The Madness of Mary Lincoln
Emerson, Jason
Hardcover
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BOOK SUMMARY
In 2005, historian Jason Emerson discovered a steamer trunk formerly owned by Robert Todd Lincoln's lawyer.
Submit a book reviewBOOK SYNOPSIS
In 2005, historian Jason Emerson discovered a steamer trunk formerly owned by Robert Todd Lincoln's lawyer and stowed in an attic for forty years. The trunk contained a rare find: twenty-five letters pertaining to Mary Todd Lincoln's life and insanity case, letters assumed long destroyed by the Lincoln family. Mary wrote twenty of the letters herself, more than half from the insane asylum to which her son Robert had her committed, and many in the months and years after.
The Madness of Mary Lincoln is the first examination of Mary Lincoln's mental illness based on the lost letters, and the first new interpretation of the insanity case in twenty years. This compelling story of the purported insanity of one of Americas most tragic first ladies provides new and previously unpublished materials, including the psychiatric diagnosis of Marys mental illness and her lost will.
Emerson charts Mary Lincolns mental illness throughout her life and describes how a predisposition to psychiatric illness and a life of mental and emotional trauma led to her commitment to the asylum. The first to state unequivocally that Mary Lincoln suffered from bipolar disorder, Emerson offers a psychiatric perspective on the insanity case based on consultations with psychiatrist experts.
This book reveals Abraham Lincolns understanding of his wife's mental illness and the degree to which he helped keep her stable. It also traces Marys life after her husband's assassination, including her severe depression and physical ailments, the harsh public criticism she endured, the Old Clothes Scandal, and the death of her son Tad.
The Madness of Mary Lincoln is the story not only of Mary, but also of Robert. It details how he dealt with his mothers increasing irrationality and why it embarrassed his Victorian sensibilities; it explains the reasons he had his mother committed, his response to her suicide attempt, and her plot to murder him. It also shows why and how he ultimately agreed to her release from the asylum eight months early, and what their relationship was like until Marys death.
This historical page-turner provides readers for the first time with the lost letters that historians had been in search of for eighty years.
AUTHOR BIO
Jason Emerson is an independent historian who lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He has worked as a U.S. National Park Service historical interpreter at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Gettysburg National Military Park, and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, and also as a professional journalist and freelance writer. His articles have appeared in American Heritage, American History, and Civil War Times magazines, Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, Lincoln Herald, Lincoln Forum Bulletin and online at the History News Network. He currently is preparing a biography of Robert T. Lincoln, to be published by Southern Illinois University Press in 2009.
BOOK REVIEWS
"Jason Emerson's The Madness of Mary Lincoln will become a classic of American history. It has everything—a compelling story; a fascinating cast of characters; the thrilling discovery of long-lost documents; shrewd analysis of the people, the period, and the sources; and it's a pleasure to read. Here is a model of the historian's art."—American Spectator
"Jason Emerson has written the definitive work on Mary Todd Lincoln’s mental health in general and her insanity problems in particular. Written with verve and complete understanding of the subject, The Madness of Mary Lincoln is a masterpiece."
—Wayne C. Temple, author of Abraham Lincoln: From Skeptic to Prophet
"The Madness of Mary Lincoln is precise, documented, and detailed. . . . Every word counts and every word adds up to a riveting and until-now neglected chronicle begging to be told."
—Carl Sferrazza Anthony, author of First Ladies
"A judicious, convincing analysis. . . . Emerson's new evidence demonstrates that Mary Todd Lincoln deserves to be pitied more than censured, but also that she behaved very badly indeed."
—Michael Burlingame, author of The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln
"Jason Emerson's heroic efforts to uncover new material on Robert Lincoln have paid off handsomely with this engaging interpretation of Mary Lincoln’s later years."
—Catherine Clinton, author of Fanny Kemble’s Civil Wars
Jason Emerson is a very, very good writer and a superior historical detective. He has combed original sources and, even more intriguingly, chased down descendants of the original characters in the Mary Lincoln insanity story. This is a most original book, taking new evidence to new heights of sophisticated analysis.
--Harold Holzer, author of The Lincoln Family Album
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MORE BOOK INFO
ISBN: 0809327716
ISBN(13-digit): 9780809327713
Dewey Decimal: 973.7092
Library of Congress: 2007003343
Book Publisher: Southern Illinois Univ Pr
Language: ENG
Paper Weight (lb): 0.15 lb
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