subtitle of “The English Reader” lays out its ambitions: “To assist young persons to read with propriety and effect; to improve their language and sentiments; and to inculcate some of the most important principles of piety and virtue.” This anthology of prose and poetry ranges from essays on forgiveness and gratitude to famous dialogues and speeches, all seasoned with aphorisms promoting virtue and commonsense. Biographer Meacham describes the book as “life counsel for the young as they grow into men.”
In his introduction “Observations on the Principles of Good Reading,” Murray offers tips for reading aloud effectively, advice on pacing, for instance, and the moderation and tone of the voice. Given his enthusiasm for the book, Lincoln likely applied some of these guidelines to his public speaking.
‘History of the United States’
Irish immigrant William Grimshaw was a prolific writer of histories, the most popular of which was his 1821 “History of the United States.” Lincoln’s early interest in law and politics was a natural fit with this story of America.
Inside the 1821 publication of “History of the United States" by William Grimshaw. Internet Archive. Public Domain
Grimshaw’s history also gives us a look into Lincoln’s level of literacy. A glance at the opening pages reveals a thorny, dense narrative that would challenge many readers today. Clearly, then, Lincoln’s self-education had transformed him into an astute reader with a large vocabulary and a keen understanding of history and geography.
Interestingly, two of Grimshaw’s sons, William and his younger brother Jackson, both became attorneys, who moved to Illinois and knew and worked with Lincoln.
Aesop’s Fables
Because of the limited number of books available to him in boyhood and his attraction to these ancient tales, Lincoln read Aesop over and over again, committing many of the fables to memory.The moral lessons of these stories had a lasting impact. In an 1843 political circular, for instance, Lincoln referred to Aesop as “that great fabulist and philosopher,” and cited his “bundle of sticks” fable to illustrate the need for unity.
Word Power
Abraham Lincoln, with book in hand, poses with son Tad. Public Domain
Lincoln also took great pleasure in verse. He memorized and often recited poems which moved him, like “The Last Leaf” by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. and William Knox’s “Mortality.” Of the latter, he once wrote “I would give all I am worth, and go in debt, to be able to write so fine a piece as I think that is.” Here is a man who loves and knows the force and grace of words.
An 1862 meeting of Lincoln with Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of the enormously popular “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” produced a witticism most historians now regard as fictitious, but which again demonstrates Lincoln’s fervent enthusiasm for books and language. Towering over Stowe, who was under five feet tall, Lincoln is supposed to have remarked, “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war!”
A bronze memorial commemorating the 1862 meeting of Lincoln and Stowe located on Columbus Boulevard and State Street in Hartford, Conn. Jay Gao/Shutterstock
Whether Lincoln made this humorous comment will never be known. What is certain, however, is that this backwoods bibliophile stands as a monument honoring the power of books to shape our lives and our ambitions.
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