Land of Lincoln
Adventures in Abe's America
(amazon)Andrew Ferguson (View Bio)
Hardcover: Grove/Atlantic, 2007.
"LAND OF LINCOLN is, as its title suggests, LOL, which is to say, laugh-out-loud funny. It's also a wonderful and serious book about the enduring impact of our greatest president, by one of our best and wittiest writers." — Christopher Buckley
"Andy Ferguson is the single most important writer about American politics. Abe Lincoln was the single most important American politician. The combination of Abe and Andy is—no other word will do—Lincolnesque. LAND OF LINCOLN is like its subject: wise, funny, melancholic, virtuous, complex, tragic, undefeated, kind, stern, and possessed of a fund of wonderful stories. If you don't read this book you are on the wrong side of the twenty-first-century American Civil War, casting your lot with those who would secede from the union of good sense, good principles, and good humor." — P. J. O'Rourke
"Wow! This is a fascinating book. With his usual humor and insight, but also with real poignancy, Ferguson looks at how we see ourselves as a nation by exploring the way we choose to see Lincoln. The result is brilliant and amusing, but also deeply moving." — Walter Isaacson
"Writing with humor, insight, imagination, and warmth, Andy Ferguson has accomplished a most unusual feat—he gives us a fresh look at Abraham Lincoln and his impact on our country." — Doris Kearns Goodwin
"Now he belongs to the ages—including the age of kitsch, criticism and yearning in which we live. Andy Ferguson, one of the best writers in America, tracks Lincoln through twenty-first century America with humanity, clarity, humor, and passion—the very qualities of Lincoln himself." — Richard Brookhiser
"Andrew Ferguson is a writer with perfect pitch and flawless timing who can go from hilarity to poignancy without missing a beat. Whether he is describing the seedy glories of Route 66 or the Holocaust survivor who believed Lincoln came to him in a dream, his reporter’s powers of observation and his instinctive understanding of the human condition produce the satisfying blend of entertainment and instruction he delivers in this marvelous book." — Florence King, The Wilson Quarterly
"There are at least 14,000 books on Abraham Lincoln, and even his greatest enthusiasts won't claim to have read a tenth of them. Do we need another? Yes, indeed. What Andrew Ferguson offers in Land of Lincoln is the geography of enthusiasm itself. . . A vivid, beautifully written book." — Ernest W. Lefever, The Wall Street Journal
"A splendid book . . . so wonderful I am sick with envy . . . Land of Lincoln is a book that teaches you more about Lincoln in its way than a five-volume biography would, and more about America today than almost any other book I can think of." — John Podhorezt, New York Post
"In Andrew Ferguson's lively new book, Land of Lincoln, he sets out to discover why Lincoln, more than almost every other historical figure, retains such a hold over Americans . . . It’s real fun . . . The author's generous, curious spirit makes room for almost all Lincoln lovers, even the married couple who conduct a misguided management training workshop called ‘Lessons From Lincoln’ at the Gettysburg Battlefield Holiday Inn." — Ruth Graham, New York Sun
"In Land of Lincoln, Mr. Ferguson set out to find the real Abe, and his journey yields a portrait of modern American life unmatched in wit and insight. . . An extraordinary and wonderful book." — Tod Lindberg, Washington Times