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What Abraham Lincoln Read—An Evaluative and Annotated List
ROBERT BRAY
| This bibliography attempts to list, in alphabetical order by author, all the books or parts of books that any serious scholar, biographer, or bibliographer has asserted that Abraham Lincoln read. In the interest of completeness, even dubious claims have been listed. Newspapers or magazines have been excluded unless they were the only available source of a text that Lincoln read. Texts published as songs, hymns, and popular ditties are listed, but only those that Lincoln is said to have sung or recited himself (thus, no "Dixie," although Lincoln referred to the song in one of his speeches). Likewise, included are only those plays that Lincoln was known to have read, though his fondness for the theater in the White House years led him to many performances of works he did not know as texts (thus no Our American Cousin). Because of the importance of poetry in Lincoln's reading, titles of anthologized individual poems do appear, along with bibliographical information concerning such compendia. But the remainder of the contents of these "preceptors" or "recitation books" that Lincoln used as a boy are not detailed here, the occasional exceptions being prose pieces that would have been of obvious importance in the formation of Lincoln's mature thought (for instance, Jefferson's "First Inaugural" or Washington's "Farewell Address" at the end of his second presidential term). For all books, the years of first publication noted are for printings in English, whether in Great Britain or the United States. |
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Some caveats are in order for the bibliographic sources. Most importantly, the titles from the Library of Congress circulation records (LCR), which are reprinted in both Martin Luther Houser's The Books Lincoln Read (1929) and Rufus Rockwell Wilson's What Lincoln Read (1931), are quite problematic. Their lists were copied from manuscript records that were occasionally illegible (and the sources are no longer known to exist). And, of course, in addition to Lincoln himself, the books in question may have been borrowed from the Library by or for Mary Todd Lincoln, the Lincoln children, or any of the president's secretaries. Who borrowed what is hard to determine. But when a title seems likely to have been read by someone other than Lincoln, it has not been listed here. Thus the reader curious to know the entire pattern of borrowings will need to consult the full printed list in Houser or Wilson. Similarly, the titles taken from Wayne Temple's "Herndon on Lincoln: An Unknown Interview with a List of Books in the Lincoln & Herndon Law Office" consist exclusively of pre-1866 publications that Lincoln could plausibly have read. While they were probably read or used by William Henry Herndon and noticed on the shelves by Lincoln, there is in most cases no corroborating evidence that Lincoln actually read these titles. Finally, the valuable work of the indefatigable bibliographer of Lincoln's reading, M. L. Houser, must in one particular be viewed skeptically. Houser has proved too willing, in a dozen or more instances, to accept on faith that individual copies of books had actually belonged to Lincoln (his phrase for it: "Lincoln copy preserved"). While one would like to believe Houser and indeed seek out and hold such holy relics, the task is rendered all but impossible without documented provenance, which Houser unfortunately does not supply. Moreover, such backtracking is beyond the scope of this project, though ultimately it needs to be done. In the meantime, many of the "Lincoln copy preserved" items in Houser must be provisionally graded as unlikely to have been read by Lincoln, let alone owned by him. (Note: When Houser cites himself in circular fashion, I have given the page references to both MLH-1 and MLH-2.) The same standard of judgment must apply to William E. Barton's Abraham Lincoln and His Books (1920). While Barton was a redoubtable and judicious student of Lincoln, he was also a Lincoln collector of books, manuscripts, and memorabilia. Thus his testimony that he possessed this or that book that Lincoln previously owned (and therefore presumably read) may combine desire with material facts. In any event, without being able to examine the books at issue, or know the documentary train of their provenance, Barton, like Houser, demands corroboration before we can accept his assertions (see the entry on Richard Baxter's The Saints' Everlasting Rest [1649] for an example of the difficulties raised by Barton's claims). |
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Among the sources here employed that are not primarily bibliographic, the least authoritative is David J. Harkness and Gerald McMurtry, Lincoln's Favorite Poets (1959). Their book is highly assertive about what poetry Lincoln read and admired, yet more often than not the authors provide no sources for their claims. Hence no bibliographic entry can stand on their say-so. By the same token, biographical reminiscences of Lincoln, some written long afterward by friends and associates, require scrutiny. Henry C. Whitney's Life on the Circuit with Lincoln (1892) remains important for its eyewitness observations of Lincoln in the latter 1850s, but Whitney has proved unreliable on important aspects of Lincoln's life and political career—most notoriously, he claimed in 1895 to have found his long-forgotten notes from Lincoln's "Lost Speech" in Bloomington, Illinois (1856), and published what he said was a near-verbatim account of its text. Scholars have almost universally rejected Whitney's "Lost Speech" as a fabrication, and his reputation as a Lincoln biographer has suffered accordingly. So is his veracity to be trusted concerning Lincoln's reading? Not automatically: Whitney named seven authors or books as "Lincoln's favorites." For some of these, such as Lord Byron, there is sufficient other evidence to support the claim; for others, like Francis Bacon, Whitney is the single—and therefore the doubtful—source. And it is difficult to believe that if Bacon were in fact one of Lincoln's seven favorites, only Henry C. Whitney's among the hundreds of late-nineteenth-century reminiscences would name him. |
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The magazine recollections of Noah Brooks, one published in the year of Lincoln's death and the second in 1877, would appear to provide clear and credible personal testimony about Lincoln's reading (to the extent that Brooks became an important source for Daniel Kilham Dodge's Abraham Lincoln: the Evolution of his Literary Style [1900], the first scholarly study of Lincoln's literacy). Brooks was close to Lincoln during the Civil War; he did journalistic work for the president, occasionally traveled with his entourage, and had at least a few intimate conversations with Lincoln, two of the subjects of which were reading and literature. However, as it turns out, Brooks is the origin of a few titles that no other Lincoln contemporary mentions. For example, Brooks recalled that Lincoln "particularly liked" Joseph Butler's Analogy of Religion, Natural and Revealed (1739), and his word on the book became truth for both Dodge and Houser. While there is no obvious reason to doubt Brooks's statement, one wonders just what drew Lincoln to an obscure eighteenth-century cleric's defense of Christianity against Deism, and why if he "particularly liked" the book he did not say so to others (see the entry below for details). |
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The instance of Brooks and "Butler's Analogy" epitomizes the devious paths a student of Lincoln's reading must traverse: dozens of titles suggested by disparate sources, of widely varying credibility, with often no direct connection to Lincoln other than a bald assertion. Not one out of twenty of the titles listed below is attested by Lincoln himself. Obviously, the bibliographer must look first in Roy P. Basler's edition of The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, and when an author or title is found there, the search is over. But the work of interpretation has only begun. We must remember that the mere mention of a literary work, or a brief quotation from it, by no means justifies the conclusion that Lincoln read the work entire (his allusion to Plato [Phaedrus] in the "Second Lecture on Discoveries and Inventions" is a good example: he might more easily have obtained the short quotation on the Soul from a reference work than from an edition of Plato's Dialogues). |
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After the Collected Works, far and away the most important source for this bibliography is the extensive body of reminiscential materials (letters and notes of interviews) gathered by Herndon in the decades following Lincoln's death. These documents made the Herndon-Jesse Weik biography of 1889 (since known familiarly as Herndon's Lincoln) both a literary sensation and a lasting monument of Lincoln studies. Only a handful of scholars after Herndon, notably Albert J. Beveridge for his Abraham Lincoln, 1809–1858, and Louis A. Warren for Lincoln's Youth—Indiana Years (1959), gained limited access to this treasure trove. And it was not until the Library of Congress obtained the Herndon-Weik archive in the early 1940s (eventually microfilming each handwritten document) that the generality of Lincoln students could look at the material—though, lacking a workable index and often facing illegible script and poorly developed film, inquirers were liable to go crazy before they found what they were looking for. That is what makes the printed documentary edition, edited by Douglas L. Wilson and Rodney O. Davis and published in 1998 as Herndon's Informants, so crucial to this and many other Lincoln projects. Especially regarding Lincoln's self-education in Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, it would be almost impossible to map the range and sequence of his reading without Herndon's Informants. Yet this is not to say that mention of a title in the Collected Works or Herndon's Informants is always all a bibliographer requires to settle the issue. To take but a single example, does Dennis Hanks's testimony that Lincoln's father gave his son a book recalled as "the united States Speaker" mean that the youth possessed and read The American Speaker (1811), a textbook on elocution? The answers to this and kindred questions are far from clear. A fair part of the value of any bibliography is its contextual information: Who first associated a given text with Lincoln's reading, and how have commentators used this information in interpreting Lincoln's life and career? To assist in answering such questions, I have often listed sources for a title that are "less primary" than either of these two great references. And in the annotations I have also sometimes enlarged the discussion of whether and when Lincoln read a given title. |
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A brief word about the columnar format for the bibliography and especially the grades conferred in the last column of each entry. The left-hand author/title column also gives the first edition in English of the book or single poem or song—not which precise edition Lincoln might have read, which is often impossible to determine (when there is room for speculation on this question it is to be found in the annotations). The second column denominates a text's genre, while the next two give an indication of the period in his life when Lincoln might have read the work and which sources have offered at least a basic ground for believing that he did read it. The grades in the right-hand column are by their nature somewhat subjective. But in the annotations I have tried to keep my own "intuition" at bay, relying for the most part upon the authority of the informants and the quality of the contextual evidence to judge each title's likelihood of having been read by Abraham Lincoln—such as my conclusion that Lincoln may well have read the Essays of Francis Bacon (1625) because they head up a tradition of commonsense rationalism that reached its climacteric in the late eighteenth century in the works of Enlightenment thinkers like Volney and Hume, the reading of whom by Lincoln is somewhat better attested. The scholarly constraints I have striven to observe have sometimes led me to disappointing conclusions. Like many lovers of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, I would have loved to conclude that this epochal book by the other consummate American democrat appeared on the Lincoln-Herndon law office table in 1856, that Lincoln read it and became fascinated with Whitman's approach to poetry and the "body electric," and that he discussed Whitman at length with Herndon and the young law clerks in the office. But the evidence against this seductive claim ultimately weighed more. Sadly, it warranted a "D" grade. |
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In concluding the introduction, I wish to emphasize that this bibliography is a work-in-progress. Even in its unfinished form, I sincerely hope that the work will be of use to Lincoln students and that they, in turn, will help the canon of his readings grow through information they possess that I have missed. And where mistakes or misinterpretations are found, I would very much like to correct them, since I am currently at work on the monograph mentioned in the list of sources below. In Reading with Lincoln, I hope to be able to analyze in detail contextual questions not covered in the bibliography's annotations because the necessary notes would be several pages long (for example, which editions of bbbbsop's Fables, with what illustrations, etc., were available to Lincoln in Kentucky and Indiana). Finally, I appreciate the communitarian nature of Abraham Lincoln studies. "What Abraham Lincoln Read" has already benefited from critical readings by a number of Lincoln scholars, and I shall be grateful for all the further help I can obtain!
