This was a wonderful book. As much as I have read about Lincoln, this book proves that there are still more things to be said about the man and remaining to learn. Well done.

A great exploration of the hidden Lincoln. Great for Lincoln students and anyone terested in Lincoln and his thought process.

Lincoln in Private provides readers with original source materials on the intimate thoughts of President Lincoln. This was a great aspect of the book to have these letters consolidated. I'd have liked to have a bit more context and commentary embedded within the book from the author, but that's a preference.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with this book. All thoughts are my own.

Lincoln in Private
What His Most Personal Reflections Tell Us About Our Greatest President
by Ronald C. White

This is an amazing book that gathers all the notes, written thoughts, ideas, starts, letters, and more ("fragments ") together and gives us the reader a look inside Lincoln's mind. The beloved President is known for many things, one is for quiet way of life except when giving speeches or in court. But what did the man feel about other things? We read about that in this book.

Not only about him but about his wife and sons. This book was very informative and interesting. It helped make Lincoln come alive. I also loved all the many pictures. I giggled at his messy hair yet when they asked him to fix it he refused. (Almost every picture it was a mess!)

In here are other great info such as who got him to grow a bread and why. How he survived his circuit as a lawyer being gone months at a time. The reason he wanted to go to Niagara Falls. There is so much!

Enriching and enjoyable! Love the cover! I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this wonderful book!

The first part of this contains a dozen of the private writings (meaning they were not meant for publication or other people to read, but Lincoln may have referred back to them.) The appendix, which contains all the fragments recovered, felt a little like someone reading my random lists I keep in my planner or on post-it notes. I did wish that it was noted what chapter it was discussed when one of the selections in the Appendix had been used.

The author does an excellent job of putting the context around each of the writings he selected. One of the things I have learned to admire about Lincoln is how he really tried to understand opposing viewpoints and his dedication to reflecting on what he learned. In current times, someone might consider themselves well-read, but often that does not include deliberate study of "disagreeable" viewpoints. I think this book adds something to the study of Lincoln.

I had hoped that this was going to be a book more about Lincoln's private life. The 'private' in this case though refers mainly to Lincoln's writing and thought processes, how he wrote down every significant thought he had so that nothing of importance would escape from him. I found his writing process, mainly that he wrote on magnitudes of scrap papers and then studied from them to more carefully organize his thoughts, very impressive. Given Lincoln's lack of formal education and his incredibly humble upbringing, his writing and intellect is that much more impressive. I think this book is better suited for readers with a solid knowledge of Lincoln and Civil War buffs. Even though it wasn't exactly what I was looking for, the writing is excellent and the research is extensive.

3.5 stars
I enjoyed reading these notes that Lincoln wrote during his lifetime and also seeing their context, as described by the author, Ronald White. As White states, these notes attest to Lincoln’s thoughtfulness about everything - he was always thinking and always figuring out how best to express his thoughts.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley on Kindle for review. This is a book with facts about a great historical person. Although most of the material is known, it is still interesting to read again. Try this one. Although a private man, Lincoln was a public figure about whom we enjoy reading. Good one.

So much has been written about Mr. Lincoln already, that it seems hard to believe that anything new can be added that would spark any interest, but this book proved that theory wrong. White's compilation of Lincoln's 111 surviving notes, or as Lincoln called them his "best thoughts", makes a very fascinating read, and the author's explanation and analysis of these words is interesting as well.

I know that I will dip back into this book from time to time, because reading all these notes in one go is a bit much to absorb. Well worth reading whether you are a Lincoln scholar or just want to learn a bit more about him.

We highly recommend this new biography of Abraham Lincoln by the acclaimed historian Ronald White. It takes a unique and interesting approach, in that it looks at several of Lincoln’s private writings — the notes he wrote just for himself to sort out his thinking, now strewn across different archives — and uses them as an entry point to understanding him better. You're getting to read things Lincoln never expected anyone else to ever read, but with added context from a great historian. There are so very many Lincoln bios, but this one tries to do something different and it does so very well.

I learned so many little details about the life of Abraham Lincoln.. This book would be a nice addition to a personal library of someone who enjoys history,

Have you ever wondered what Abraham Lincoln REALLY thought about slavery, nature, being a failure, the birth of the Republican Party, or God’s position during the Civil War? Then Ronald White’s new book Lincoln in Private is for you. This book is one scholar’s analysis of what Lincoln’s private notes (AKA “fragments”) meant and what they say about Lincoln. Lincoln wrote many fragments to himself that either became first drafts of speeches or never appeared anywhere else in his public writings. In 10 chapters, White covers fragments that Lincoln wrote between the years of 1848 to 1862, which span the time of his legal career up to his presidency. Going into the book I assumed the fragments would be short but some were lengthy and well thought out. White provides excellent research and analysis to explain the content and context of Lincoln’s fragments.

One of my favorite fragments is covered in Chapter 3 The Fiery Lincoln. In this chapter, Lincoln’s fragment contradicts pro-slavery arguments by showing how the arguments for slavery can be twisted to justify the enslavement of slave owners. Another line Lincoln writes, states that if slavery is so good, as the pro-slavery folks say, then why don’t White people want to be slaves. Many of these thoughts could not be said publicly by Lincoln but these fragments allowed him to think critically about various issues.

