Abraham Lincoln in Our Own County

In this vivid portrait of a young Abraham Lincoln, the author lifts the everyday streets and courtrooms of a fledgling Midwestern county into a window on the future president’s formative years. Through bustling circuit‑court gatherings and modest classroom moments, listeners hear how Lincoln, despite limited formal schooling, carried textbooks in his satchel and practiced geometry, Euclid, and even German with a clever, self‑made card that let him reveal one line at a time. The narrative captures his relentless curiosity and the simple, honest demeanor that earned him the nickname “Honest Abe” among the locals who first welcomed him.

Interwoven with anecdotes that bring the era to life, the book recounts Lincoln’s reluctant portrait session in a cramped daguerreotype studio—where he swapped coats with the photographer and posed in a fashionably short garment—while sharing the camaraderie of fellow circuit lawyers and townspeople. These glimpses of his humor, humility, and the community that shaped him render a compelling, human portrait of a man poised on the brink of greatness.