| Table 1. Key to Locations and the Bibliographic Sources |
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| IN |
Lincoln's Kentucky and Indiana years, 1809–1830 |
| IL-NS |
Lincoln's New Salem years, 1831–37 |
| IL-SF |
Lincoln's Springfield years, 1837–1860 |
| DC |
Lincoln's presidential years, 1861–65
§ |
| AJB |
Albert J. Beveridge, Abraham Lincoln: 1809–1858. 2 vols. Boston, Mass.: Houghton, Mifflin, 1928. Note: When other authorities have cited the four-volume edition of Beveridge (also 1928), these have been converted to appropriate page numbers in the two-volume printing. |
| AL |
The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, ed. Roy P. Basler et al. 9 vols. (New Brunswick: N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1953–1955). |
| Brooks–1 |
Noah Brooks, "Recollections of Abraham Lincoln," Harper's Magazine 31 (1865): 222–30; reprinted in Michael Burlingame, Lincoln Observed: Civil War Dispatches of Noah Brooks (Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998), as "Personal Recollections of Abraham Lincoln" (201–22). |
| Brooks–2 |
"Personal Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln," Scribner's Monthly 15 (1877–78). |
| Carp |
Francis B. Carpenter, Six Months at the White House with Abraham Lincoln (New York: Hurd & Houghton, 1866). |
| Dodge |
Daniel Kilham Dodge, Abraham Lincoln: the Evolution of His Literary Style. 1900. Reprint, Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2000. |
| HI |
Douglas L. Wilson and Rodney O. Davis, eds. Herndon's Informants. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1998. |
| HV |
Douglas L. Wilson, Honor's Voice (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1998). |
| LCR |
Library of Congress Circulation Records. |
| LFP |
David J. Harkness and Gerald McMurtry, Lincoln's Favorite Poets. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1959. |
| LW |
Louis A. Warren, Lincoln's Youth: Indiana Years. New York: Appleton, Century, Crofts, 1959. |
| MLH–1 |
M. L. Houser, The Books That Lincoln Read. Peoria, Ill.: n. p., 1929. |
| MLH–2 |
M. L. Houser, Abraham Lincoln, Student: His Books. Peoria, Ill.: n. p., 1932. |
| MLH–3 |
M. L. Houser, Young Abraham Lincoln and Log College. Peoria, Ill.: Lester O. Shriver, 1942. |
| RCB |
Robert C. Bray, Reading With Lincoln (in preparation). |
| RRW |
Rufus Rockwell Wilson, What Lincoln Read. Washington, D.C.: n. p., 1931. |
| Temp |
Wayne C. Temple, "Herndon on Lincoln: An Unknown Interview with a List of Books in the Lincoln & Herndon Law Office," Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 98 (2005): 34–50. |
| WEB |
William E. Barton, Abraham Lincoln and His Books. Chicago: Marshall Field, 1920. |
| WHH |
William H. Herndon and Jesse W. Weik, Herndon's Life of Lincoln. Chicago: Belford, Clarke, 1889. |
| Whit |
Henry C. Whitney, Life on the Circuit with Lincoln. 1892. Reprint, Caldwell, Ia.: Caxton Printers, 1940. |
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| Note: other sources are identified by full title and author in the annotations. |
| Table 2. Explanation of the "grades" |
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| A+ |
Attested by Lincoln himself in his writings, in such a way as to indicate more than passing awareness or mere quotation. For example, Lincoln may have alluded once to Cervantes's Don Quixote, but this is not sufficient to conclude that he had read the entire long narrative poem. References to Henry Clay's speeches, on the other hand, imply a familiarity both broad and deep. All but incontestable. |
| A |
Either attested by Lincoln himself to a credible second party, or asserted by one or more of his acquaintances who would have been in a position to know that he read the title in question. Very likely. |
| B |
Attested by at least one of Lincoln's acquaintances, or mentioned in the Library of Congress circulation records, or reasonably thought to be among books Lincoln owned. Somewhat likely. |
| C |
Mentioned by an informant or acquaintance, though in an uncertain context as regards title/author, time or place. Somewhat unlikely. |
| D |
Listed, mentioned or asserted by an informant, acquaintance, or bibliographer, but without sufficient credibility or source citation; or going against negative statements by others or Lincoln himself (e. g., his declaration that he "never read a novel through"). Very unlikely. |
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| Table 3. The Bibliography |
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| Author/Title [Orig. Pub.] |
Genre |
When |
Provenance |
Likelihood |
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| Abbot, Jacob, Biographical Histories [1832–78] |
Belles-lettres |
? |
MLH-2 |
D1 |
| bbbbsop's Fables [1525] |
Fiction [fables] |
IN |
AL [1: 315], HI, RRW |
A+ |
| Akenside, Mark, Pleasures of the Imagination [1744] |
Poetry/essay |
IL-NS |
HI |
D2 |
| "Am I For Peace? Yes!" [1864] |
Poem |
DC |
RCB, AL [8: 532] |
A+ |
| American Speaker [1811] |
Textbook [literacy] |
IN |
HI |
C3 |
| Andrews, E. A. and Stoddard, S., A Grammar of the Latin Language [1836] |
Textbook [Latin lang.] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
C |
| Arabian Nights [1706] |
Fiction [tales] |
IN |
HI, RRW, LW |
A4 |
| Austen, Jane, Pride and Prejudice [1813] |
Novel |
DC |
LCR |
D |
| Babes in the Wood [1793] |
Ballad/ Drama [opera] |
IL-SF |
HI |
B5 |
| Bacon, Francis, Essays [1625] |
Belles-lettres [philosophy] |
IL-SF? |
Whit |
B6 |
| Bacon, Leonard, Slavery Discussed in Occasional Essays from 1833–46 [1846] |
Social/Relig. Polemic |
IL-SF |
RCB |
A7 |
| Bailey, Nathan, Dictionary of English Etymology [1721] |
Reference |
IN |
RRW, LW, MLH-2, AJB |
B8 |
| Bailey, Philip J., The Beauties of Festus [1851] |
Nonfiction [wit & humor] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
B9 |
| Baldwin, J. G., Flush Times in Alabama & Mississippi [1853] |
Fiction [humor] |
DC |
Whit, MLH-2 |
B |
| Balzac, Honoré de, Novels [1842–48] |
Novels |
? |
MLH-2 |
D10 |
| Droll Stories [1874] |
Short Stories |
IL-SF |
WHH |
D |
| Bancroft, George, History of the U.S. [1834] |
Belles-lettres [history] |
DC |
LCR |
B11 |
| The Necessity, the Reality, and the Promise of Progress of the Human Race [1854, 1855] |
Oratory [political] |
IL-SF |
HI |
A |
| "Barbara Allen" |
Ballad/song |
IN |
HI |
A |
| Barclay, James, Dictionary [1774] |
Reference |
IN |
LW, HI |
B12 |
| Barrett, Joseph H., Illustrated Life of Abraham Lincoln [1860, 1864?] |
Biography [campaign] |
DC |
LCR |
A13 |
| Bartlett, John R., Personal Narrative of Explorations and Incidents in Texas, etc. [1854] |
Nonfiction [trav. & expl.] |
DC |
RRW, LCR |
B14 |
| Baxter, Richard, The Saints' Everlasting Rest [1649] |
Relig. [polemic] |
IL-SF |
MLH-2 |
C15 |
| Beecher, Edward, Narrative of the Riots at Alton [1838] |
History [documentary] |
IL [SF] |
MLH-1, MLH-2 |
C16 |
| Beecher, Henry Ward, Editorials [1862] |
Nonfiction [journalism] |
DC |
Carp |
A17 |
| Lectures to Young Men [1846] |
Belles-lettres [lectures] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
C18 |
| Bell, Robert, Eminent Literary and Scientific Men: English Poets [1839] |
Belles-lettres [bio./criticism] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
C19 |
| Benton, Thomas Hart, Speeches [1856, 1857] |
Oratory [political] |
IL-SF |
MLH-2 |
D20 |
| Bible |
Relig. |
IN+ |
AL [passim] |
A+ |
| Bingham, Caleb, American Preceptor [1794] |
Textbook [literacy] |
IN |
HI |
C21 |
| Columbian Orator [1797] |
Textbook [literacy] |
? |
HI |
D22 |
| Blackstone, William, Commentaries [1765–69] |
Textbook [law] |
IL |
AL [3: 344; 4: 121] |
A+ |
| Blair, Hugh, Lectures in Rhetoric [1784] |
Textbook [literacy] |
IN-IL |
RRW, MLH-1 |
D23 |
| Blanchard, Amos, American Military Biography [1825] |
Reference [biography] |
IL-NS |
HI, RRW |
B |
| Blanc, Louis, Louis Blanc on the Working Classes [1848] |
Sociology/ pol. science |
IL-SF |
Temp |
C |
| Book of Mormon |
Relig. |
DC |
RRW, LCR |
C24 |
| Brewster, George, A New Philosophy of Matter [1843] |
Nonfiction [science] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
B |
| Brontë, Charlotte, Shirley [1849] |
Novel |
DC |
LCR |
D |
| Brown, Thomas, Lectures on the Philosophy of the Human Mind [1828] |
Philosophy |
IL |
HI |
C25 |
| Browne, Charles F., Artemus Ward, His Book [1862] |
Fiction [humor] |
DC |
Whit. MLH-2 |
B26 |
| Browning, Robert, Poems [1850?] |
Poetry |
