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Lincoln's Journalist: John Hay's Anonymous Writings for the Press, 1860 - 1864
Contributor(s): Burlingame, Michael (Editor)
ISBN: 0809327120     ISBN-13: 9780809327126
Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press
OUR PRICE:   $29.70  
Product Type: Paperback
Published: August 2006
Qty:
Temporarily out of stock - Will ship within 2 to 5 weeks
Annotation: Presenting an inside look at Lincoln's administration through the anonymous writings of his friend, aide, and confidant


In the Civil War White House, John Hay became the ultimate insider, the man who had the president's ear. "Only an extremely small number of persons ever saw Abraham Lincoln both day and night in public as well as private settings from 1860 to 1864, " notes Wayne C. Temple, chief deputy director, Illinois State Archives. "And only one of them had the literary flair of John Milton Hay."


The most privileged of reporters, Hay sent out dispatches and editorials that shed direct as well as indirect light on Lincoln. With ample access to the president, Hay was in a position to report his words and deeds as well as to offer opinions that may have reflected Lincoln's own views. Indeed, Burlingame suggests that Lincoln influenced Hay to write and place the articles in northern newspapers.


Burlingame takes great pains to establish authorship of the items reproduced here. He convincingly demonstrates that the essays and letters written for the "Providence Journal", the "Springfield Illinois State Journal", and the "St. Louis Missouri Democrat" under the pseudonym "Ecarte" are the work of Hay. Additionally he finds much circumstantial and stylistic evidence that Hay wrote as "our special correspondent" for the "Washington World" and for the "St. LouisMissouri Republican". Easily identifiable, Hay's style was "marked by long sentences, baroque syntactical architecture, immense vocabulary, verbal pyrotechnics, cocksure tone (combining acid contempt and extravagant praise), offbeat adverbs, and scornful adjectives."

Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- History | United States - Civil War Period (1850-1877)
- Biography & Autobiography | Presidents & Heads Of State
Dewey: 973.709
Physical Information: 0.99" H x 6.1" W x 8.98" (1.30 lbs) 424 pages
Themes:
- Chronological Period - 1851-1899
- Topical - Civil War
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:

Michael Burlingame presents anonymous and pseudonymous newspaper articles written by Lincoln's assistant personal secretary, John Hay, between 1860 and 1864. In the White House, Hay became the ultimate insider, the man who had the president's ear. Only an extremely small number of persons ever saw Abraham Lincoln both day and night in public as well as private settings from 1860 to 1864, notes Wayne C. Temple, chief deputy director, Illinois State Archives. And only one of them had the literary flair of John Milton Hay.

Burlingame takes great pains to establish authorship of the items reproduced here. He convincingly demonstrates that the essays and letters written for the Providence Journal, the Springfield Illinois State Journal, and the St. Louis Missouri Democrat under the pseudonym Ecarte are the work of Hay. And he finds much circumstantial and stylistic evidence that Hay wrote as our special correspondent for the Washington World and for the St. Louis Missouri Republican. Easily identifiable, Hay's style was marked by long sentences, baroque syntactical architecture, immense vocabulary, verbal pyrotechnics, cocksure tone (combining acid contempt and extravagant praise), offbeat adverbs, and scornful adjectives.


Contributor Bio(s): Burlingame, Michael: - Michael Burlingame is the author of Abraham Lincoln: A Life, The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln, and Lincoln and the Civil War and the editor of many collections of Lincoln primary source materials. He is the Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois Springfield.