Appreciating Abe

Everyone seems to have Abraham Lincoln on their minds these days. Much has been made about the similarities between President-elect Barack Obama and Lincoln in the press. Obama also has quoted Lincoln in his speeches, and in the recent 60 Minutes interview, he said "I've been spending a lot of time reading Lincoln. There is a wisdom there and a humility about his approach to government, even before he was president, that I just find very helpful.” In fact, Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin's bestseller about Lincoln's cabinet, was one book Obama felt he couldn't do without in the White House.

The nation is also celebrating the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth next year. We'll see four new penny designs, and it was recently announced that the theme for the inauguration will be "A New Birth of Freedom" in honor of Lincoln's birthday.

We're all pretty familiar with the basics of Lincoln's life, but now might be the time to delve further to truly understand the man and his accomplishments. Below are just a few recent titles out of the hundreds available at your library:

The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln through His Words by Ronald C. White

Did Lincoln Own Slaves?: And Other Frequently Asked Questions About Abraham Lincoln by Gerald Prokopowicz

President Lincoln: The Duty of a Statesman by William Lee Miller

The Age of Lincoln by Orville Vernon Burton

The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage by Daniel Mark Epstein