DC |
Dodge |
C27 |
| Bryant, William Cullen, Poems [1821, 1832] |
Poetry [lyric] |
IL-DC? |
LFP, MLH-2 |
B28 |
| "Thanatopsis" [1817,1821] |
"" |
IL-SF |
RCB |
A29 |
| Buckland, Francis T., Curiosities of Natural History [1858] |
Non-fiction [science] |
DC |
LCR |
C |
| Bulwer-Lytton, Edward, Lady of Lyons [1838] |
Drama |
IL |
HI |
B30 |
| Caxtoniana [1849] |
Nonficion [essays] |
DC |
LCR |
C |
| Bunyan, John, Pilgrim's Progress [1678] |
Fiction [rel. allegory] |
IN-IL |
HI, WHH, LW,RRW |
A |
| Burk, ?, The Rifle [not identified] |
Textbook? [military science?] |
DC |
MLH-2, LCR |
D31 |
| Burke, Edmund, Sublime and Beautiful [1757] |
Philosophy |
IL |
MLH-1 |
C32 |
| Burke, Peter, Public and Domestic Life of Edmund Burke [1853] |
Belles-lettres [biography] |
IL-SF |
WHH, Dodge |
D33 |
| Burns, Robert, Poems [1786] |
Poetry [lyric, satire] |
IL-NS SF-DC |
HI, RRW,- Whit., Dodge |
A34 |
| "Tam O' Shanter" |
" |
" |
HI, LFP |
A |
| "Holy Willie's Prayer" |
" |
" |
HI, LFP |
A |
| "Cotter's Saturday Night" |
" |
" |
" |
A |
| "Epistle to a Young Friend " |
" |
" |
" |
A |
| "A Man's A Man For A' That" |
" |
" |
" |
A |
| "John Anderson, My Jo" |
Song |
" |
" |
A |
| "Green Grow the Rushes" |
" |
" |
" |
A |
| "Address to the Unco Guid" |
Poetry |
" |
" |
A |
| "Address to the Deil" |
Poetry |
IL-SF |
AL [1:104] RCB |
A |
| "Auld Lang Syne" |
Song |
IN-IL |
HI, LFP |
A |
| "A Heart-Warm Fond Adieu" |
" |
IL-SF-DC |
LFP |
A |
| "'Twas Even... " |
" |
" |
" |
A |
| "Willie Wastle" |
" |
" |
HI |
A |
| "Lament for James, Earl of Glencairn" [1793] |
Poetry |
DC |
RCB |
A |
| Butler, Joseph, The Analogy of Religion Natural and Revealed, to the Constitution and Course of Nature [1736] |
Relig. |
IL-SF-DC |
Dodge,MLH-2 |
B35 |
| Butler, Samuel, Works [inc. Hudibras, 1663] |
Poetry [mock-epic] |
DC |
LCR |
B |
| Butler, William A., Nothing to Wear [1857] |
Poetry [humorous verse] |
IL-SF |
HI, WHH |
B36 |
| Byron, George Gordon, Lord, Poems [1815] |
Poetry |
IL-NS- |
HI, |
A37 |
| Childe Harold [1812–18] |
[lyric, dramatic, |
SF-DC |
Dodge, |
A |
| Bride of Abydos [1813] |
satiric, |
|
Whit, |
A |
| Mazeppa [1819] |
narrative] |
|
LFP |
A |
| Don Juan [1819–24] |
" |
IL-SF |
" |
A38 |
| "Destruction of Sennacherib" |
" |
IL-NS-SF |
HV-LFP |
A |
| "Devil's Drive" |
" |
" |
HI |
A |
| "To Inez" |
" |
" |
" |
A |
| "Girl of Cadiz" |
" |
" |
" |
A |
| "Darkness" |
" |
IL-SF |
HV, HI |
A |
| "The Dream" |
" |
IL-SF |
HV |
A |
| "Lara" [1814] |
" |
IL-SF |
RCB |
B |
| "The Corsair" [1813] |
" |
IN |
" |
B |
| "Nisus and Euryalus" [1807] |
" |
IN |
" |
B |
| Callan, John. F., Military Laws [1858] |
Reference [legal] |
DC? |
MLH-2 |
C |
| Campbell, Thomas, Pleasures of Hope [1799] |
Poetry [essay] |
IL |
HI |
D39 |
| Carey, Henry Charles, Principles of Political Economy [1837] |
Economics |
IL-SF |
RCB |
B/C40 |
| Carlyle, Thomas, ? |
? |
IL-SF |
MLH-2 |
D41 |
| Carter, Elizabeth et al., Sketches in Biography [1825] |
Belles-lettres [biography] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
C |
| Cervantes, Miguel de, Don Quixote [1616] |
Prose fiction [mock-epic] |
IL |
AL |
C |
| Chambers, Robert, Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation [1844] |
Non-fiction [Relig.] |
IL-SF |
WEB, RRW,WHH |
A42 |
| Chandler, Mary G., Elements of Character [1854] |
[self-help] Ethics |
IL-SF |
MLH-2 |
A44 |
| Channing, William Ellery, Works [1841] |
Philosophy [ethical] |
IL-SF |
HI, MLH-2 |
A43 |
| Chitty, Joseph, A Practical Treatise on Pleading [1809] |
Textbook [law] |
IL-NS |
AL [3: 344;4: 121] |
A+ |
| Cibber, Colley, The Hypocrite [1717; 1768] |
Drama |
IL-NS |
HI |
C45 |
| Clay, Henry, Speeches |
Oratory [political] |
IL-SF |
AL [2: 121–32; passim, other volumes] |
A+ |
| Life [Correspondence] and Speeches of Henry Clay [1857] |
" |
" |
MLH-2 |
B46 |
| Coddington, David, Oration Delivered at Bergen Point, on the Fourth of July, 1845 [1845] |
Oratory [political] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
C |
| Conway, Moncure D., The Rejected Stone [1861, 1862] |
Polemic [abolitionist] |
DC |
RCB |
A47 |
| Cook, Eliza, Poems [1838, 1840] |
Poetry [sentimental] |
IL? |
MLH-1, 2 |
C48 |
| Cooper, James Fenimore, The Wept of Wish-Ton-Wish [1829] |
Drama[historical romance] |
IL-NS |
HI |
C49 |
| The Pioneers [1823] |
Novel [historical romance] |
IN |
MLH-1, 2 |
D50 |
| The Last of the Mohicans [1826] |
Novel [historical romance] |
IN |
MLH-1, 2 |
D |
| The Prairie [1827] |
Novel [historical romance] |
IN |
MLH-1, 2 |
D |
| Cowper, William, Lines from The Task [1785] |
Poetry [autobio.] |
IN |
RCB |
A |
| Charity [1782] |
Poetry [didactic] |
IL-SF |
RCB |
B |
| "On the Receipt of My Mother's Picture" [1792] |
Poetry [lyric] |
IL-SF |
RCB |
B51 |
| "There is a Fountain Filled with Blood" [1779] |
Hymn |
? |
LFP |
B |
| Cozzens, Frederick S. [Richard Hayward], The Sparrowgrass Papers [1856] |
Humor |
DC |
LCR |
B |
| Cruden, Alexander, Concordance [1737] |
Reference |
DC |
MLH-2 |
B52 |
| Cunningham, Peter, Story of Nell Gwynn [1852] |
Biography |
DC |
LCR |
C |
| Daboll, Nathan, Schoolmaster's Assistant [1799] |
Textbook [arithmetic] |
IN |
LW, MLH-2 |
B |
| Darwin, Charles, The Voyage of the Beagle [1839] |
Monograph [biology] |
IL-SF |
WHH |
D53 |
| The Origin of Species [1859] |
Monograph [biology] |
" |
" |
D |
| Davis, Andrew J., The Great Harmonia [1859] |
Essay [spiritualism] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
C |
| Davis, William W. H., El Gringo: or, New Mexico and her People [1857] |
Non-fiction [trav. desc.] |
DC |
RRW, LCR |
B54 |
| Day, Jeremiah, Introduction to Algebra [1814] |
Textbook [math] |
IL? |
MLH-2 |
C |
| Defoe, Daniel, Robinson Crusoe [1719] |
Novel |
IN |
HI, RRW, LW |
A55 |
| "The Democratic Battle Hymn" [?] |
Poem |
IL-SF |
RCB, AL [2: 152] |
A+ |
| Dempster, William R., "Lament of the Irish Immigrant" [1843] |
Song |
IL-SF? |
Dodge |
|
| Dickens, Charles, Pickwick Papers [1837] |
Novel |
IL-DC |
MLH-2, LCR |
D56 |
| Dilworth, Thomas, A New Guide to the English Tongue [1761] |
Textbook [literacy] |
IN |
HI, WHH, RRW |
A |
| Disraeli, Benjamin, Vivian Grey [1826] |
Novel |
DC |
LCR |
D |
| Contarini Fleming [1832] |
Novel |
DC |
LCR |
D |
| Drake, Benjamin, Life of Blackhawk [1838] |
Biography |
IL |
MLH-2 |
C57 |
| Dupuy, Starke, Hymns Spiritual Songs [1818] |
Hymns |
IN |
HI |
B |
| Elliott, Jonathan, Journal and Debates of the Federal Constitution [1836] |
History [political] |
IL-SF |
AL [3: 522ff],WHH |
A+58 |
| Emerson, Ralph W. |
Belles-lettres |
IL-SF |
MLH-2 |
D59 |
| Essays, 1st Series [1841] |
" |
DC |
LCR |
B |
| Representative Men [1850] |
" |
DC |
LCR |
B |
| Emory, W. H., Reconnaissance in New Mexico and California [1848] |
Non-fiction [gov't doc.] |
DC |
RRW, LCR |
B60 |
| Euclid, Geometry |
Textbook [math] |
IL-SF |
HI, MLH-2 |
A |
| Everett, Edward, Orations [general] [1836, 1856] |
Belles-lettres |
DC? |
Brooks-2, Dodge |
C61 |
| Address at Gettysburg [1863] |
Belles-lettres |
DC-PA |
AL |
A+62 |
| Feuerbach, Ludwig, The Essence of Christianity [1854] |
Belles-lettres [philosophy] |
IL-SF |
RRW |
C63 |
| Fichte, Johann G., Doctrine of Knowledge [?][?] |
Belles-lettres [philosophy] |
IL-SF |
RRW |
D64 |
| Fitzhugh, George, Sociology for the South [1857] |
History[sociology] |
IL-SF D |
WHH, AJB, MLH-2 |
A- |
| Flint, Abel, System of Geometry, Trigonometry Rectangular Surveying [1804] |
Textbook [surv.] |
IL-NS |
AL [4: 65], MLH-2 |
A+ |
| Flint, Charles, Insects Injurious to Vegetation [1862?] |
Biology [pamphlet] |
DC |
RCB, AL [5: 211] |
C |
| Flint, Timothy, Life of Daniel Boone [1833] |
Biography |
IL? |
MLH-2 |
C |
| Ford, Thomas, History of Illinois [1854] |
History |
IL-SF |
AL [3: 28, 182], MLH-2 |
A+ |
| Franklin, Benjamin, Autobiography [1818, U.S.] |
Belles-lettres |
IN |
LW, MLH-2 |
B |
| French, Jonathan, The True Republican [1841, 1852] |
History |
IL-SF |
MLH-1, MLH-2 |
B65 |
| Frémont, John C., Report of the Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains in the Year 1842 [1845] |
Documentary |
DC |
RRW, LCR |
B66 |
| Fresh Evidence of the Continuance of the Slave Trade [Eng.] [1824] |
Gov't. Report |
IL-SF |
Temp |
B |
| Gasparin, Agénor-Etienne, America Before Europe [1859] |
History |
DC |
RCB, AL [5: 352, 355] |
C67 |
| Gibbon, Edward, Decline Fall of the Roman Empire [1776] |
Belles-lettres [history] |
IL-NS |
RCB,AL [8: 436], HI, WEB, WHH |
A |
| Gibson, Robert, Theory Practice of Surveying [1814] |
