Helen Nicolay. The Boys’ Life of Abraham Lincoln. 1906. Gutenberg.org. 21 Sep. 2008. E-book.

I owned a copy of this book when I was a child. I recall reading it, but I cannot say I remembered much specific about it. The copy I owned was the original edition, first published in 1906 but reprinted a number of times in subsequent years. It had been in the family for a long time. I think originally it had belonged either to my grandfather or to a great uncle. I noticed the book’s listing on Gutenberg.org recently and a combination of nostalgia and interest in the Civil War moved me to download it to my e-book reader.

I actually did recall that the book does devote most of its text to Lincoln’s life before he was president. It is primarily a character study with many quotations from Mr. Lincoln, some famous, some less so. The author was the daughter of a man who worked for Lincoln, so she has quotations and stories from many people who knew him.

One quotation I liked: “[I]f in your judgment, you cannot be an honest lawyer, resolve to be honest without being a lawyer. Choose some other occupation rather than…consent to be a knave.” Even in the 1830s lawyers had a certain reputation.

Although the book focuses more on Lincoln’s life than the Civil War, it does describe his role in the war. One of the more pointed quotations from the war describes Lincoln’s frustration at General McClellan’s reluctance to fight. When asked what the Army of the Potomac was, Lincoln replied, “It is McClellan’s bodyguard.”

One of the strongest points of the book is the way it details the differences between Lincoln and Douglas. Indeed, many of the same principles, if not the same issue, are still with us today. It showed how Lincoln was willing to give up his own ambition for principle and for the good of the country. In the 1858 senatorial debates, Lincoln asked Douglas whether citizens of a territory could vote to prohibit slavery before the territory became a state. If Douglas said, “No,” he would please the Southern Democrats, but would deny his own beliefs on states’ rights and lose support of many Northern “free soil” Democrats. If he said, “Yes,” he would lose any national support from the South. Lincoln’s aides warned him that if he asked this question, Douglas would answer, “Yes,” and that would guarantee Douglas would get the senate seat. Lincoln replied presciently that if Douglas answers, “Yes,” he would never be elected president, and that was far more important if slavery were ever to be abolished.

Today this book would be considered a Young Adult book (grades 5 or 6 through 8 or 9). It was called The Boys’ Life because Lincoln was seen by the author and publisher as a male role model. That is still true today, but it surely would have a different title if published today. Girls would find it just as informative and inspiring.