Editorial Review

Reviews (3)

Sam Lee, Duluth, MN
This is the book that most Bible translations are translated from.If you read the introduction to your Bible you can verify this information. It can be bought for less than $100.00 from the American Bible Society's website: bibles.com.I recomend this book to anyone who wants to learn biblical languages or wants to see the text that biblical scholars use.

Two Texts in One at a Great Price
This combined binding of the Nestle Aland Greek Text and the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia is a very nice quality edition making it much easier to carry both texts (great for seminary students). The Greek text is larger than that of the smallerGreek texts I've used while the Hebrew text appears clear and very readable even with my "mature" eyes (textual apparatus, vowel points, accents and breathing marks are easily distinguished) even though the overall page size has been reduced from the standard edition of the BHS. The margins have a fair amount of space for notations as well.

Hebrew and Greek Scholarly Bible
(...)Hopefully this will help you with your purchasing decision.

The Hebrew text appears to be formatted exactly as my previous BHS (ISBN: 3438052199), including the critical apparatus and pagination. My previous BHS is the smaller, rather than the larger, BHS.The typesize is the same.

The Greek text is the same text as my previous UBS4 (ISBN: 3438051133), but the critical apparatus is organized differently because it is from NA27.The pagination differs as well.The typesize appears the same.

Reviews (54)

Masterpiece
This book is a tome in every sense of the word, and the reader will be rewarded for digesting it slowly, allowing themselves to fully grasp the breadth of Dostoevsky's ideas while simultaneously taking the time to savor each and every carefully crafted sentence. Reading it in this way is a pleasure - there were moments in the book when I was in audible hysterics, so frenzied and passionate is the dialogue between these lunatic Karamazovs. The frenetic and highly entertaining exchanges are interrupted only by some truly remarkable expositions on philosophy, God and religion - sections that one will most probably end up book marking and rereading anyway.

In contrast to Crime and Punishment (which had me so confused that I needed to keep a running names list with me), The Brothers Karamazov is far simpler to follow. Dostoevsky tells you the character's name and sticks to it throughout the novel. In those instances where a nickname (Grushenka) is seemingly incongruous with the full name (Agrafena Alexandrovna Svetlov), he thankfully explains that Agrafena is, in fact, Grushenka, and deigns not to leave us scratching our head, a' la Crime and Punishment. The issue with names is, in my opinion, one of the major roadblocks for American readers, what with umpteen first names, last names and patronymics all referring to the same person. Again, The Brothers Karamazov does not do this.

Rarely will you find a book that intertwines murder, comedy and profound ideology in such a fascinating, thoroughly engrossing manner. Stick with this book to its completion and you will turn the last page, heave a great sigh and say "wow."

Delirium
Of course, this is THE novel.
There are many important chapters, like "The Grand Inquisitor", but nobody ever mentions "Delirium". That's the chapter where Mitya gets down in Mokroye. Come on, that was funny!
The scene where one of the "pans" tells Mitya something of absolutely no importance about the other guy's first wife, and Mitya looks at the guy "with remarkable amazement", is gangsta! And that song...I can't get that song out of my head: "All the girls the merchant sought, would they love him or would they not?"
Classic. Worth 3000 roubles and 5 stars.

Reviews (24)

As good as the reviews said it was.
I'd never read a book prepared by Bloom, and so based my purchase only on what I'd heard about it through American Political Science Review. That said, I was pretty impressed and can only agree with the promotional salesmanship present on the book itself. I plan to buy his The Closing of the American Mind only on account of having read this edition of his.

Even though it's said to be a very literal translation, the book is easy to read, and I can't imagine that one would have to be a student of Greek philosophy to handle it well. Socrates had me going nuts as I read through his enraging method, so the translation must have been decent enough!

I purchased this book through Amazon four years ago, and it's held up despite me flipping through it on occasion like an idiot searching for cookies. The pages are thick enough to support highlighting, the preface and non-body material is excellent, and, it doesn't hurt that even in the paperback version, the book is aesthetically pleasing to look at, even while sitting on the shelf waiting for you to open it up again.

Allan Bloom - Just wither and die already.
As usual, the atrophied intellect that is Allan Bloom successfully attempts to rape a classic piece of philosophy with his mediocre, lackluster, ogrish brutality, which is his norm, towards true academia, knowledge and wisdom. If Rush Limbaugh re-wrote the Constitution you'd get an idea of the ruse that masks itself analogous to Mr. Bloom's feebility towards writing and thought contained within this boorish tome.

If you just want to read the Republic as it was intended, to the best of our Anglo-Franco-Germanic understanding of the last two centuries, steer far clear of Mr. Bloom's literary abortion within these pages.

If you further care of preserving your ability to reason, unfiltered and unprejudicially, I suggest looking into Mr. Bloom's history and agenda towards the upheaval of education, truth and attitude(s) toward integrity and intellectually honest liberty before considering wasting your hard earned currency on his insidiously dishonest dribble.

Reviews (4)

The best available translation and commentary
The Categories and the De Interpretatione are very interesting and important works of Aristotle. Anyone who wants to understand any part of Aristotle's philosophy will surely have to acquaint himself with these works.

J.L. Ackrill's translations are in my oppinion the best available English translations of Aristotle's Categories and De Interpretatione. Although E.M. Edghills translations (in Richard McKeon's Basic Works of Aristotle) are also highly readable, Ackrill's translations are more accurate.

The commentary is quite good, and as usual, Ackrill writes very clearly. Although space does not permit him to exhaust every topic, his notes are very helpful, and all in all the commentary is far superior to other commentaries on the Categories or the De Interpretatione known to me (e.g. H.G. Apostle's Aristotle's Categories and Propositions). There is also a glossary and index of subjects which are helpful.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in (a) the Categories or the De Interpretatione, (b) Aristotle, (c) ancient philosophy, or (d) philosophy.

Clarendon Series offers first-rate scholarship
I and my fellow philosophers have found the Clarendon Series to be quite helpful all around, especially in the case of the Categories. Instead of being adjusted to fit English idiomatic expression, Clarendon translations are quite literal (to the apparent chagrin of some).With this translation of Aristotle's Categories, one can develop an excellent picture of what Aristotle really said (without reading the Greek itself); and with the supplementary help of the extensive and thorough commentary, one can also develop a sense of where Aristotle was going (i.e. what issues he faced at the time, which concepts later philosophers borrowed and either used or abused, and plenty more).Overall, very helpful and highly recommended.

Reviews (4)

The worst mathematics book I have ever read!!!
I gave this book one star only because I couldn't give it a score of zero!!! Although many professors say that this book is excellent, remember they are professors who already understand the material. This book shows no examples, and the examples that it does show end abruptly with comments such as "all items are routine." Routine!!! Please show me what to do so that I don't have to spend more money on a separate study guide. Aren't mathematics texts expensive enough? This book may be an excellent addition to a professors library but this book should never, ever be used as a primary text for students.

Good for Self-Study
This is a tough book to review, because it is not clear who the real audience is supposed to be.The author says that it is aimed at first-year graduate students, with a bunch of extra material that can be referred back to during the second year and beyond.The earlier chapters also include efficient reviews (with sketched proofs) of material that should be familiar to those who have taken undergraduate algebra.

This characterization is debatable.Based on my experience reading most of the first six chapters (the first 400 out of about 1000 pages), I would say that the level of sophistication is roughly that of Dummit and Foote's "Abstract Algebra", which is usually considered an undergraduate book.D&F can sometimes be harder to read, and that is in part because Rotman's exposition is better (in my opinion), but also because D&F introduce more difficult material earlier.Whether D&F's approach is better is questionable; I find Rotman to be a much smoother read, but the organization is quite different -- for example, one does not encounter noncommutative rings until deep into the book, whereas Dummit and Foote introduce them immediately upon defining rings.On the other hand, early in the coverage of D&F's chapter on rings, one has to digest Zorn's Lemma and its applications almost from the beginning, whereas Rotman (I think wisely) pushes this back into a later section.In general, D&F introduce a lot of hairy examples that by themselves require a lot of effort to digest (thereby impeding the reader's progress through the core material), whereas Rotman's examples tend to be straightforward, at least as new concepts are being presented.

So, overall, the exposition flows more smoothly in Rotman's book, and the reader can cover the basics more quickly with less time spent on tangential examples and early generalizations.Also, Rotman's proofs are usually much cleaner and the overall style is very nice.It's more pleasant to read than Dummit and Foote.But this comes at a cost: Dummit and Foote do cover more material, and generalize at an earlier stage, than Rotman does.