Textbook [surv.] |
IL-NS |
AL [4: 65],MLH-2 |
A+ |
| Giddings, Joshua, Speeches [1853, 1854] |
Oratory [political] |
IL-SF |
WHH |
A68 |
| Giles, Henry, Lectures and Essays [1850] |
Belles-lettres [lit.criticism] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
C69 |
| Gilman, C., Illinois Conveyancer [1846] |
Textbook [law] |
IL-NS-SF |
MLH-2 |
C70 |
| Gilmore, J. R., Among the Pines [1862] |
Nonfiction [trav. desc.] |
DC |
MLH-2 |
B71 |
| Goldsmith, Oliver, Poems [1775, 1777] |
Poetry |
DC |
Carp |
D72 |
| "On the Death of a Mad Dog" |
" |
? |
LFP |
C |
| Gray, Thomas, "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" [1751] |
Poetry |
IN |
RCB, HI |
A73 |
| Greene, Samuel S., Elements of English Grammar [1853] |
Textbook/Ref. [literacy] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
C |
| Greenleaf, Simon, A Treatise On the Law of Evidence [1840] |
Textbook, [law] |
IL-NS |
AL [3: 344;4: 121] |
A+ |
| Greg, William R., The Creed of Christendom [1851] |
Nonfiction [apologetics] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
C |
| Grimshaw, William, History of the U. S. [1820] |
History |
IN |
HI, AJB, RRW, MLH-2 |
B |
| Grove, William R., On the Correlation of Physical Forces [1846] |
Nonfiction [science] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
C |
| Guizot, François P., Essay on the Character and Influence of Washington [1840] |
Belles-lettres [essay/history] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
B |
| Gunnison, John W., The Mormons [1852] |
Nonfiction [trav. & desc.] |
DC |
RRW, LCR |
C74 |
| Hackett, James H., Notes and Comments upon Certain Plays and Actors of Shakespeare [1863] |
Belles-lettres [dramatic criticism] |
DC |
RCB, AL [6: 393n] |
C75 |
| Hale, Salma, History of the U.S. [1826] |
History |
? |
MLH-2 |
? |
| Hallam, Henry, Middle Ages [1818] |
History |
? |
MLH-2 |
? |
| Halleck, FitzGreene, "Burns" [1827] |
Poetry |
IL-SF |
AL [4: 48], HI |
A+ |
| "Alnwick Castle" |
" |
" |
" |
A+ |
| "Marco Bozzaris" |
" |
" |
" |
A+ |
| "Red Jacket" |
" |
" |
" |
A+ |
| "Fanny" [1819, 1821] |
" |
DC |
RCB |
A76 |
| Halleck, H. W., Military Art & Science [1846] |
Textbook [mil.] |
DC |
LCR, MLH-2 |
B77 |
| Halpine, Charles. G., Life & Adventures of Private Miles O'Reilly [1864] |
Nonfiction [autobio.] |
DC |
Brooks-1, MLH-2 |
C78 |
| Lyrics by the Letter H [1854] |
Poetry |
" |
LCR |
C |
| Harris, T. W., Treatise on Some Insects Injurious to Vegetation [not identified; see entry above for Flint, Charles L.] |
Nonfiction [science] |
? |
MLH-2 |
? |
| Harvey, William, Children in the Wood [also Babes in the Wood] [1830] |
Poetry/drama [ballad] |
IL-SF |
HI |
B |
| Hawes, G. W., Illinois State Gazetteer [1858] |
Reference |
IL-SF |
RCB |
A79 |
| Hawthorne, Nathaniel, Novels |
Novel[s] |
? |
MLH-2 |
D |
| The Blithedale Romance [1852] |
Novel |
DC |
LCR |
D |
| Mosses from an Old Manse [1846] |
Fiction [tales] |
DC |
LCR |
C |
| Twice-Told Tales [1851] |
" |
" |
" |
C80 |
| Hayes, Catherine [composer],"Annie Laurie" [ca. 1848] |
Song |
IL-SF |
Brooks-1 |
B |
| Helper, Hinton R., The Impending Crisis of the South [1857] |
History [doc.] |
IL-SF |
AL[3: 541], AJB, MMH-2 |
A+81 |
| Henry, Patrick, Speeches |
Oratory [political] |
IL?-DC |
AL [5: 502–3], Dodge, MLH-2 |
B82 |
| Hentz, Caroline Lee, The Mob-Cap Other Tales [ca.1848] |
Fiction [short stories] |
IL-SF |
HI |
B83 |
| Novels |
Novel[s] |
IL-NS |
WHH |
D84 |
| Herrick, Robert, Poems [1648] |
Poetry |
? |
MLH-2 |
D85 |
| Hesiod, Georgicks [George Chapman, trans.][1618] |
Poetry |
DC |
LCR |
B |
| Works of Hesiod, Callimachus, and Theognis [1856] |
Poetry |
DC |
LCR |
B |
| Hickey, William, The Constitution of the U.S. [1846] |
History [political] |
DC |
MLH-2, LCR |
A |
| Hill, John, Opposing Principles of Henry Clay and Abraham Lincoln [1860] |
Political Polemic [pamphlet] |
IL-SF |
RCB, AL [4: 104–8] |
A+ |
| Hitchcock, E., Religious Truth Illustrated from Science [1856] |
Relig. |
IL-SF-DC |
MLH-2 |
B86 |
| Holland, William M., Life of Martin Van Buren [1835] |
Biography |
IL-SF |
MLH-2 |
B87 |
| Holmes, Oliver Wendell, Poems [1850] |
Poetry |
IL-SF-DC |
LFP, HI |
C |
| "The Last Leaf" [1831] |
" |
" |
HI, Whit, Dodge |
A |
| "The Chambered Nautilus" |
" |
" |
Dodge |
A |
| "September Gale" |
" |
" |
Dodge |
A |
| "Ballad of an Oysterman" |
" |
" |
Dodge |
A |
| "Lexington" |
" |
" |
Brooks-1, LFP |
A88 |
| "Freedom, Our Queen" |
" |
" |
LFP |
D |
| "Voyage of the Good Ship Union" |
" |
" |
LFP |
D |
| "The Flower of Liberty" |
" |
" |
LFP |
D |
| "My Aunt" |
" |
" |
LFP |
D |
| "How Not to Settle It" |
" |
" |
LFP |
D!89 |
| "The Boys" |
" |
" |
LFP |
D |
| "Departed Days" |
" |
" |
LFP |
D |
| "Army Hymn" |
" |
" |
LFP |
D90 |
| The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table [1858] |
Belles-lettres [familiar essay] |
IL-SF |
LFP |
C91 |
| "The Deacon's Masterpiece Or the Wonderful One-Hoss Shay" |
Poetry |
" |
LFP |
C |
| "Latter-Day Warnings" |
" |
" |
LFP |
C |
| Homer, Iliad [George Chapman, trans.] |
Poetry [narr.epic] |
IL, DC |
RRW, MLH-2,LCR, RCB |
B92 |
| Odyssey |
" |
IL |
MLH-2, RCB |
B |
| Hood, Thomas, Poems [1840] |
Poetry [humor/lyric] |
IL-SF-DC |
MLH-2 |
C |
| "Miss Kilmansegg and her Golden Leg" |
" |
DC |
Dodge, Brooks-1 |
B |
| "Faithless Sally Brown" |
" |
DC |
Dodge, Brooks-1 |
B |
| "Up the Rhine" |
" |
DC |
LFP |
B |
| "The Haunted House" |
" |
DC |
RCB |
A93 |
| "The Lost Heir" |
" |
DC |
" |
A |
| "The Song of the Shirt" |
" |
DC |
" |
C |
| "The Bridge of Sighs" |
" |
DC |
LFP |
C |
| "Ode to Melancholy" |
" |
DC |
" |
C94 |
| "The Spoiled Child" [1861] |
Fiction [humorous sketch] |
DC |
RCB |
A?95 |
| Hopkinson, Jospeh," Hail Columbia, Happy Land" [1798] |
Song |
IN |
HI |
B |
| Horace, Q. Horatii Flacci Opera |
Poetry [Latin] |
DC |
LCR |
C |
| Howe, Julia Ward, Passion Flowers [1854] |
Poetry |
DC |
LCR |
C |
| Howells, William Dean, Lives and Speeches of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin [1860] |
Biography [campaign] |
IL-SF |
AL |
A+96 |
| Hume, David, Essays [1741? 1758?] |
Belles-lettres [philosophy] |
IL-SF |
MLH-2 |
B97 |
| History of England [1754–1762] |
Belles-lettres [history] |
DC |
LCR |
B |
| Hyde, John, Mormonism [1857] |
History [relig.] |
DC |
LCR |
A98 |
| Illinois, Journal of the House of Representatives, 9th General Assembly [1834] |
Reference [documentary] |
IL-SF |
MLH-2 |
B99 |
| Illinois, Revised Laws [1829] |
Reference [law] |
IL-SF |
AJB, MLH-2 |
B |
| Revised Laws [1841–45] |
" |
" |
" |
B100 |
| Indiana, Revised Statutes [1824] |
Reference [law] |
IN |
HI, LW, MLH-2 |
B101 |
| Jackson, Andrew, Proclamation Against Nullification [1832] |
State Paper [presidential] |
IL-SF |
WHH |
A |
| Jackson, Edwin W, "Auld Robin Gray" [ca. 1821] |
Song |
IL-NS[?]-SF[?] |
Brooks-1 |
B |
| Jefferson, Thomas, Works [vols. 4, 7, 8, 9] [1853–4] |
Various |
DC |
LCR |
B |
| First Inaugural Address [1801] |
Oratory [political] |
IN |
RCB |
A102 |
| Correspondence (vol. 7) |
Letters |
IL-NS |
RCB, AL [2: 516–17] |
A+ |
| Joe Miller's Jests [1739] |
Humor |
IL-SF |
Whit, MLH-2, WEB |
A103 |
| Jefferys, Charles [and Nelson, S.], "Mary of Argyle" [ca. 1840] |
Song |
IL-SF |
Brooks-2 |
B |
| "John Adkin's Farewell" |
Song |
IN |
HI |
A |
| Johnson, A. B., The Meaning of Words [1854] |
Nonfiction [linguistics/phil.] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
C |
| Judd, Sylvester, Margaret [1845] |
Novel |
DC |
LCR |
D |
| Kant, Immanuel? |
Nonfiction [philosophy] |
IL-SF |
RRW |
D104 |
| Kellogg, Edward, Labor and Other Capital [1849] |
Political Economy |
IL-SF |
RCB, AL [3: 518–19] |
C105 |
| Kendall, George W., Narrative of the Texan Santa Fé Expedition [1844] |
Nonfiction [trav. & expl.] |
DC |
RRW, LCR |
B106 |
| Kenney, James, Illustrious Stranger [1827] |
Drama |
IL-NS |
HI |
B107 |
| Kent, James, Commentaries on American Law [1826] |
Textbook [law] |
IL-NS-SF |
AL [1: 485–6] |
A+ |
| The Kentucky Preceptor [1806] |
Textbook[literacy] |
IN |
WHH,LW |
A108 |
| Kingsley, Charles, Hypatia [1851] |
Novel |
DC |
RRW, LCR |
D109 |
| Alton Locke [1850] |
Novel |
DC |
LCR |
D |
| Yeast: a Problem [1850] |
Novel |
DC |
LCR |
D |
| Westward Ho! [1855] |
Novel |
DC |
LCR |
D |
| Kirkham, Samuel, English Grammar |
Textbook [literacy] |
ILNS |
HI [et al.] |
A |
| Kirkland, Charles P., A Letter to the Honorable Benjamin P. Curtis [1862] |
Politics [pamphlet] |
DC |
RCB, AL [5: 544] |
A+ |
