【英语原版下载】Abraham Lincoln: A Biography [亚伯拉罕•林肯传记]

                
                
内容简介······
◆有一次，林肯在擦自己的皮鞋，正好一个外国外交官向他走来说：“总统先生，您竟擦自己的皮鞋？”“是的，”林肯故作诧异地反问，“难道你擦别人的皮鞋？”　
◆一天，有人告诉林肯，有一位税务官刚刚去世，问自己能不能代替他的位置。林肯回答说：“如果殡仪馆没有意见，我当然也不会反对。”
◆做律师时，林肯有一次步行到城里去。当时他很穷，没钱坐车，但又要赶时间出庭。这时一辆汽车从他身后开来，他扬手让车停下来，对司机说：“能不能替我把这件大衣捎到城里去？”“当然可以，”司机说，“可我怎样将大衣交还给你呢？”林肯回答说：“哦，这不难，我打算裹在大衣里头。”司机被他的幽默所折服，笑着让他上了车。　
◆有人批评林肯总统对待政敌的态度：“你为什么要试图和他们成为朋友呢？你应该想办法去打击他们，消灭他们才对。”“我难道不是在消灭政敌吗？当我使他们成为我的朋友时，政敌就不存在了。”林肯总统温和地说。
◆林肯在做律师时。有一次他作为一位被告人的辩护人出庭辩护。原告律师将一个简单的论据翻来覆去地陈述了两个多小时，使听众很不耐烦。轮到林肯辩护时，他先把外衣脱下放在桌上，然后拿起玻璃杯喝了口水，接着重新穿上外衣然后又喝水，这样反复了五六遍。林肯一言未发，却让听众心领神会，哈哈大笑。在笑声过后，林肯才开始了他的辩护演说。 早在读书时，有一次考试，老师问他：“你愿意答一道难题，还是两道容易的题目？”林肯很有把握地答：“答一道难题吧。”“那你回答，鸡蛋是怎么来的？”“鸡生的。”老师又问：“那鸡又是从哪里来的呢？”“老师，这已经是第二道题了。”林肯微笑着说。 又有一次，一个妇人来找林肯，她理直气壮地说：“总统先生，你一定要给我儿子一个上校的职位。我们应该有这样的权利，因为我的祖父曾参加过雷新顿战役，我的叔父在布拉敦斯堡是惟一没有逃跑的人，而我的父亲又参加过纳奥林斯之战，我丈夫是在曼特莱战死的，所以……”林肯回答说：“夫人，你们一家三代为国服务，对国家的贡献实在够多了，我深表敬意。现在你能不能给别人一个为国效命的机会？”那妇人无话可说，只好悄悄走了。
Long considered a classic, Benjamin P. Thomas's Abraham Lincoln: A Biography takes an incisive look at one of American history's greatest figures. Originally published in 1952 to wide acclaim, this eloquent account rises above previously romanticized depictions of the sixteenth president to reveal the real Lincoln: a complex, shrewd, and dynamic individual whose exceptional life has long intrigued the public. Thomas traces the president from his hardscrabble beginnings and early political career, through his years as an Illinois lawyer and his presidency during the Civil War. Although Lincoln is appropriately placed against the backdrop of the dramatic times in which he lived, the author's true focus is on Lincoln the man and his intricate personality. While Thomas pays tribute to Lincoln's many virtues and accomplishments, he is careful not to dramatize a persona already larger than life in the American imagination. Instead he presents a candid and balanced representation that provides compelling insight into Lincoln's true character and the elements that forged him into an extraordinary leader. Thomas portrays Lincoln as a man whose conviction, resourcefulness, and inner strength enabled him to lead the nation through the most violent crossroads in its history. Thomas's direct, readable narrative is concise while losing none of the crucial details of Lincoln's remarkable life. The volume's clarity of style makes it accessible to beginners, but it is complex and nuanced enough to interest longtime Lincoln scholars. After more than half a century, Abraham Lincoln: A Biography is still an essential source for anyone interested in learning more about the many facets of the sixteenth president, and it remains the definitive single-volume work on the life of an American legend.
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