Mary Lincoln: Biography of a Marriage

Many people in history have claimed that Abraham Lincoln never loved Mary Todd Lincoln, and that in fact his love was focused upon Anne Rutledge.They declared that his wife hurt him politically though she drove him to the Presidency, that she embarrassed him financially as well as socially, and inflicted on him the agony of adjustment to her psychopathic personality.Yet, is there any truth to any of these pronouncements?Ruth Painter Randall’s brilliant biography of Mary and Abraham Lincoln sheds new light upon their marriage and dispels the myths that have surrounded it.By analyzing and cross-referencing a massive quantity of material, including long-lost telegrams and letters, Randall has reconstructed what the marriage was truly like and provided a picture of Mary Lincoln without any prejudice or unsupported evidence.This audiobook rehabilitates the reputation of Mary Lincoln and deserves to be listen to by all those who wish to find the truth about the remarkable relationship between Mary and her husband and the impact that she made on him throughout his years in office.Ruth Painter Randall was an American biographer and scholar who focused upon the lives of the Lincoln family. She published this first definitive biography of Mary Lincoln in 1953.
Critical Reviews:“This is an important and definitive volume. As its title implies, not only is it a full-length portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln but, in reality, a double biography of Abraham and his hitherto misunderstood and much maligned wife.” (Harry J. Carman, The American Historical Review)"A passionate defense of Mary Lincoln and a revelation — conclusively documented — of a marriage rooted in unremitting devotion and mutual love." (Kirkus Reviews)