| Kneass, Nelson, "Ben Bolt" [ca. 1848] |
Song |
IL-SF |
Dodge |
C |
| Knox, Vicesimus, Elegant Extracts [1826] |
Anthology [literary] |
IL-SF |
RCB |
B110 |
| Knox, William, "Mortality" [1824] |
Poetry |
IL |
AL [I: 378] |
A+111 |
| Lament of the Irish Emigrant [see Dempster entry above] |
|
|
|
|
| Lanman, Charles, Dictionary of the U. S. Congress [1859] |
Reference |
DC |
MLH-2, AL [2: 459] |
A112 |
| The Law of Nature [1796] |
Catechism [Deist/secular] |
IL-NS |
RCB |
B113 |
| Lawrence, George Alfred, Sword and Gown [1859] |
Novel |
DC |
LCR |
D |
| Leland, John, "O When Shall I See Jesus" [see Dupuy entry above] |
|
|
|
|
| Lempriere, John, Classical Dictionary [1788] |
Reference |
DC |
LCR |
B |
| Lear, Edward, A Book of Nonsense [1856, 1861] |
Humor |
IL? DC |
RCB |
B114 |
| Le Sage, Alain R., Gil Blas [1715–35] |
Novel |
IL-NS |
HI |
B115 |
| Leslie, John M.,"The Phantom" |
Poetry |
IL-SF |
Dodge |
B116 |
| Lewes, George Henry, Life of Göthe [1855] |
Biography |
DC |
LCR |
D |
| ? Life of Napoleon |
Biography |
IL |
RCB |
D117 |
| Lincoln, Abraham and Douglas, Stephen A., Political Debates [1860] |
Debate[political] |
IL-SF |
AL [2: 461 n. 1; 3: 515] |
A+ |
| Livermore, G., Historical Research ... Negroes as Slaves, as Citizens, and as Soldiers [1862] |
History [documentary] |
DC? |
MLH-2 |
B118 |
| Livingston, J., Law Register [1851] |
Reference [law] |
IL-SF |
MLH-2 |
B119 |
| Locke, David Ross [Petroleum V. Nasby], The Nasby Papers [1864] |
Humor |
DC |
Whit, MLH-2, Dodge |
A120 |
| Locke, John, ? |
Nonfiction [philosophy] |
IL-SF |
RRW |
D121 |
| Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, Poems [1846] |
Poetry |
IL-SF? DC |
LFP, MLH-2 |
B122 |
| The Song of Hiawatha [1855] |
Poetry [narrative] |
DC |
LFP, LCR |
C123 |
| "The Birds of Killingworth" |
Poetry [lyric] |
DC |
Brooks-1, Dodge |
B |
| "The Building of the Ship" |
" |
DC |
Brooks-2, Dodge LFP |
A124 |
| "A Psalm of Life" |
" |
DC |
Brooks-1, Dodge |
B |
| "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" |
" |
DC |
LFP |
C125 |
| "The Slave's Dream" |
" |
DC |
LFP |
C126 |
| "The Rainy Day" |
" |
IL-SF |
LFP |
C |
| Lowe, A. T., Columbian Class Book [1824] |
Textbook [literacy] |
IN |
RRW, LW |
B127 |
| Lowell, James Russell, The Biglow Papers [1848, 1867] |
Humor |
DC |
Brooks-1, Dodge |
B128 |
| Macaulay, Thomas B., History of England from the Accession of James II [1849] |
Belles-lettres [history] |
IL-SF,DC |
Temp, LCR |
B |
| Essays, Critical and Miscellaneous [1846] |
Belles-lettres [lit. criticism] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
C |
| McCullough, John Ramsey, Essays on Exchange, Interest, Money and Other Subjects [1850] |
Economics |
IL-SF |
RCB |
C129 |
| McElligott, James N., The American Debater [1855] |
Textbook [literacy/debate] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
B130 |
| Mackay, Charles, "The Inquiry" [1847, 1856] |
Poetry [song] |
IL-SF? |
WHH, Dodge |
A131 |
| "The Ship on Fire" |
Song |
IL-SF-DC |
RCB |
C132 |
| Macklin, Charles, The Man of the World [1781] |
Drama [comic] |
DC |
RCB, AL[6: 559n] |
C |
| Marryat, Frederick, Novels |
Novel[s] |
IL? |
MLH-2 |
D133 |
| Massett, Stephen C., "Drifting About;" or, What "Jeems Pipes of Pipesville,"Saw-and-Did [1863] |
Humor [fictional sketches] |
DC |
Carp, RCB, AL [7: 34] |
B |
| Mill, John Stuart, On Liberty [1859] |
Belles-lettres [philosophy] |
DC |
Brooks-1, Dodge |
B134 |
| Principles of Political Economy [1848] |
Economics |
IL-SF |
RCB |
B135 |
| Milton, John, Poems [1645, 1673] |
Poetry |
IL-SF |
HI, RRW, MLH-2 |
C136 |
| "Lycidas" [1638] |
Poetry [lyric] |
IN |
RCB |
B |
| Paradise Lost [1667] |
Epic poetry |
DC |
RCB |
C |
| Mitchell, Donald G. [Ik Marvel], Fudge Doings [1854] |
Fiction [short stories] |
IL-SF |
MLH-1 |
C137 |
| Seven Stories, with Basement and Attic [unidentified] |
Fiction [short stories] |
DC |
LCR |
D138 |
| Molière [Jean-Baptiste Poquelin], Le Tartuffe139 |
|
|
|
|
| Mollhausen, Baldwin, Diary of a Journey from the Mississippi to the Coasts of the Pacific [1858] |
Nonfiction [trav. & expl.] |
DC |
RRW, LCR |
B140 |
| Moore, David A., The Age of Progress; or, A Panorama of Time [1856] |
Prose-poetry [dream vision] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
B141 |
| Moore, Thomas, "Believe Me if All Those Endearing Young Charms" |
Poetry [song] |
IL-NS?-SF-DC |
LFP |
C |
| "The Meeting of the Waters" |
" |
? |
LFP |
C |
| "The Harp That Once Through Tara's Halls" |
" |
? |
LFP |
C |
| "Oft in the Stilly Night" |
" |
? |
LFP |
C |
| "How Dear to Me the Hour" |
" |
? |
LFP |
C142 |
| "The Legacy" |
" |
NS |
RCB |
B143 |
| Life, Letters and Journals of Lord Byron [1830–31] |
Biography [with documents] |
IL-NS |
HV |
B144 |
| Morton, John M., Poor Pillicoddy ["a farce in one act"] [1848] |
Drama [Victorian popular] |
IL-NS |
HI |
C145 |
| Murray, Lindley, The English Reader [1799] |
Textbook [literacy] |
IN |
LW, WHH |
A146 |
| The English Grammar [1795] |
" |
IL-NS |
HV |
C147 |
| Neill, Edward D., History of Minnesota [1858] |
History |
DC |
RRW, LCR |
B148 |
| Neilson, William, Greek Exercises [1806] |
Textbook [Greek lang.] |
? |
MLH-2 |
?149 |
| Newell, R. H. [Orpheus C. Kerr], Orpheus C. Kerr Papers [1862] |
Humor |
DC |
Brooks, MLH-2 |
B150 |
| Newton, John, "How Tedious and Tasteless the Hours" [see Dupuy entry above] |
Hymn |
IN |
HI, LFP |
B |
| "Old Sukey Blue Skin" |
Song |
IL-NS |
HI |
B |
| Olmsted, Denison, An Introduction to Astronomy [1839] |
Textbook [science] |
? |
MLH-2 |
D151 |
| Olmsted, Frederick L., A Journey in the Seaboard Slave States [1856] |
Nonfiction [trav. desc.] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
B |
| O'Neill , John, A New and Easy System of Geography and Popular Astronomy [1808] |
Textbook [geography] |
IN |
MLH-3 |
D152 |
| Owen, Robert D., Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World [1859] |
Essay [spiritualism] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
C |
| Paine, Thomas, Common Sense [1776] |
Belles-lettres [propaganda] |
IL-NS |
HI |
B153 |
| The Age of Reason [1794–5] |
Belles-lettres [philosophy] |
IL-NS |
WHH, AJB, MLH-2 |
A154 |
| Complete Political Works, 3 vols. [1856–9] |
Belles-lettres [pol. polemic] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
B155 |
| Paley, William, Natural Theology [1802] |
Religion [Christian Theology] |
IL-SF |
RCB, AL [8:433], HI, MLH-2 |
B156 |
| Parker, Theodore, Additional Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons [1858] |
Belles-lettres [pol. and relig. Polemics] |
IL-SF |
HI, WHH |
A157 |
| "The Effect of Slavery on the American People" [1858] |
" |
" |
WHH |
A158 |
| Parkman, Francis, The Oregon Trail [1849] |
Belles-lettres [history] |
DC |
RRW, LCR |
B159 |
| Perkins, James H., Annals of the West [1847] |
History |
IL-SF |
HI |
C |
| Permanent Temperance Documents of the American Temperance Society, vol. 1? [1835] and vol. ? |
Nonfiction, polemic] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
B160 |
| Peterson, Henry, Poems [1863] |
Poetry |
DC |
RCB,MLH-2 |
B161 |
| Phillips, Austin, "Twenty Years Ago" [ca. 1840] |
Song |
IL-SF |
Dodge |
B |
| Phillips, Charles, The Character of Napoleon [1817] |
Biography |
IL-SF |
RCB, AL [2: 281] |
C |
| Phillips, Philip, "Your Mission" |
Hymn |
DC |
RCB, AL [8: 245–6 and n] |
A+ |
| Phillips, Wendell, ? |
Polemic [antislavery] |
IL-SF |
MLH-2, WHH |
A162 |
| "Picayune Butler" |
Song |
DC |
RCB, AL [7: 549] |
A+ |
| Pike, Nicholas, Arithmetic [1788] |
Textbook [arithmetic] |
IN |
LW, RRW |
B |
| Plato, Dialogues [Phdrus?] |
Philosophy |
IL-SF |
AL [3: 357], Dodge |
C163 |
| Plutarch, Lives [Arthur H. Clough, ed.] [1859] |
Belles-lettres [biography] |
IL-SF |
HI, WEB LCR |
B to A+164 |
| Poe, Edgar Allan, Poems [1831] |
Poetry |
IL-SF |
HI, MLH-2 |
A |
| "The Raven" [1845] |
" |
" |
HI, AL [1: 377n] |
A165 |
| "The Pole-Cat" [1846] |
Poem [parody] |
IL-SF |
RCB, AL [1: 377 and n] |
A+166 |
| Pope, Alexander, Poems [?] [ca. 1715–40] |
Poetry |
IL-SF-DC |
AL [3: 472], MLH-2 |
B167 |
| Essay on Man [1733–4] |
" |
DC |
RCB |
A |
| Temple of Fame [1715] |
" |
IN |
RCB |
B |
| Post, Truman M., The Skeptical Era in Modern History [1856] |
Nonfiction [rel. polemic] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
C |
| Prentice, George Denison, Life of Henry Clay [1831] |
Belles-lettres [biography] |
IL-NS or SF |
HI, Temp |
B168 |
| Prior, James, Memoir of Burke [1839] |
Belles-lettres [biography] |