But my biggest gripe concerns the exercises.Put simply, Rotman's are far too easy for what is being pitched as a graduate course.In fact, they are in general far easier than the homework problems I sweated through when I took honors undergraduate algebra. They're barely adequate to convince the reader that he has a basic grasp on the material, and there are almost no hard ones, let alone really tough, thought-provoking open-ended problems like one encounters in Herstein's "Topics in Algebra" (an undergraduate book).There are certainly no exercises in Rotman's book that would be of any use for a graduate student preparing for qualifying exams.They're not even much of a workout for a decent (honors student) undergraduate.

So, what is this book good for?I think it's great for reading material that is usually harder to understand elsewhere.Rotman has a real knack for clear mathematical exposition, and some of the chapters are a real joy to read.(Side note: there are also a lot of typos, at least in the first printing.The author maintains an errata list at his web site, and a second printing is coming soon.There are still many errata that he didn't catch, but they're fairly minor and do not detract significantly from the reading.) But this is simply not suitable for a primary graduate text or reference.Most good schools are going to demand more of their graduate students, and one is inevitably going to have to read Lang or Hungerford (and work through their exercises) to achieve competence at the graduate level.Rotman's book is a kinder, gentler book upon which to fall back when those books are inscrutable, as is all too common.I do recommend it highly for that purpose -- I think it's a very good secondary book.

An excellent Text
To begin with, don't let the title scare you.After having read through Rotman's book I am suprised that this text had not crossed my path earlier.It is a wonderful book and must have for any inspiring Algebraist.Moreover, I am quite shocked that the larger universities have not adopted this book.

(a)This book could quite easily be used as the standard third/fourth year undergraduate introduction to Abstract Algebra.In particular, the first four chapters provide a solid foundation for a moderate paced one semester course at which point the instructor has many different options for additional topics based on the performance of his/her class.

(b)Those students that move on to the graduate level, and obviously to a university using this book, would both be familiar with the temperment and flow of the author as well as devoid of the requirement of having to purchase another expensive Mathematics text.For example, my undergraduate Algebra text was Hungerford's and post completion the logical step, being familiar with his style, was to purchase Hungerford's graduate text.For those not familiar, let me tell you there is a night and day difference with repsect to how the material is presented.

(c) The remaining 7 chapters take the willing student on a pleasant tour of ring/module theory, some advanced group theory (for the inspiring group theorist I highly recommend the authors graduate text "Group Theory"), algebras(linear included), Homology(some cohomology) and finally some algebraic number theoretic concept under the heading of Commutative Rings III.

(d) Lastly, Rotamn does not get needlessly bogged down in any one section of the book.The flow is smooth, to the point with precise definitions, examples, and ample exercises.

Reviews (1)

Editorial Review

Reviews (5)

Massive Summary of Christian Truths
I am a begginer, 22 years old, in the field of christianity. I've been a believer for 4 years now, but up until recently I am developing interest in a more profound study of Christian Faith.

This book looks quite tempting to read on... but, from my perspective, its surely not an easy read; its dense and surely profound. To be sincere, its too philosophycal for my taste and lacks more day-to-day ilustrations that could make the reading more pleasant and easy to remember.

I don't under estimate the scope and richness of St.Thomas, but for begginers I recomend trying C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity.

God Bless!

God as the supreme good of the universe
Summa Theologica is the masterwork of an indefatigable outstanding man of.letters who, having what is reputed to be the most prodigious mind of his time, pursued the mind of God (mens Dei) as his philosophical goal. The seventh son of a wealthy family, he could have opted instead to follow (rather lamely it must be said) a militar career as his brothers did, or to take hold of a bishopric in a rich countryside in northern Italy, supported by his family wealth and pedigree, being closely akin to the most important men of his time (he was nephew to Frederick II, privy to Saint Louis, king of France, and many others potestates of his epoch). But he decided instead to be a humble Dominican friar , sloughing of all the perquisites of wealth, to be totally devoted to settling down the most intricate points in the Catholic doctrine, to be equaled only by Saint Augustine in doctrinal preeminence, his rulings being adopted as authoritative enough to be perused by popes and religious scholars inside and outside the Church for the next centuries. His access to the 500 volume library of the University of Paris, where he silently studied for many years and where he got the nickname "the Dumb Ox", due both to his body constitution as to his enormous appetite for intelectually heavy cargoes, was instrumental to his reading of ALL that had to be read at the time, being his mastering of the Greek language a plus he had against Saint Augustine, who never got familiar enough with that language, and got always a second hand view of the texts written by the founders of philosophy.

