Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill 1999 Over the past decade, historians have gained a new respect for the value of oral For generations serious scholars had discounted this type ofhistorical data as being too easily flawed. It is the very nature of reminiscence that it ishistory being perceived by individuals, and is therefore susceptible to the human traits ofbias, misconception, and utter falsification. (Harold Holzer) However, work being doneby modern scholars has shown that used carefully and selectively, many historical facts andincidents can be divined from these sources. The editor Harold Holzer, Guest Scholar, isVice President for Communications at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and author,co-author, and editor of eighteen books on Abraham Lincoln and the political culture ofthe Civil War, including The Confederate Image (1987). In addition to many books,Harold has written some 290 articles for both popular magazines and scholarly journals. A number of books have appeared recently that states reminiscences, recollections,and personal remembrances of Abraham Lincoln. Many individuals who personallyinteracted with Lincoln left behind records of their experiences in publications of all sorts.In Lincoln as I Knew Him: Gossip, Tributes & Revelations from His Best Friends andWorst Enemies, Harold Holzer has searched a number of these sources to paint a uniqueand entertaining portrait of our 16th President. Holzer presents his selections by grouprather than topically or chronologically. For instance, the first chapter containsreminiscences from family members; other chapters come from fellow lawyers, foreignobservers, authors, artists, and African-Americans. Harold Holzer does an excellent job in selecting reminiscences and recollectionsfrom many different, and often somewhat obscure sources. Personal journals and diaries,periodicals and newspapers, and little used compilations of reminiscences all served assources. Holzer introduces ...
