Choose any audiobook from over 200,000 titles... yours to keep with a free trial.
Want this audiobook for free?
- Just start a free 30-day Audible trial and it's yours!
- After the trial, you'll get to choose another book each month for £7.99 per month.
- You can cancel anytime and still keep your books.
- Don't like a book? We'll exchange it for another, no questions asked.
Lincoln
- by David Herbert Donald
- Narrated by Dick Estell
- 30 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
Publisher's Summary
In the best-selling tradition of Truman, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer David Herbert Donald offers a new classic in American history and biography - a masterly account of how one man's extraordinary political acumen steered the Union to victory in the Civil War, and of how his soaring rhetoric gave meaning to that agonizing struggle for nationhood and equality.
Donald spent 50 years studying Lincoln, tracing his rise from humble origins to the pinnacle of the presidency. He reveals the development of the future president's character and shows how Lincoln's enormous capacity for growth enabled one of the least experienced men ever elected to high office to become a giant in the annals of American politics. And he depicts a man who was basically passive by nature, yet ambitious enough to take enormous risks and overcome repeated defeats.
Much more than a political biography, Lincoln seats us behind the desk of a president who was both a master of ambiguity and expediency and a great moral leader, as he makes the decisions that preserved the Union and shaped modern America.
What the Critics Say
"A grand work - the Lincoln biography for this generation." (Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.)
"Lincoln immediately takes its place among the best of the genre, and it is unlikely that it will be surpassed in elegance, incisiveness and originality in this century.... A book of investigative tenacity, interpretive boldness and almost acrobatic balance." (Chicago Tribune)
"Eagerly awaited, Lincoln fulfills expectations. Donald writes with lucidity and elegance." (The Atlantic)
Thank you for your purchase.
We've sent an email with your order details. Order ID #:
Start Listening Now
You must have the Audible app to listen.
Launch Audible App-or-
Download Free Audible AppYou Already Own This Title
To access this title, visit your library in the app or on the desktop website.
Start Listening Now
You must have the Audible app to listen.
Launch Audible App-or-
Download Free Audible AppTitle Not For Sale In This Country
Audible does not currently have the rights to sell this title in your country.
Please consider another book.
Continue BrowsingYou do not have a payment method on file
Please add a payment method to continue.
Add a Payment Method
We're sorry, you were unable to purchase this audiobook due to promo code failure, please check the promo code and try again later.
Sorry for the Short Delay
Thank you for purchasing this audiobook, however there will be a short delay before you can download the audiobook. How long of a delay? How long of a delay?We're sorry, we were unable to process your credit card.
Please edit your payment details or add a new card.
If the problem persists, contact Customer Care at 0800 496 2455
Review My Payment MethodThere Was a Problem Processing Your Order
If the problem persists, contact Customer Care at 0800 496 2455
Go Back
You Do Not have a Default Credit Card on File.
Please select a default credit card to continue.
Select Credit CardThere Was a Problem Processing Your Order
It looks like you've already used the specified payment method for a free trial.
Please contact Customer Care if you think we've made a mistake. 0800 496 2455
Start Your £7.99 MembershipAn order is being processed for this customer.
If the problem persists, contact Customer Care at 0800 496 2455
Go Back
Mandatory Authentication Process should be completed to continue the purchase.
you will be redirected to MFA challenge page now....If the problem persists, contact Customer Care at 0800 496 2455
See More Like This
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful
A very thorough biography
It is obvious that a lot of serious research has gone into writing this biography, and I have enjoyed getting innumerable little unexpected insights into the person behind the statesman.
The thoroughness, however, also means that the biography contains rather long stretches of information that I did not find interesting or to be contributing much to my understanding of the character of Lincoln.
The parts that I found most interesting concerned his upright moral character, insisting on reimbursing other people's loss without any legal obligation to do so - and then fulfilling his pledge at considerable personal and financial cost. Also, the way he learned from numerous mistakes when trying to conduct the war, often being rather too patient with generals of questionable will or ability to act, is compelling "reading".
Finally, his sense of loyalty to subordinates who tried to carry out his instructions (rather than orders) impressed me - even when they failed dismally. All paint the picture of a man of unusual integrity, of unsurpassed desire to learn from his mistakes, and of a selfless gentleness that should be challenge to every one of us.
The narrator's voice changes considerably (is it the same narrator or were parts recorded in a different studio later on?) in a few places, which I have not noticed in any other audio books. Not a problem, just different!
I do recommend this book, but intricate details of party organisation and hordes of less-than-central politicians could have been omitted, in my opinion.
Read full review
The thoroughness, however, also means that the biography contains rather long stretches of information that I did not find interesting or to be contributing much to my understanding of the character of Lincoln.
The parts that I found most interesting concerned his upright moral character, insisting on reimbursing other people's loss without any legal obligation to do so - and then fulfilling his pledge at considerable personal and financial cost. Also, the way he learned from numerous mistakes when trying to conduct the war, often being rather too patient with generals of questionable will or ability to act, is compelling "reading".
Finally, his sense of loyalty to subordinates who tried to carry out his instructions (rather than orders) impressed me - even when they failed dismally. All paint the picture of a man of unusual integrity, of unsurpassed desire to learn from his mistakes, and of a selfless gentleness that should be challenge to every one of us.
The narrator's voice changes considerably (is it the same narrator or were parts recorded in a different studio later on?) in a few places, which I have not noticed in any other audio books. Not a problem, just different!
I do recommend this book, but intricate details of party organisation and hordes of less-than-central politicians could have been omitted, in my opinion.
- Nils
Long but very extensive and amazingly inspiring
The definitive work on Lincoln, from birth to assassination, truly inspiring and moving account of the man who much surely be the best president america has ever had. The only downside to the book is the narration is a little dull, and it is a bit obvious where the breaks and edits where. Well worth a listen if you have the time (very long!).
Read full review
- Dr Zube
Book Details
- Release Date: 08-11-2012
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio