« Lincoln’s Stories | Main | "Abraham Lincoln in Song" »
2008 Lincoln Prize…A Split Decision
By Samuel P. Wheeler | February 15, 2008
The results are in. The winner of this year’s coveted Lincoln Prize, the most prestigious (and generous) award in the field of Lincoln Studies, is…
Wait a minute…we have a split decision!
The award goes to two different books: The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics by James Oakes and Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through His Private Letters by Elizabeth Brown Pryor.
Both Oakes and Pryor will receive $20,000 and a bronze replica of Augustus Saint-Gaudens life-size bust, “Lincoln the Man.”
In addition, Chandra Manning has been awarded an honorable mention and $10,000 for her excellent book What This Cruel War Was Over: Soldiers, Slavery, and the Civil War.
The Gilder-Lehrman Institute, as well as Gettysburg College, did an excellent job in selecting this year’s winner(s).
If you have not yet read these books, check them out. I’ve been a big fan of Oakes’ work and his comparative study of Lincoln and Douglass is excellent. I plan to use his book in my survey course on early American history.
Though I have not yet read Pryor’s book, I have heard nothing but wonderful things about it. Kevin Levin, whose Civil War Memory blog is a must-read, has called the book “the single best volume on Lee ever published.” I will be reading it soon.
I recall reading a couple of articles by Chandra Manning that appeared in North and South Magazine in 2004. I believe both articles were adaptations of chapters in her dissertation. I liked the articles very much. Her dissertation is now an award-winning book. I look forward to reading it.
Congratulations to the winners of the Lincoln Prize. They are now part of a distinguished fraternity.
Topics: Confederacy, Emancipation, Generals, Lincoln Prize, Military, New Books, Slavery, Soldiers | 2 Comments »
February 17th, 2008 at 8:26 am
Sam, I thought Reading the Man should win every award available. Elizabeth’s compassion, insight, and analysis are as valuable as her research. I didn’t want the chapters on Lee’s famous father to end. Kudos for an invaluable contribution to not only the Civil War World, but history in general.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:43 am
Hi Deb,
Thanks so much for your comment. I am looking forward to Pryor’s book. I’ve heard so many good things about it!
Best,
Sam.