The importance Plato had for Saint Augustine, Aristotle had for Thomas Aquinas, who respectfully called him "The Philosophus" (sic) or the "Commentator" (sic). The Summa Theologica is an attempt by Aquinas to solve the most troublesome points in doctrine, a monumental task tried before by many, who attempted to conciliate the Greek Church cannons to the Roman Church rulings, to the then powerful philosophical Arabic influence, being the Arabic philosophers the first who rescued Aristotle from the ashes of Augustianism, to the efforts of Albertus Magnus - who was Aquinas' master andfirst tried to evolve science from Alchemy, etcetera.

Using primarily an Aristotelian toolbox and terminology, but always faithfull to the Holy Scripture - and thus entangled in a rather wry explanation of the existence of things trough creationism - being the Bible authoritative enough to him as the own word of God, Aquinas establishes a rather apt hierarchical order in the world between all being (ens) and creatures (creaturae), some of them only possesed of material substance, some immaterial (angelus), and some with intermediate properties, being both material and immaterial (man). To him, the soulless (sine animae) material being was always oriented to the soulful material being and thento the immaterial as its superior, e.g., stone to plants, plants to irrational animals and the latter to the rational ones, that is, to human beings, who by means of his intelect could reach na understanding of God trough His output (effects), that is, the created world.
Being both material and immaterial, homo naturaliter orientatur ist ad superiorem in the hierarchical order (ordo) that is, to the angels, who were the supreme creatures of God. But what is God? According to Aquinas, there is no possible answer to this question and we only know (trough his effects) that He exists (quid est) , but never know what He is (qui est), being the final contemplation of God the Supreme Good (sumum bonum) and the final goal of man. His explanation of good (bonum) as created by God and evil (malum) as a deprivation of good instead of its antipodal opposite, thus making man responsible for his acts via liber arbitrium, and thus quenching Manicheism - who affirmed that God created the immaterial beings and goodness in them, and the Devil the material ones and evil - is magistral and is worthy the effort of reading a so difficult and voluminous book. His explanation of God as an « ens » composed of three coeternal persons under in just one substance and living out of time (per se subexistente, a tempori non mensuratur)gives the reader sheer ecstasy in getting contact with one of the most prodigious philosophers of all times, no matter what the reader's creed. The sheer independence (but not indiference) of God as regarding human beings, because God loves himself preeminently (quia Dominus seipsum amat et hominis non careabat) is also notewhorthy.
To sum it up, what you have in your hand is the work of the most genial man of his time, who sent rippling waves of influence troughout the world as no other philosopher did for many centuries to come. I hope you enjoy the reading as much as I did.

AWESOME BOOK !!!
A great book ! A great explanation of the Faith.
I recommend to any person that wants more and more of God.

Highly recommended ! Solid great book by St. Thomas Aquinas.

Reviews (33)

Do yourself a favor...
While O'Connor definitely has a specific way of telling a story, her tales have been largely ignored. This may be due to the subject matter that fills her niche relative to the time period she was writing in. Even if you don't choose to read the entirety of her work, you should do yourself a favor and take the time to get to know this author. "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and "Revelations" are perhaps some of the best literature I have read in quite some time.

America's Best Short Story Writer
I studied Flannery O'Connor in college and wrote an Honor's thesis on her works.I could not put down her stories then and have re-read them many times. She became firmly rooted in the Southern grotesque, but she alone has been able to transcend the stark terrain of the South and her stories still ring true as remarkable studies of human foibles and the self searching for meaning and redemption.

O'Connor had the uncanny gift to describe people, surroundings and life with astonishingly spare prose, so accomplished and brutal that we are not able to deny her truths.Her genius is that she reveals the mystery and manners in us all.Of particular note are "Revelation" and "A Good Man is Hard to Find."You must read this collection, and I promise that her stories will resonate with you for years to come.

Reviews (8)

Historians Legacy
A few years ago, I had the chance to go to Durham Cathedral.As an American medievalist with a love of the Anglo-Saxon era I jumped at the chance.I had a chance there to see not only the resting place of Saint Cuthbert, but also The Vernerable Bede.

The Venerable Bede -- this is not a name, only an office.What his actual name was we will probably never know, but that is less important than the historical narrative he has left us.Having in mind to write a history of the English peoples, he goes on to write a work filled with wonders, colourful characters, foul villains, and ever and ever again, miracles.

The Bede was an ecclesiast and saw all of history filtered through the glass of the Church.Yet somehow he does not come off as "preachy" as many other historians of the time.Maybe it is because of his deft characterizations, maybe his succinct view of the seemingly necessary course of history, but in any case I find myself caught up in a well-told tale, with morals attached.