"Although volume upon volume is written to prove slavery a very good thing, we never hear of the man who wishes to take the good of it by being a slave himself." -Abraham Lincoln

Overall, the book is short and I definitely wanted more, but it also contains an appendix of all the 109 known fragments that Lincoln wrote between the years 1839-1865, most of the fragments are not covered in the body of the book. In a time where it seems that there is nothing new to say or write about Lincoln, Ronald White proves the assertion wrong. He provides an accessible book about how America’s 16th President thought about politics, religion, nature, and more.

I have read many books about President Lincoln so I can appreciate the view this author takes in examining Lincoln’s thoughts and beliefs! These notes written to himself were obviously private and revealed so much about his character! A great read for anyone that wants to learn more about Abraham Lincoln, the person. These notes, written by Lincoln, show how meticulous and methodical his thought process was, a seemingly successful strategy used by him, for wrestling with his feelings and beliefs! A lesson for us all, (how to formulate ideas and solutions), at least for me! My only criticism is that I wanted more feedback from the author, on more of Lincoln’s notes, instead of placing the rest of the notes in an appendix.

Facing protesters over "Mr Lincoln's war," President Lincoln was preparing a reply when a congressman complimented him on so swiftly composing from scratch. Lincoln pointed to an open desk drawer filled with scraps of paper with his "best thoughts on the subject." He explained, "I never let one of those ideas escape me."

These private notes and reflections were a valuable resource for the president, and a more valuable exercise for working out and preserving his thoughts. Never meant for public consumption, his notes were open and revealing about his private beliefs and feelings.

Some of his notes had been destroyed when he moved from his Illinois home to Washington, D.C. But 109 were found after his death, deposited in a bank vault. Lincoln's secretaries Nicolay and Hay included some of these private notes in their ten volume history.

Lincoln in Private by Ronald C. White explores ten of these private notes, contemplating on what we can learn from them about Lincoln. They vary from a lyrical description of encountering Niagara Falls to a mediation on Divine Will in human affairs.

Lincoln's ability to logic out arguments comes across in these notes. He was exceedingly well read, delving into newspapers and books from across the country, including pro-slavery sources. He thereby could counter arguments from the opposite political spectrum, understanding their position.

White takes readers through a thorough exegesis of each note, putting it in historic context as well as explaining its significance.

I am even more impressed by Lincoln. Considering his lack of formal education and rural roots, his depression and life challenges, his genius could not be contained, but, luckily for our country, found its proper application in at our most critical time in history.

I received a free galley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

The book is based around the found snippets of thought that Lincoln wrote down and saved over the years. I found the the individual notes to be of great interest. The author expanded on them in an attempt to explain what Lincoln was thinking at the time based on events that were happening at that time. I found this part of the book of less interest. In addition, only 10 of the notes were used for the book making it short and a quick read. Those who have not read a great deal about Lincoln will get more out of this book than those who have read extensively about the sixteenth President of the United States.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.

Just when you think there are enough books about Abraham Lincoln, another one gets published. White has written four books on Lincoln so what possibly more could he have to say? He focuses on snippets of writings left by Lincoln, 109 in all. He extrapolates on what Lincoln was thinking in context of the subject pertaining to the writings. It’s a brief book, the last 1/3 of the book are the transcriptions of the fragments. I liked how pictures of the snippets were included along with several pictures of Lincoln that are not well known. I think it’s a nice, quick, cursory look at how Lincoln composed his thoughts and the time he invested in those small pieces of wisdom, that spoke volumes.

This was an interesting book, some parts more than others.
I was expecting more note fragments too.
I’m sure Lincoln historical fans will enjoy this book.
I enjoyed the first half more than the second half
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

I have read a lot about Abraham Lincoln over many years, but this added something new to it. Based off of different and infrequently used excerpts of his works, this shed some new light on his thinking and connection to larger context. Probably a little better suited to those with a good background to start, it is a nice supplement to the standard Lincoln literature and well worth reading.

Read if you: Want a focused and succinct look at scraps and snippets Lincoln jotted down. Most have been scattered throughout Lincoln archives and never studied as a whole.

Librarians/booksellers: Purchase for your Lincoln amateur historians; they can't get enough Lincoln books!

Many thanks to Random House and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lincoln in Private is a repository of thought-provoking discoveries, as for instance the photo of Springfield accompanying the information that from 1837 until 1861, "he spent much of his life in the law offices, courts and stores in this town square." Those who aspire to greatness might consider how this revered leader did not have the expectancy of travel and entertainment that afflicts human beings in the Western world today. He did share with modern man a thirst for the news, whether it was of natural wonders, politics or culture. What underlines this lovely study is the way Lincoln used the thought process--actively. He was not a passive imbiber of information, but one who made demands of his own critical thinking. Author Ronald White demonstrates a similar process when he asks if Lincoln's employment of theological language, three full years into the Civil War is a sign of affirmation or resignation. What resonates the most for me in these notes on Lincoln are his humility, his perspective, and his humanity. Lincoln captured the value of failure, something that philosophers like Jordan Peterson focus on in current podcasts. For instance, writes Lincoln, "I am not an accomplished lawyer. I find quite as much material for a lecture in those points where I have failed, as in those wherein I have been moderately successful."