An American Marriage
The Untold Story of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Pegasus Books
Published:7th Jul '22
Should be back in stock very soon
This book offers a revealing look at Abraham Lincoln's challenging marriage to Mary Todd, exploring its impact on his life and presidency.
In An American Marriage, the author delves into a lesser-known aspect of Abraham Lincoln's life, focusing on his tumultuous relationship with Mary Todd. This narrative brings to light the complexities and challenges of their marriage, revealing how it shaped Lincoln's character and presidency. Through extensive research spanning three decades, the book uncovers the dynamics that led to a strained partnership, challenging the idealized image of their union.
The narrative illustrates how Lincoln, often viewed as a symbol of strength and resolve, faced significant personal struggles at home. Despite his public persona, he grappled with the realities of a marriage that was fraught with conflict and turmoil. Mary Todd's actions, including her involvement in questionable dealings and her sometimes abusive behavior, are explored in depth, providing a nuanced perspective on her role in Lincoln's life.
An American Marriage ultimately raises questions about the impact of personal relationships on public figures. It suggests that Lincoln's experiences with Mary Todd may have influenced his leadership style and decision-making during one of America's most challenging times. This thought-provoking examination invites readers to reconsider the complexities of love, ambition, and the burdens of public life.
“In An American Marriage: The Untold Story of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd, the eminent Lincoln scholar Michael Burlingame has amassed an avalanche directed at Mary Lincoln. This provocative, compulsively readable book sets out to demonstrate that Abraham Lincoln’s sorrows—often attributed to the challenge of leading the nation through civil war—must be ascribed also to the horror of his domestic life.” * Martha Hodes, The Wall Street Journal *
"An American Marriage forcefully argues [its] thesis in a series of lively chapters designed to discredit the possibility that the Lincoln marriage was happy, functional or loving." * New York Times Book Review *
“Burlingame is determined to say everything. [He] treats Mary Todd as a person and not only the Little Woman, as too many historians have done. Few readers will put down the book without having learned something new about her, about Lincoln, and about the mystery that is a long marriage.” * Illinois Times *
"An entertaining biography that will certainly provoke debate." * Kirkus *
Praise for Michael Burlingame’s Abraham Lincoln: A Life:
"A magisterial enterprise." * The New York Times *
"These monumental volumes deserve a wide readership." * St. Louis Post-Dispatch *
"If you aspire to ‘Ultimate Lincoln Knowledge’ this is a must-read." * The Chicago Tribune *
"The result is a picture of Lincoln from all sides, in a style that is relentless but not daunting." * Bloomberg News *
"This book supersedes all other biographies. Future Lincoln books cannot be written without it, and from no other book can a general reader learn so much about Abraham Lincoln. It is the essential title for the bicentennial." * Publishers Weekly *
"Burlingame is a towering figure in Lincoln scholarship, and students of the sixteenth president have been waiting for this book for years. For all his learning, Burlingame may know more about Lincoln and his era than anyone in the world, his take on his subject is fresh, and he doesn't gloss over Lincoln's less appealing attributes. Abraham Lincoln: A Life comes as close to being the definitive biography as anything the world has seen in decades." * TIME *
ISBN: 9781639362097
Dimensions: 210mm x 140mm x 23mm
Weight: 311g
310 pages