Being there . . . . and just in time to make the lists for the best book buys for Christmas giftscolumns – – especially if the one who receives it is an Abraham Lincoln advocate and aficionado.Co-authors Thomas J. Ebert, a retired reference and documents librarian at the California StateUniversity, Fresno, and Allen Carden, professor of history and former president of PacificUniversity, have presented bibulous Lincoln bibliophiles a sourcebook of incalculable,undeterminable knowledge, to say nothing of simple casual, unabated reading joy. They referto their brilliant, one-of-a kind, reference as a “sourcebook”, developed by two “suppliers ofinformation”. This reviewer sees their contribution to Lincoln biography, which, by the way, theCivil War president would chuckle, nodding approval, as a “compendium” – – that which isvaluable and carefully selected and weighed, saved, or shortened, in short, a brief summary ofthe main heads of a larger work or system. One wonders, since both are Californians, what theircombined minds might come in with on the life of Fray Junipero Serra, the beloved founder ofthe California mission system which emerged in 1769 in San Diego and over several decades upthe coast to Sonoma.ABRAHAM LINCOLN, WHERE ARE YOU WHEN AMERICA SO DESPERATELY NEEDS YOU? AWONDERFUL NEW BOOK TO BROWSE NOT ONLY IN REMEMBRANCE, BUT ALSO TELLING YOUWHY – – A TREASURY OF CURIOUS, TOUCHING ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE, YOUR PRESIDENCY, ANDSLAVERY AND CIVIL WAR. IT DESERVES A PLACE NOT ONLY ON THE CIVIL WAR SHELF OF EVERYAMERICAN, BUT ALSO BY THE BEDSIDE OF EVERY LITERATE LINCOLN INSOMNIAC . . . .Reviewed and highly, highly recommended as a Xmas gift, especially to the self, by Don DeNevi“ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND HIS TIMES – – A Sourcebook on His Life, His Presidency, Slavery andCivil War”, Compiled and Edited by Thomas J. Ebert and Allen Carden. McFarland & Company,Inc., Jefferson NC: 2023, 445 pages, softcover, 8 ¼” x 10 ¾” ; sadly, not a single photograph ormap to illustrate the president, other than two different age-related portraits, one on thecover, the other opposite the title page; $125. Visit, www.mcfarlandpub,com, or Email:customerser@mcfarlandpub.com.Rightly, Tom and Allen write, “These written materials serve as the foundation upon whichhistorians can construct a picture of Lincoln’s America. In addition to important chronology anddocuments, our work includes introductory essays that summarize the topics of each chapter,brief biographies of those referenced in the book, and a source bibliography. Historical recordsare the heart of our work. Documents illustrate viewpoints to provide a full grasp of the timeand place, as well as Lincoln’s significance during the era.”The two co-authors (I refuse to refer to them as “compilers” because anybody can“compile”, including my cat, Lexi) stress that Lincoln’s significance in the history of slavery andemancipation, the Union’s preservation and the formation of a new national vision is crucial tocomprehending the antebellum and Civil War periods in American history. “Our referenceeffort combines chronology with almost 400 primary source papers to contextualize Lincoln’s
life within his historical era.” Kudos to Thomas J. Ebert and Allen Carden.
