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The Gettysburg Gospel: The Lincoln Speech That Nobody Knows Gabor Boritt 
 Format: Paperback, 432pp. ISBN: 9780743288217 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: February 5, 2008 Average Customer Review: 
For Bulk Orders Call: 626-441-2024  Description and Reviews From The Publisher: The words Abraham Lincoln spoke at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg comprise perhaps the most famous speech in history. It has been quoted by popes, presidents, prime ministers, and revolutionaries around the world. From "Four score and seven years ago..." to "government of the people, by the people, for the people," Lincoln's words echo in the American conscience. Many books have been written about the Gettysburg Address and yet, as Lincoln scholar Gabor Boritt shows, there is much that we don't know about the speech. In The Gettysburg Gospel he reconstructs what really happened in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on November 19, 1863. Boritt tears away a century of myths, lies, and legends to give us a clear understanding of the greatest American's greatest speech. In the aftermath of the bloodiest battle ever fought in North America, the little town of Gettysburg was engulfed in the worst man-made disaster in U.S. history: close to 21,000 wounded; very few doctors; heroic women coping in houses, barns, and churches turned into hospitals; dead horses and mules rotting in farmyards and fields; and at least 7,000 dead soldiers who had to be dug up, identified, and reburied. This was where Lincoln had to come to explain why the horror of war must continue. Planning America's first national cemetery revitalized the traumatized people of Gettysburg, but the dedication ceremonies overwhelmed the town. Lincoln was not certain until the last moment whether he could come. But he knew the significance of the occasion and wrote his remarks with care -- the first speech since his inauguration that he prepared before delivering it. A careful analysis of the Address and the public reaction to it form the center of this book. Boritt shows how Lincoln responded to the politics of the time and also clarifies which text he spoke from and how and when he wrote the various versions. Few people initially recognized the importance of the speech; it was frequently and, at times, hilariously misreported. But over the years the speech would grow into American scripture. It would acquire new and broader meanings. It would be better understood, but also misunderstood and misinterpreted to suit beliefs very different from Lincoln's. The Gettysburg Gospel is based on years of scholarship as well as a deep understanding of Lincoln and of Gettysburg itself. It draws on vital documents essential to appreciating Lincoln's great speech and its evolution into American gospel. This is an indispensable book for anyone interested in the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, or American history. Reviews "If we consider the vast libraries of material that examine, explore, and reimagine the life, deeds, and words of Abraham Lincoln, it would be reasonable for us to assume that all that needs to be said, has been said. Gabor Boritt tosses that assumption out the window. This book is an unexpected surprise, meaningful, entertaining, and full of fresh and untrampled imagery. Gabor Boritt has given us something that many historians simply fail to do -- he has given us a terrific read." —Jeff Shaara, author of Gods and Generals "As a nation and as individuals, we return again and again to Abraham Lincoln and his stunning address -- for a sense of unity, conscience, and meaning. No one has parsed those magnificent sentences or that remarkable man as well as Gabor Boritt." —Ken Burns "Even readers who think they know all they can about the town, the battle, and Lincoln's great speech will feel a surge of discovery from this revelatory, ingenious study. After Boritt, the Gettysburg Address can never be read, heard, or interpreted the same way again." —Harold Holzer, author of Lincoln at Cooper Union "An elegant and absorbing book...the first to place Lincoln's familiar words in the fully realized context of the town of Gettysburg and of the battlefield itself. This is, I think, a definitive book." —David Herbert Donald, author of Lincoln "The Gettysburg Gospel is a magisterial work, a brilliant and moving story that will fascinate the general reader while setting a gold standard for scholarship that will make the book an instant classic." —Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
About the Author Gabor Boritt is the Robert Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies and Director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. Born in World War II Hungary, he participated as a teenager in the 1956 revolution against the Soviet Union. He escaped to the United States, where he received his higher education and became one of the finest Lincoln scholars. His life story is soon to be the subject of a feature-length documentary film. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of sixteen books about Lincoln and the Civil War. Boritt and his wife live on a farm near the Gettysburg battlefield, where they have raised their three sons. Find Items On Similar Subjects  Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln The Writings and Speeches of Abraham Lincoln - The Essential Collection Audio CD
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