IL-SF |
AJB |
D169 |
| Quin's Jests [1766] |
Humor |
IN |
AJB, LW |
B170 |
| Ramsay, David, Life of George Washington [1807] |
Belles-lettres [biography] |
IN |
HI, RRW, LW |
B171 |
| Ray, Joseph, Little Arithmetic [1834] |
Textbook [arithmetic] |
IN |
HI |
D172 |
| Read, Thomas B., The Wagoner of the Alleghanies [1862] |
Poetry |
DC |
LCR |
B |
| Rhoads, Asa, American Spelling Book [1802] |
Textbook [literacy] |
IN |
HI |
C173 |
| Riley, James, An Authentic Narrative of the Loss of the American Brig Commerce [1817] |
Belles-lettres [non-fiction] |
IN |
LW |
A174 |
| Robertson, George, Scrap Book on Law and Politics, Men and Times [1855] |
Non-fiction [politics] |
IL-SF |
AL [2: 317–9] |
A+ |
| Rogers, Samuel, Poems [1834] |
Poetry |
? |
MLH-2, Dodge |
C |
| Roget, Peter M., Thesaurus [1852] |
Reference |
DC |
LCR |
B |
| Rollin, Charles, Ancient History [1729] |
Belles-lettres [history] |
IL-NS |
HI, AJB, RRW, WEB, MLH-2 |
A175 |
| Ross, Frederick A., Slavery Ordained of God [1857] |
Polemic [relig.] |
IL-SF |
RCB, AL [3: 204–5 and n] |
C |
| Schiller, J. von, Works [1861] |
Poetry/Drama |
? |
MLH-2 |
C176 |
| Scott, Walter, Ivanhoe [1819] |
Novel |
? |
Carp, Dodge |
D177 |
| Poetical Works [5 vols., 1813; 9 vols., 1857] |
Poetry |
DC |
LCR |
C |
| Scott, William, Lessons in Elocution [1779] |
Textbook [literacy] |
IN |
HI, LW, RRW |
A178 |
| Scott, Winfield, Infantry Tactics [pre-1852] |
Textbook [military science] |
IL-SF |
AL [2: 149], MLH-2 |
B179 |
| Scripps, John Locke, Life of Lincoln [1860] |
Biography [campaign] |
IL-SF |
MLH-2 |
?180 |
| Seward, William H., Speeches [1850–1860] |
Oratory [political] |
IL-SF |
WHH |
A181 |
| Shakespeare, William, Dramatic Works [1594–1623] |
Drama |
IL-NS-SF, DC |
AL [2: 384; 6: 392–3; 558–9], HI |
D182 |
| Hamlet |
" |
IL, DC |
AL [6: 392–3] |
A+ |
| Henry IV [2 & 2] |
" |
DC |
LFP |
B183 |
| Henry V |
" |
DC |
AL [6: 392–3] |
A+ |
| Henry VI |
" |
DC |
LFP |
B184 |
| Henry VIII |
" |
IL, DC |
AL [6: 392–3] |
A+ |
| King Lear |
" |
" |
AL [2: 384] |
A+ |
| King John |
" |
" |
AL [6: 392–3] |
A+ |
| Macbeth |
" |
" |
AL [6:392–3] |
A+185 |
| Merchant of Venice |
" |
DC |
LFP |
B |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor |
" |
" |
LFP |
B186 |
| Othello |
" |
IL |
HI |
A187 |
| Richard II |
" |
IL, DC |
LFP |
B |
| Richard III |
" |
" |
AL [6: 392–3] |
A+ |
| "Silk Merchant's Daughter" |
Song/Ballad |
IN |
HI |
A |
| Simson, Robert, Elements of Euclid [1818] |
Textbook [math] |
IL-SF |
AJB, MLH-2 |
C188 |
| Sloan, Samuel, Architecture? [ca. 1859–61] |
Architectural handbooks |
DC |
MLH-2 |
D189 |
| Smith, James, The Christian's Defence [1843] |
Religion [polemic] |
IL-SF |
HI, MLH-2 |
C190 |
| Smith, Seba, Letters of Jack Downing [1834, 1864] |
Humor |
IL-NS |
HI, MLH-2 |
B191 |
| Spencer, Herbert, Principles of Psychology [?][1855] |
Belles-lettres [philosophy] |
IL-SF |
WHH |
D192 |
| Story, Joseph, Commentaries on Equity Jurisprudence [1836] |
Textbook [law] |
IL-NS |
AL [3: 344; 4: 121], MLH-2 |
A+193 |
| Equity Pleadings [1805] |
" |
" |
AL [3: 344; 4: 121] |
A+ |
| Stowe, Harriet Beecher, Uncle Tom's Cabin [1852] |
Novel |
? |
MLH-2 |
D194 |
| The Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin [1853] |
Documentary |
DC |
LCR |
C195 |
| Strickland, William P., Old Mackinaw, or, the Fortress of the Lakes and its Surroundings [1860] |
Nonfiction [trav. desc.] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
C |
| Sumner, Charles, The Republican Party [1860] |
Politics [polemic] |
? |
MLH-2 |
C196 |
| Tappan, Henry Philip, Elements of Logic [1846] |
Textbook [logic] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
B197 |
| Tennyson, Alfred, Enoch Arden [1864] |
Poetry [narrative] |
DC |
LCR |
C |
| Thayer, W. M., The Pioneer Boy [1863] |
Novel |
DC |
MLH-2 |
C198 |
| Thomson, James, The Seasons [1730] |
Poetry |
IN |
RCB |
B199 |
| Thomson, Mortimer N. [pseud. Doesticks], Nothing to Say [?] [1857] |
Humor |
DC? |
MLH-2 |
B200 |
| Thornton, J. Quinn, Oregon and California in 1848 [1849] |
History [trav. desc.] |
DC |
RRW, LCR |
B201 |
| Tucker, Nathaniel B. George Balcombe [1836] |
Novel |
IL-NS-SF |
HI |
B202 |
| Turner, J. B., Mormonism in All Ages [1842] |
History [relig. apologetics] |
DC |
LCR |
C203 |
| "Twenty Years Ago" |
Poetry [song] |
IL-SF |
Brooks-2, Dodge |
B |
| Upham, Charles W., Salem Witchcraft [1831] |
History |
DC |
LCR |
C |
| Vincent, George Giles, The Science of the Moral Nature Considered with a View to Assuage and Neutralize the Rancourand Hostility of Mankind to Different Religions ... [1855] |
Nonfiction [psychology/philosophy] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
C |
| Volney, Constantin [Comte de], Volney's Ruins; or Meditations on the Revolutions of Empires [1791] |
Belles-lettres [hist./phil./polemic] |
IL-NS |
HI |
A |
| Voltaire [François-Marie Arouet] from the Works [?] |
Belles-lettres |
IL-NS? |
HI |
D? |
| A Treatise on Toleration [1779] |
Belles-lettres |
IL-NS-SF? |
RCB |
C |
| An Important Examination of the Scriptures [1819] |
Belles-lettres [anti-Christian polemic] |
IL-NS |
RCB |
B204 |
| Walker, Robert J., Argument ... as to the Conclusive Character, etc. [1862] |
Law [bureaucracy] |
DC |
RCB, AL [5: 451] |
C205 |
| Wallace, William R., "The Sword of Bunker Hill" [1855, 1861] |
Song |
DC? |
Brooks-2, Dodge |
B |
| Watts, Isaac, Hymns and Spiritual Songs [1707] |
Hymns |
IN |
HI, LFP |
B |
| "Shortness of Life, and the Goodness of God" |
" |
" |
HI |
A206 |
| "Am I a Soldier of the Cross?" [see Dupuy entry above] |
" |
" |
HI |
B |
| "Alas, and Did My Saviour Bleed?" |
" |
" |
HI |
B |
| Wayland, Francis, Elements of Political Economy [1837] |
Economics |
IL-SF |
RCB |
A207 |
| Webster, Daniel, Speeches [1830] |
Belles-lettres [political oratory] |
IL-SF |
AL [7: 303], WHH |
A |
| Reply to Hayne [1830] |
" |
" |
AL [2: 383], WHH |
A+208 |
| Webster, Noah, The American Spelling Book [1783] |
Textbook [literacy] |
IN |
HI, LW |
A |
| An American Dictionary [1828] |
Reference [dictionary] |
IL-SF |
MLH-2 |
B209 |
| A Dictionary for Primary Schools [1833] |
" |
? |
MLH-2 |
B210 |
| Weems, Mason Locke, Life of Benjamin Franklin [1815] |
Belles-lettres [biography] |
IN |
LW |
C211 |
| Life of General Francis Marion [1809] |
" |
" |
Dodge |
B212 |
| Life of George Washington [1800, 1808] |
" |
" |
AL [4: 235–6] |
A+ |
| Wells, David A. [ed.], Annual of Scientific Discovery [1850–71] |
Nonfiction [science] |
IL-SF |
AJB, MLH-2 |
A213 |
| Whedon, Daniel Denison, Public Addresses, Collegiate and Popular [1852] |
Speeches |
IL-SF |
RCB, Temp |
C214 |
| Whiting, William, The War Powers of the President [1862] |
Monograph [law] |
DC |
Carp, MLH-2 |
A215 |
| Whitman, Walt, Leaves of Grass [1855] |
Poetry |
IL-SF |
MLH-2 |
D216 |
| Whittier, John G., Poems [1830, 1837, 1848] |
Poetry |
DC? |
MLH-2 |
B217 |
| "William Riley" |
Song |
IN |
HI |
A |
| Willis, Nathaniel P., Poems [1835] |
Poetry |
DC |
MLH-2 |
C |
| "Parrhasius" |
" |
" |
Carp |
B218 |
| Wilson, John, Elements of Punctuation [1856] |
Textbook/ Ref. [literacy] |
IL-SF |
Temp |
B |
| Wirt, William, Sketches of the Life of Patrick Henry [1817] |
Belles-lettres [biography] |
? |
MLH-2 |
D219 |
| Wise, Henry A., Los Gringos |
Nonfiction [trav. desc.] |
DC |
LCR |
B220 |
| Wolfe, Charles, "The Burial of Sir John Moore" [1825] |
Poetry |
IL-SF |
HI |
B221 |
| Worcester, J. E., Elements of History, Ancient and Modern [1826] |
Belles-lettres [history] |
IL-SF |
WEB, MLH-2 |
B222 |
| Young, Andrew W., The American Statesman |
History [political] |
IL-SF |
RCB, Al [2: 388] |
C223 |
| Young, Edward, Night Thoughts [1742] |
Poetry |
IL-NS?, SF |
MLH-1, Temp |
C224 |
| The Last Day [1713] |
" |
IN |
RCB |
B |
|
|
8
|
|
Notes
1. MLH-2 (33). Abbott, who was also the author of the very popular Rollo books, published some two hundred short, didactic, Christian juvenile biographies between 1832 and his death in 1878. Which particular titles, if any, Lincoln read are unknown.
2. HI (470): The testimony of James H. Matheny indicates that Lincoln didn't like this title, without making it clear that that he had indeed read it.
3. HI (146–7 and n. 1): Dennis Hanks asserted that Thomas Lincoln bought a number of books for Lincoln, including "the united States Speaker," which the editors identify as "probably The American Speaker; A Selection of Popular, Parliamentary and Forensic Eloquence" (Philadelphia: Birch & Small, 1811).