By modern terms the Bede's work is one-sided and biased, and yet if you wish a true window into a world, it is best to have a guide.The Bede gives us such a window, however imperfect, yet carefully and thoughtfully written.To understand the northern English kingdoms of the early Middle Ages, one must consult the Bede; luckily, he is also a sympathetic fellow and draws us in, gently and knowingly, and offers us historical truths (especially close to his own time) as well as small sermons.

A great overview of early English History
I found this book wonderful as a broad overview of early England.The reader must keep in mind the social and religous beliefs of the author and of the times.I liked the broad brush the author uses to describe the people and climate of the time. A very enjoyable read....

Treasure of the English People
There is a definite thrill to reading the actual words set down by the infamously unassuming monk himself.This is why there are so many fields where "Bede" is mandatory foundational literature, but if you are a student of English history, literature, theology, philosophy, or sociology you already know that.One of the most lasting of the many images the book creates is the biography of Bede himself; surviving a plague that left only the abbot and the young boy Bede to sing the Divine Offices, then settling in at Jarrow where he was sheltered with the precious books for the remainder of his life.

Dated as 731, Bede's history was written in his old age (when he was 60 or so) and his gentle manner of reflection on the relationship of kings, gentry, the Church, it's priests and leaders, and common folk with one another informs one quite clearly of the many years spent teaching other monks, repeatedly re-reading texts, and living the religious life that bestowed the title "Venerable Bede" upon him.A professional academic in every modern sense of the word, knowledgeable, inquiring, conscious of his place in history, inventor of the chronological annotation (A.D.), meticulous researcher of events, places, and times; from any perspective you choose, this book demands to be part of your life experience.

This edition (which is probably the best-known - it's Sherley-Price's 1955 translation)includes both Bede's Letter to Egbert and the great eyewitness account of Bede's death by Cuthbert, upon which a significant part of Bede's reputation rests.There is no way to read Cuthbert's letter without understanding the ideal of humility for a medieval monk.....the image of him giving away his earthly treasures of pepper, handkerchiefs and incense in the hours before he dies....it's an image that stays with you forever.

Reviews (6)

classy courtly love poems and musings on God
Although I care less about his prose, John Donne wrote some very impressive and intuitive so-called love poetry, as well as religious poems that I like. A master of metaphor, he also shows great range of emotions, insight, and passion. My favorite work is his "divine poems" and his "songs and sonnets". Some really beautiful use of language and wise "deep" sentiments. The elegies also have some wonderful lines.

David Rehak
author of "Poems From My Bleeding Heart"

Plees updeight th' speling for moderne readeres
I agree with all the positive things said about Donne on this page.Also, this book's great strength is its breadth, including poems, letters, sermons, and other writings of Donne.One gets all the poems and most of his available prose.The only difficulty I had is that all of the poems are presented without any effort to modernize the spelling of words.Often, this distracts from a more perfect enjoyment of Donne's wit, sentiment, conceits and emotions.For those who might find antiquated spelling a distraction, I recommend they find another edition.

Editorial Review

Irma Rombauer collected recipes from friends for the first Joy of Cooking, and published it herself. For this sixth edition, the All New, All Purpose Joy of Cooking, Ethan Becker, grandson of Irma and son of Marion Rombauer Becker, worked with Maria Guarnaschelli, senior editor and vice president at Scribner's. Together, they called on top food professionals to produce a Joy that reflects the way we eat today.

Reviews (9)

it's better than...
As if after reading Plotinus, Augustine and all those Arabian philosophers with those names one can never recall, we needed another commentary on the works of Plato. Cela va de soi (it goes without saying), Plato has been remembered for a reason. Although, there are some philosophers who would consider Plato a mistake (Quine for example, if I remember rightly, refused to teach a class on Plato), I think it would be absurd not to consider Plato at all. There are some dialogues in this book (such as the Timaeus) that will make you yawn, others, like Gorgias, the Symposium and the Laws will make you wide-awake in wonder. But most importantly, these dialogues will introduce you to Socrates. Although, there is no way to ascertain whether it was Plato or Socrates speaking in these dialogues, most assume that in The Apology, The Crito and a few of Plato's other early dialouges, one gets a glimpse of the real Socrates. Socrates, in Plato's (and also Xenophanes) dialouges is a good man, one who will inspire you. He'll teach you the advantages of being open-minded, of realizing human ignorance, and above all, self-knowledge ('know thyself', 'the unexamined life is a life not worth living'). Which, in my opinion, makes Plato worth reading. I would encourage you to read these dialogues and take what you can, and then go on to Aristotle.

