Mary Lincoln demystified : frequently asked questions about Abraham's wife / Donna D. McCreary.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McCreary, Donna D., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882--Miscellanea.

Lincoln, Mary Todd.

Presidents' spouses--United States--Biography--Miscellanea.

Presidents' spouses.

Physical Description:

xii, 329 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Carbondale : Southern Illinois University Press, [2022]

Summary:

"Answering the most enigmatic questions about Mary Lincoln's life After portraying Mary 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. This first question-and-answer book arises directly from a public's enduring curiosity with one the country's most important historical figures. Decades of conversations with audiences, scholars, and relatives of the Todd family frame McCreary's intimate and devoted research to offer a new and unique portrait of the most tragic First Lady. Though Mary has been portrayed in books and film, McCreary's book contains information not found elsewhere-details others have overlooked and those that would not fit well into a narrative history-such as lists of Mary's beaus, servants, and the Todd family slaves; appendixes that present mini-biographies of families and friends; and a uniquely thorough timeline. Mary Lincoln Demystified covers areas in which McCreary's audiences have expressed the most interest: Mary's sanity, her family relationships, her views on slavery and African Americans, her personality and habits, and what happened to her possessions and children after she died. 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. More than a good read, McCreary's Q&A factbook, based as it is on decades of extensive research in primary and secondary sources, will be the definitive resource for answers about Mary for years to come"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. Mary Grows Up in the Bluegrass: The Lexington Years, 1818 to 1835

2. Wife, Mother, and Friend: The Springfield Years, 1835 to February 1861

3. Assailed from 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.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 303-314) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: McCreary, Donna D, 1958- Mary Lincoln demystified

ISBN:

9780809338696

0809338696

OCLC:

1289363970