4. The only tale mentioned by title is "Sinabad [sic] the Sailor," from which the editors infer the entire volume known as The Arabian Nights (HI, 129 and n. 3; testimony of David Turnham); LW quotes Dennis Hanks concerning how Lincoln read The Arabian Nights aloud to himself and Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln by firelight: "'an' we'd laugh when he did.... I reckon Abe read the book a dozen times, an' knowed them yarns by heart'" (70). LW's source for this quotation is Eleanor Atkinson: The Boyhood of Lincoln (New York: McClure, 1908), 24–5. It is important to note, however, that Atkinson's book is fiction, though disguised as Hanks's biographical reminiscences. See also a second letter from David Turnham to WHH, October 12, 1865: "After you left my house I remembered having brought with me to this county two books which Mr. Lincoln read frequently, one was entitled 'Sinabad the Sailor'" (HI, 138). This letter is misdated 1866 in LW (233 n. 35).
5. HI (665). Testimony of Sarah Rickard, who recalled that Lincoln "used to take me to little Entertainments the first was the Babes in the woods. he tooke me to the first Theater ever played in Springfield." This old English ballad, whose subject is the miserable deaths of a brother and sister neglected by their caretaker uncle, was also known as The Children in the Wood. As early as 1793, Samuel Arnold and Thomas Morton reworked the text into a "comic opera in two acts," and it is probably this (or a similar music version) that Lincoln took Sarah Rickard to see in Springfield. He may also have known the piece in ballad form; see entry below under Harvey, William.
6. Whit (136) lists "Bacon" as one of Lincoln's seven favorite books, and the inference here is that among Bacon's works the Essays is the most likely title; MLH-1 (27) also lists Bacon, but since he cites Whitney, the former is the sole source for Lincoln's having read Bacon. The grade of "B" is based on the rationally pragmatic nature of Bacon's Essays, which Lincoln would have found attractive.
7. In one of these "occasional essays" Bacon declared, "if those laws of the southern states, by virtue of which slavery exists there, and is what it is, are not wrong, nothing is wrong" (New York: Baker & Scribner, 1846, x). In addition, according to Joseph P. Thompson, Lincoln told him in 1864 that "I read that book some years ago, and at first did not know what to make of it; but afterwards I read it over more carefully, and got hold of Dr. Bacon's distinctions, and it had much to do with shaping my own thinking on the subject of slavery. He is quite a man" ("A Talk with President Lincoln," The Congregationalist and Boston Recorder, March 30, 1866, 51). Thanks to Michael Burlingame for providing this reference.
8. AJB (1: 73 and n. 4) asserts that Lincoln had access to this book in Indiana from 1823 on: "[t]he fact that this dictionary was at hand must be borne in mind while considering the books read by Lincoln during the years that he remained in Indiana." Note, however, that Bailey is not mentioned in HI. MLH-2 (39) is mistaken to imply that LW was "skeptical" about Lincoln's having used the dictionary in Indiana: LW's doubts are restricted to Lincoln's access to a particular copy of Bailey (LW: 167–8 and 255 n. 20).
9. May have interested Lincoln as a collection of epigrams and maxims.
10. MLH-2 (33), citing William Henry Herndon and Jesse W. Weik, Herndon's Lincoln: the True Story of a Great Life (Chicago: Belford, Clarke [1889]), 311. But the cited text says nothing of Balzac's novels, none among the profusion of which Lincoln was likely to have read; rather, WHH appears indirectly to refer to Balzac's Droll Stories, the first of which appeared in French in 1833. Moreover, WHH's context is Lincoln as a storyteller, one of the very best in central Illinois. When Lincoln, riding the circuit, got together with fellow attorneys William Engle and James Murray after court, "there was sure to be a crowd" at the tavern. "The yarns they spun and the stories they told would not bear repetition here, but many of them had morals which, while exposing the weaknesses of mankind, stung like a whip.... Lincoln was able to draw from Balzac a 'droll story,' and locating it in 'Egypt' or in Indiana, pass it off for a purely original conception" (250–51, Angle ed. of Herndon's Lincoln). If Herndon and Weik are implying that Lincoln had indeed read Balzac's Droll Stories, they are probably mistaken: the earliest English translation of Droll Stories appears to have been in 1874. But they may simply be using late Victorian code (droll stories=dirty stories). In any case, Lincoln's 1864 statement in Francis B. Carpenter's presence, "'I never read an entire novel in my life!'" (Six Months at the White House with Abraham Lincoln [1866; reprint, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1995], 115), will be the standard by which novels are judged in this list.
11. LCR shows vols. 1, 4, 6, 7.
12. HI (42 and n. 18): testimony of Dennis Hanks. First published in 1774, this dictionary had as supplementary materials a grammar and a historical outline of "Antient [sic] and Modern History." LW cites Nicolay & Hay (1: 35) concerning Lincoln's reading of some unnamed dictionary: "... he would sit 'in the twilight and read a dictionary as long as he could see'" (168).
13. Probably Barrett's 1860 campaign biography, since the preface for the 1864 edition is dated May 14, 1864.
14. RRW (68) speculates that all the western Americana withdrawn in mid-1863 provided Lincoln with information he needed to help him address administrative matters affecting the far west.
15. MLH-2 (27) cites William Barton, The Soul of Abraham Lincoln (New York: George H. Doran, 1920), 289. However unlikely it might seem that Lincoln spent any part of his valuable reading time turning the turgid pages of a seventeenth-century Calvinist divine's apologetics, any conclusion of Barton's is ignored at later scholars' peril. In this case, moreover, Barton had what he took to be incontrovertible evidence: "I own a half page of notepaper containing in Lincoln's handwriting and with his signature, a paragraph from Baxter's 'Saint's Rest'.... The paragraph reads: 'It is more pleasing to God to see his people study Him and His will directly, than to spend the first and chief of their effort about attaining comfort for themselves. We have faith given us, principally that we might believe and live by it in daily applications of Christ. You may believe immediately (by God's help) but getting assurance of it may be the work of a great part of your life' (289)." Could one but see this holograph, the matter might be concluded: Lincoln did indeed know Baxter's book.
16. MLH-2 (27), citing MLH-1 (27), says "Lincoln copy preserved." Printed in Alton in 1838, this volume appeared too late to be of use to Lincoln in his preparation for the "Lyceum Address" of January 27, 1838 (which, while alluding to mob violence such as "throw[ing] printing presses into rivers [and] shoot[ing] editors," does not directly mention Elijah Lovejoy's murder [CW 1: 111]).
17. Carp (230–1). "During the brief period that the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher was editor-in-chief of the 'Independent,' in the second year of the war, he felt called upon to pass some severe strictures upon the course of the administration.... Somebody cut these editorials out of the different numbers of the paper, and mailed them to the President under one envelop. One rainy Sunday he took them from his drawer, and read them through to the very last word.... As Mr. Lincoln finished reading them, his face flushed up with indignation. Dashing the package to the floor, he exclaimed, 'Is thy servant a dog, that he should do this thing?'" Note: MLH-2 (33) mistakenly says it was Beecher's Sermons that Lincoln read.
18. In December 1885 WHH wrote a letter to Jesse Weik in which he listed the last names of twenty writers—mostly nineteenth-century essayists, philosophers, and historians from England and Europe—whose books he bought as they were published and kept in the law office. Henry Ward Beecher was among this group. WHH would read aloud to Lincoln from one or another of these authors, or Lincoln would "frequently" read silently himself, and they would discuss their reading, "sometimes animatedly." (Emanuel Hertz, ed., The Hidden Lincoln [New York: the Viking Press, 1938], 116). Since WHH gives no titles to go with his list of authors, and does not unequivocally say that Lincoln read any of them in particular, only those mentioned coroboratively are included in this bibliography (as with the present case of Beecher's Lectures to Young Men). For the reader's convenience, however, here are all the names on WHH's list: Emerson, Carlyle, Parker, McNaught, Strauss, Monell, Beecher, Feuerbach, Buckle, Froude, Darwin, Draper, Lecky, Lewes, Renan, Kant, Fichte, Conson [?], Hamilton, and Spencer.
19. May have interested Lincoln because of its entries on Milton, Samuel Butler, Alexander Pope, and Edward Young.
20. MLH-2 (33) cites AJB (1: 387), but this page indicates only that Lincoln heard a speech of Benton's at the Chicago River and Harbor Convention (July 5, 1847). There is no evidence, here or elsewhere in AJB, that Lincoln ever read any of Benton's papers in book form. On the other hand, Benton was an imposing national figure in the 1850s, and many of his important speeches were published in newspapers, which is the medium by which Lincoln may have known them.
21. HI (105 and n. 8; Dennis Hanks). LW asserts that the Kentucky Preceptor (see below) was "a new edition of Caleb Bingham's The American Preceptor (167)," but this is not the case: the two readers contained mostly different contents.
22. HI (105 and n. 8; Dennis Hanks). Perhaps a confusion on Hanks's part with the Columbian Class Book.
23. MLH-1 (29) and RRW (43, 84 n. 22) both cite Henry B. Rankin's "statement ... to George Hambrecht" that Rankin's mother told her son that "'Blair's Rhetoric'" was one of Lincoln's favorite books. But Rankin, as detailed in the entry below on Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, is never a reliable informant on Lincoln.
24. RRW (68): "It is probable ... that the half dozen volumes dealing with Mormonism, called for in August and November, 1861, and retained for periods varying from two to eight months, were sought by Lincoln as throwing desired light on one of the minor problems of his administration." But while Lincoln may have needed to know about the Mormons in Utah, it does not follow that he would have been interested in the Book of Mormon, though he would have known of it from his earliest Illinois years.
25. HI (498–9 and n. 2; Joshua Speed). Because Speed testifies to this title, one is inclined to believe it; however, Speed's letter ambiguously says "He read law History, Browns Philosophy or Paley," so the matter remains in doubt.
26. Whit. (136) gives the title as Recollections of A. Ward, Showman and says it was among Lincoln's "favorite books." Not being able to identify Recollections, I have substituted Browne's most famous Artemus Ward book—and the only one that fits with the time frame in which Lincoln could have read Browne in book form.
27. Dodge (14–15) cites Egbert L.Viele, "A Trip with Lincoln, Chase and Stanton," Scribner's Monthly 16 (1878): 813: "[H]e [Lincoln] would sit for hours during the trip repeating ... page after page of Browning," but mentions no titles of poems.
28. LFP (88) says "John Hay wrote of Lincoln: 'He read Bryant and Whittier with appreciation,'" but gives no source. The quotation is taken from an article Hay published in Century Magazine 41 (November 1890) (33–37), the original manuscript of which was edited and printed in Michael Burlingame, At Lincoln's Side: John Hay's Civil War Correspondence and Selected Writings (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2000), 138.
29. According to William H. Townsend in Lincoln and the Bluegrass (1955; reprint, Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1989), during his visit to his wife's family in Lexington (November 1847), while on his way to Washington and Congress, Lincoln read deeply from the Todd library, including Bryant's "Thanatopsis," which he "committed ... to memory" and recited to the Todd family (136). The text of the poem appeared in a literary anthology entitled Elegant Extracts (see entry below for Vicesimus Knox). Townsend also asserted that Lincoln had made pencil markings at various points in Elegant Extracts, which Townsend copied out—though he does not include any of these in Lincoln and the Bluegrass (370 n. 27).
