David Donald

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Tireman 44444, May 24, 2009.

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  1. Tireman 44444

    Tireman 44444 Well-Known Member

    Another titan in history has left us. Amazing American Civil War historian, David Donald has died in Boston. His works and teaching inspired many.

    He is best known for his biography of Abraham Lincoln, which has been praised by Eric Foner as the best biography of Lincoln[1], as well as his Pulitzer-Prize winning biographies of politician Charles Sumner and writer Thomas Wolfe, along with his revision of the Randall textbook, Civil War and Reconstruction (1961, 2001).

    Donald's first book Lincoln's Herndon (1948) was a biography of William Herndon, the junior partner in Abraham Lincoln's law firm in Springfield, Illinois. Herndon was Lincoln's trusted aide until Lincoln became president and, in 1889 published a highly controversial biography of Lincoln based on numerous interviews.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Herbert_Donald
     
  2. Karl Ben

    Karl Ben New Member

    Thanks for this nugget!
     
  3. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Sorry to hear the sad news. Indeed, David Herbert Donald's revision of James Garfield Randall's book _The Civil War and Reconstruction_ (1961) stood for a generation as the standard textbook for Civil War classes for a generation until it was supplanted by James M. McPherson's _Battle Cry of Freedom_ (1988).
     

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