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• For all practical purposes, Lincoln had no formal education. But he studied law, which meant not only reading Blackstone (according to Jeremy Bentham, a writer “cold, reserved and wary, exhibiting a frigid pride”) but brooding over words in themselves and in combination. In those days, most good lawyers, like good generals, wrote good prose; if the...
• As a reporter to the people, Lincoln surpassed all presidents. Even in his youthful letters and speeches, he is already himself. The prose is austere and sharp; there are few adjectives and adverbs; and then, suddenly, sparks of humor. Also, as a lawyer on circuit, he was something of a “stand-up comedian,” able to keep an audience laughing for hou...