Giants

October 15, 2008
Many books have examined the life of Abraham Lincoln and analyzed his attitudes toward blacks and emancipation. In this comparative treatment, Stauffer (English, Harvard; "Black Hearts of Men: Radical Abolitionists and the Transformation of Race") traces the extraordinary life journeys of Lincoln and Frederick Douglass from humble origins to national prominence, emphasizing their brief and unique friendship. Enlivening the story with rich detail and well-chosen quotations, Stauffer offers insight into Lincoln's personal and political attitudes toward blacks through an examination of his relationship with the great abolitionist orator whom he treated with courtesy and respect even when his steps toward emancipation and full equality for African Americans were, in Douglass's eyes, agonizingly slow and limited. This interesting book, which grew out of a well-well received article in "Time" magazine, is recommended for large academic libraries, even those that already own individual biographies of these men.Theresa McDevitt, Indiana Univ. of Pennsylvania Lib.

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2008
LikePaul and Steven Kendrick, authors of the recent Douglass and Lincoln, Stauffer has to scale up to achieve book size, since the mens personal relationship consisted of just three meetings. Stauffer does that partially by usingthe Kendricks method of chronicling Douglass criticisms of Lincoln and partially by presenting a dual biography couched inthe theme of the self-made man. As he hits the mile markers ofthe mensrise from nothing, Stauffer, an English professor, often speculates about what each mancertainly or would have thought about events in their lives (such as Lincolns supposed homosexuality, of which Stauffer is convinced, despite acknowledging there is no explicit evidence). This casts his narrative more ashistorical essay thanstraightforward history.Stauffer also emphasizes what he regards as key features of the mens interaction, such as a friendship, perhaps genuine, perhaps diffident, growing out of Lincolns incremental adoption of the abolitionist position championed by Douglass. A work well worth the attention of students of emancipation.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)