30. HI (179 and n. 5): Abner Y. Ellis includes this title in an anthology of dramas he lent to Lincoln.
31. MLH-2 (43) notes that LCR is partially illegible.
32. MLH-1 (30) says Lincoln copy preserved.
33. The question here isn't whether Lincoln read a biography of Edmund Burke—he did and he didn't, as the famous statement to WHH concerning the usefulness of biography indicates—but which biography of Burke he used as the basis of his animadversions. AJB identifies one (see note 169 below), Dodge (7) this author's. Here is how WHH remembered the circumstances and what Lincoln said: "Taking [the biography] in hand he threw himself down on the office sofa and hastily ran over its pages, reading a little here and there. At last he closed and threw it on the table with the exclamation, 'No, I've read enough of it. It's like all the others. Biographies as generally written are not only misleading, but false. The author of this life of Burke makes a wonderful hero out of his subject. He magnifies his perfections—if he had any—and supresses his imperfections. He is so faithful in his zeal and so lavish in his praise of his every act that one is almost driven to believe that Burke never made a mistake or a failure in his life'" (353).
34. Dodge (12) is wary of the oft-repeated statement that Burns was Lincoln's "favorite poet."
35. Dodge (17) cites Brooks-1 (31: 229) as saying Lincoln "particularly liked" this volume. And since MLH-2 (27) cites Dodge, this leaves Brooks as the only authority for the title. The choice of "B" rather than "C" is based on RCB's judgment that the subject of The Analogy of Religion—the deduction of a divine plan from the operations of nature—is one that Lincoln would have liked.
36. WHH (479): "Sometime in 1857 a lady reader or elocutionist came to Springfield and gave a public reading in a hall immediately north of the State House.... Among other things she recited 'Nothing to wear,' a piece in which is described the perplexities that beset "Miss Flora McFlimsey" in her efforts to appear fashionable. In the midst of one stanza ... some one in the rear seats burst out into a loud, coarse laugh—a sudden and explosive guffaw. It startled the speaker and audience, and kindled a storm of unsuppressed laughter and applause. Everyone looked back to ascertain the cause of the demonstration, and was greatly surprised to find that it was Mr. Lincoln." But see also the 1888 interview WHH had with Richard M. Lawrence (HI, 715), which is not only the source of this story but casts Lincoln as the hero rather than the embarrassed goat. In either case, however, once again, we may be sure Lincoln knew at least part of the piece, whether he ever read a word of it.
37. Sometime late in 1866, WHH gave Lincoln's copy of Byron's poems to the painter Francis B. Carpenter (HI, 522). Since the fate of this copy of Byron after Carpenter's ownership is not known, what edition this might have been it is impossible to say. One suspects, however, that the book was a complete printing of the late poet's works, including the long poems and the dramas, such as that of Grigg & Elliot (Philadelphia, 1834), which ran to 764 pages. See also the entry for Thomas Moore.
38. For Don Juan and "Lara," see Francis Fisher Browne, The Every-Day Life of Abraham Lincoln (1886; reprint, Chicago: Browne & Howell, 1913), 132–3 and 87–88, respectively. Browne quotes from a reminiscence (no date or source given): "a gentleman who visited the old law-office of Lincoln & Herndon, at Springfield" recalled that he "took up carelessly, as I stood thinking, a handsome octavo volume lying on the office table. It opened so persistently at once place, as I handled it, that I looked to see what it was, and found that somebody had thoroughly thumbed the pages of 'Don Juan.' I knew Mr. Herndon was not a man to dwell on it, and it darted through my mind that perhaps it had been a favorite with Lincoln. 'Did Mr. Lincoln ever read this book?' I said, hurriedly. 'That book!' said Herndon, looking up from his writing and taking it out of my hand. 'Oh, yes; he read it often. It is the office copy.'" And Browne quotes from a reminiscence by G. W. Harriss concerning Lincoln's having used the first two stanzas of this poem in a speech during his campaigning for Harrison as a Whig elector in 1840. For The Corsair and "Nisus and Euralyus," see entry for The Columbian Class Book. Also, according to Egbert L. Viele, Lincoln knew "several pages" of The Corsair by heart (Michael Burlingame, e-mail communication to the compiler, citing an interview of Viele by William A. Crofutt, September 23, 1885, clipping collection, Lincoln Museum, Fort Wayne, Indiana).
39. See note 2 above.
40. WHH told Weik that "Carey's political economy" was one of the books on this subject that Lincoln "more or less peeped into." The equivocal grade, however, comes from the fact that there was another Carey (Matthew) who wrote a treatise on political economy in the first half of the nineteenth century, and we cannot know which, if either, Herndon is referring to (Hidden Lincoln, 117).
41. MLH-2 (33) cites Rankin, Personal Recollections, 129. See also note 23 above.
42. WHH (353–4): "A gentleman in Springfield gave him a book called, I believe, 'Vestiges of Creation,' which interested him so much that he read it through." WEB (17) puts the year of reading at "[a]bout 1844;" but in another context WEB, quoting a Herndon letter, names James W. Keys as the person who loaned this book to Lincoln. Furthermore, in this same letter WHH says that Lincoln later "read the sixth edition of this work, which I loaned him. He adopted the progressive and development theory as taught more or less directly from this work" (The Soul of Abraham Lincoln, 169).
43.Elements of Character (Boston: Crosby, Nichols, 1854). MLH-2 (29) cites Carl Sandburg, The Prairie Years (1: 275, 291) as his authority: Lincoln "gave his wife a 234–page book in blackboard covers, entitled The Elements of Character, by Mary G. Chandler," even marking a passage on page 222 for her special notice. MLH-2 asserts that this copy survives, and the pamphlet reproduces the underlined passage and page, with the caption indicating that the volume is now in the Barrett collection (36). It is, however, not at all clear that Sandburg and Houser are referring to the same copy. The Barrett copy has the (whimsical?) signature "Mary A. Lincoln" in Lincoln's hand on its front end-paper (Barrett Collection Auction Catalouge, 83). While the disposition of the Barrett copy after its auction is unknown, historian Harry Pratt had examined it earlier and transferred all pencil marks into the copy (examined by the compiler) that now resides in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. If the marginal notes are in fact Lincoln's, then we may reasonably conclude that he read at least parts of Elements of Character.
44. HI (579), Jesse Fell's testimony: "Some eight or ten years prior to his death, in conversing with him [Lincoln] on the Subject [of religion], the writer took occasion to refer, in terms of approbation, to the Sermons, & writings generally, of Dr. W. E. Channing; and finding he was considerably interested in the Statement I made of the opinions held by that author, I proposed to present him (Mr L) a copy of Channing's entire works, which, I soon after did. Subsequently, the Contents of these volumes ... became very Naturally topics of Conversation with us...."
45. See note 30 above. If Lincoln read this play, he was actually reading a comedy that, strictly speaking, was by neither Cibber nor Molière: the latter's Le Tartuffe (1664) was reworked by Cibber into The Non-Juror (1717); this, in turn, was further adapted by Isaac Bickerstaff into The Hypocrite (1768). It is the Bickerstaff play that Lincoln would have looked at, if we credit the informant.
46. MLH-2 (29) says Lincoln copy preserved. Because Lincoln frequently alluded to or cited Henry Clay in his own speeches and writings prior to 1857, he was using texts either derived from newspapers or earlier editions of Clay's works published individually.
47.The Rejected Stone (Boston: Walker, Wise, 1862 [1861]). Conway was an ex-Unitarian minister and confirmed abolitionist. This title, which first appeared anonymously (by a native of Virginia) in 1861, a few months after the Union defeat at Bull Run, is a searching, skillfully contrived polemic urging the Union—and Lincoln as president—to declare immediate emancipation, both as a positive "war measure" and because it is the just and moral thing to do. A "second edition" (really a second printing with a brief preface) appeared in March 1862. And it is the book in this form that Lincoln probably read. In a letter to his wife, dated March 17 [1862], Conway wrote (from Washington): "By the way Mr. Lincoln said the other day that he had got the 'Rejected Stone' by heart. He said he was astonished to learn that its author was really a native of Virginia." (Conway manuscript, Columbia University). Thanks to Michael Burlingame for leading the author to this information.
48. MLH-1 (30) says Lincoln copy preserved. Cook's best-known poem, "The Old Arm-Chair" was set to music in 1840 by Henry Russell and became quite a popular "ballad" in the United States. Lincoln may have known it.
49. See note 30 above. Lincoln may never have read a novel right through, but he might well have done so with this dramatization of Cooper's tale.
50. MLH-1 (16, 30), citing Alonzo Rothschild, Abraham Lincoln: a Study in Integrity (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1917), 10, simply says "Cooper's Leather Stocking Tales." Houser, in MLH-2 (same citation to Rothschild) refines this to "Leather Stocking Tales before 1830" (29). Noah Brooks, Abraham Lincoln: His Youth and Early Manhood (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1888), also asserts that Lincoln read Cooper's "Leather-Stocking Tales" in Indiana (20). The three titles in the series listed above were the only ones (of five) published before 1830 (and this terminal year is the basis for inferring an Indiana reading, if Lincoln read Cooper at all, which is doubtful considering Lincoln's categorical statement quoted in note 10).
51. A young Lincoln encountered verse by William Cowper (from the book-length autobiographical poem, The Task) in both Murray's English Reader and The Columbian Class Book (see entries); moreover, according to Townsend, Lincoln and the Bluegrass (136), twenty years later Lincoln read at least extracts from "Charity" and the shorter lyric "On Receipt of My Mother's Picture" in Elegant Extracts (see entry under Knox, Vicesimus), while staying with his in-laws in Lexington, Kentucky, in the autumn of 1847.
52. MLH-2 (29) cites S. Trevena Jackson, Lincoln's Use of the Bible (New York: Eaton & Mains, 1909), 8. But Jackson's source is Alexander Williamson, who is identified as "a tutor in the Lincoln family in Washington." This is true (see AL 6: 144–5), so when Williamson is quoted as saying that "Mr. Lincoln frequently studied the Bible with the aid of Cruden's Concordance," the claim has credibility. Although it seems reasonable to assume that Lincoln used a concordance, probably from early on in his Bible-reading life, this is the only one named, and covers only the White House years.
53. WHH (353): "I purchased the works of Spencer, Darwin, and the utterances of other English scientists, all of which I devoured with great relish. I endeavored, but had little success in inducing Lincoln to read them. Occasionally he would snatch one up and peruse it for a little while, but he soon threw it down with the suggestion that it was entirely too heavy for an ordinary mind to digest." While WHH mentions no titles, the two given above are the only ones Lincoln could have noticed during the time of the Lincoln-Herndon partnership. See also note 18 above.
54. See note 14 above.
55. There are four separate Indiana recollections that mention Lincoln's reading some version of Defoe's popular story (HI, 41, 112, 121, 445). Despite Lincoln's statement about not reading novels (quoted in note 10 above), he may well have read Robinson Crusoe: ma | |