Description
Book SynopsisAfter portraying Mary Todd Lincoln in hundreds of performances and giving lectures over a more than thirty-year career, Donna D. McCreary has fielded every imaginable inquiry about the First Lady. Gathered here, readers will find answers to the most frequently asked questions to come from live audiences.
Trade Review “The remarkable amount of biographical and interpretive coverage in this volume is a tribute to the author’s persistence and ability. Donna D. McCreary has cleared away whole swaths of error in fact or opinion left by previous writers and passers-by about Mary Lincoln. If the author had merely touched upon her great knowledge of Mary’s wardrobe, family, photographs, travels, views on slavery or suffrage, or friends, this book would still be invaluable; yet she has addressed in depth two dozen more topics than those. At last, Mary Lincoln is given her due.” —James M. Cornelius, coauthor of Under Lincoln’s Hat: 100 Objects, That Tell the Story of His Life and Legacy
“Dismissing Mary Lincoln as a villain does no justice to her, to Abraham Lincoln, or to history. She was not a caricature. She was a complicated, intelligent, passionate, flawed human being. To demystify her is to know her better and, in turn, to know Abraham Lincoln better; and McCreary seeks to do just that by illustrating Mary Lincoln’s humanity.”—Stacy Pratt McDermott, author of Mary Lincoln: Southern Girl, Northern Woman
“McCreary offers many interesting—and uncommon—details about our famous first lady, and includes some downright unique information. It has been years since I’ve read any new or detailed information about the Todd family and Mary’s dynamic within it; and McCreary’s chapter on Mary’s experiences and opinions regarding slavery and African Americans is something that has been sorely needed in the canon for a long time.”—Jason Emerson, author of The Madness of Mary Lincoln and Mary Lincoln for the Ages
“It’s doubtful that anyone, not even Abraham, ever believed they had fully demystified Mary Lincoln, but in laying the most important questions before us and offering accessible and well-informed answers, Donna McCreary has done the next best thing.”—Gerald Prokopowicz, Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association
“McCreary’s insatiable curiosity, encyclopedic knowledge, lucid prose, and inventive QA format allow her to include the multitude of details that cannot all be included in a traditional narrative.”—The National Book Review
“McCreary’s book contains information not found elsewhere… and a uniquely thorough timeline. While sympathetic to the woman she portrayed for two decades, McCreary examines both sides of controversial issues and presents the facts with her trademark style and flair. This book will be a fine reference for quite a long time.”—Illinois State Historical Society Awards Selection Committee
Table of Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1. Mary Grows Up in the Bluegrass: TheLexington Years, 1818 to 1835
- 2. Wife, Mother,andFriend:The Springfield Years, 1835 to February 1861
- 3.Assailedfrom All Sides:The White House Years, 1860 to 1865
- 4. The Darkest Night of All:Lincoln’s Assassination, April 15, 1865
- 5. Widowhood and Exile, 1865 to 1882
- 6. The Issue of Sanity
- 7. Family Relationships
- 8.Mary, The Issue of Slavery, and African Americans
- 9. Personality and Personal Habits
- 10. Beyond the Grave
- Appendix I – Her Family
- Appendix II – Her Friends
- Appendix III –Timeline
- Notes
- Acknowledgments
- Bibliography
- Index