Also recommended: Toilet: The Novel, by Michael Szymczyk. The Oxford Companion to Philosophy. The Complete Works of Aristotle. Early Greek Philosophy by Jonathan Barnes. Lives of Eminent Philosophers by Diogenes Laertius.

I Hate Plato
Yes, I think Plato's philosophy is one of the most despicable things unleashed on this Earth. His idea that this world we live in is only semi-real has lead to most of the bad philosphy in recorded history. Only a few philosphers have escaped from under his glare. It's most ironic that one of those is his most famous student: Aristotle.
However, as a lover of knowledge and a student of philosophy, I realize the tremendous debt owed to Plato. First, he understood how imprtant it was to record his ideas. Socrates did not and for this the world is almost assuredly the worst for it. Secondly, he was and absolutely amazing writer. His ability to put his ideas forth in a lucid manner that anyone can uderstand is amazing. Thirdly, he was the first philosopher who devised a full system of knowledge. He wrote on metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics and aesthetics.
It is further unfortunate that this text has become the standard by which philosphy students must study Plato. The text is rigid, and as an earlier reviewer noted, Hamilton's intros suck. It is ridiculous to think of her as a serious Platonic scholar. But the Cooper text is much harder to come by, and the Hamilton is required in most courses on Plato. If you have the means, secure yourself a copy of both.

The Collected Dialogues of Plato
I have read several of the translations of Plato's dialogues by different scholars... this is the best one that I have come across. Granted Ms. Hamilton's introductions are a little sparce, but that leaves the reader to form a better opinion... not one jaded. This edition is one of the most complete volumes available... where Letters, Menexenus, Lesser Hippias and Ion are found with a rather extensive index and the standard numbering lines from the Greek text.

We have meaningful translations, translations of what Plato was trying to say in todays English language... I know that over time languages grow and evolve but here we read the dialogues like a short story full of life and viable.

The translations in this volume are from: Lane Cooper, F.M. Cornford, W.K.C. Guthrie, R. Hackforth, Michael Joyce, Benjamin Jowett, L.A. Post, W.H.D. Rouse, Paul Shorey, J.B.Skemp, A.E. Taylor Hugh Tredennick, W.D. Woodhead, and J. Wright.

Reviews (3)

Great volume covering Lincoln's Presidency & the Civil War
This volume provides Lincoln's speeches, writings and selected letters from 1859 through 1865.This period is the year leading up to his election in 1860 through his assassination in 1865.You will get to read amazing letters from the commander-in-chief trying to get his generals to fight and win the war, letters to all kinds of people covering topics public and personal, proclamations suspending habeas corpus and emancipation, his addresses to congress (our State-of-the Union Addresses used to be delivered by letter to Congress), and some of the greatest treasures in American history: the Gettysburg Address and Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.It is stunning that in all this writing, so much of it powerful and worthwhile, that these two brief speeches so obviously deserve to be engraved in stone for all ages to read and take into their souls.

It is awfully moving to read the material related to the conduct of the Civil War.He was very strong in his determination to destroy the Rebellion, yet he has very touching notes about his sick child and is very human in his communications with intimates.

This volume also has a chronology of Lincoln's life and great notes on the texts.Note particularly the Associated Press copy of the Gettysburg Address that was contemporary with its delivery.The version most of us know is a finished copy prepared for publication.The differences are subtle and not all that important, just interesting to note for style and rhetorical power.

I strongly urge you to have these two volumes on your American History bookshelf.Simply, they are important and you will learn a great deal reading through them.

Lincoln in His Own Words
I purchased this collection of speeches and letters knowing little about America's most beloved president other than what I had learned in my high school history classes.My first impression was "Boy, where have all the good presidents gone?"Aside from the famous speeches we're all familiar with, Lincoln was a prolific man of letters and an amazing presenter of ideas ahead of their time.Our sixteenth president wasn't perfect, but neither was our nation.During perhaps the most crucial period in U.S. history, thank God there was Abraham Lincoln.I grew up as a Democrat, but if Lincoln were running for the presidency today, he would be the first Republican to get my vote.This Library of America edition of Lincoln's speeches and writings is a beautifully bound volume that I will cherish for years to come.