Land Of Lincoln: Adventures In Abe's America

Description

Cover Page; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; Contents; Preface; 1 When Lincoln Came Back to Richmond; 2 Billy Herndon and the Inner Mr. L.; 3 The Past Isn't What it Used to Be; 4 The Kingmaker's Wife, the Emotional Engineer, and the Triumph of Fun; 5 The Magic of Stuff; 6 A Sea of Lincolns; 7 ABE Lincoln and the Secret of Success; 8 Hot on the Trail; 9 Whole Lotta Lincoln; 10 In Defense of the Icon; Postscript; Acknowledgments; Photo Credits;Abraham Lincoln was our greatest president and perhaps the most influential American who ever lived. But what is his place in our country today' In Land of Lincoln, Andrew Ferguson packs his bags and embarks on a journey to the heart of contemporary Lincoln Nation, where he encounters a world as funny as it is poignant, and a population as devoted as it is colorful. In small-town Indiana, Ferguson drops in on the national conference of Lincoln presenters, 175 grown men who make their living (sort of) by impersonating their hero. He meets the premier collectors of Lincoln memorabilia, prized items of which include Lincoln's chamber pot, locks of his hair, and pages from a boyhood schoolbook. He takes his wife and children on a trip across the long-defunct Lincoln Heritage Trail, a driving tour of landmarks from Lincoln's life. This book is an entertaining, unexpected, and big-hearted celebration of Lincoln's enduring influence on our country'and the people who help keep his spirit alive.