School Library Journal Review
YA This short but scholarly book details those fateful hours of April 14, 1865. Every incident of the day is included, from the moment Lincoln arose until that evening when he died. Although basically a research book, it has a readable narrative style that sweeps readers along into the events of the day. Thus it should appeal to various types of students. Numerous illustrations, both photographs and drawings, add interest and realism. An appendix recounts some of the unsolved mysteries surrounding Lincoln's assassination. These include the suitability of his bodyguard that evening and the uncertainty of the autopsy findings. Extensive footnotes help to authenticate the material, and a lengthy bibliography documents the research. Peggie Case Paulus, St. John's School, Houston (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Reck's longtime interest in Abraham Lincoln has resulted in this very interesting document tracing the events of the last day of Lincoln's life, including the minutiae of the president's various meetings, decisions, and social obligations, all leading up to his assassination later that evening at Ford's Theatre. With careful documentation, Reck painstakingly re-creates Lincoln's every movement, as well as that of his murderer, John Wilkes Booth, both accounts culminating in a series of chapters that effectively describe the heinous crime, Booth's decidedly awkward yet dramatic escape, and the deathbed watch in the Petersen house across the street. Additional material describes the words and actions of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, of Booth's co-conspirators, of eyewitnesses at the scene of the crime, and of the various physicians and laypersons who attended the stricken president. An appendix provides data concerning some as-yet-unanswered questions regarding the events of the day, and the text is studded agreeably with a selection of black-and-white photos and drawings of pertinent persons and locales. Chapter notes; lengthy bibliography; comprehensive index. MAB. 973.7'092 Lincoln, Abraham Assassination / Presidents U.S. Biography [CIP] 85-43587
Choice Review
John W. Starr published Lincoln's Last Day (1922), New Light on Lincoln's Last Day (1926), and Further Light on Lincoln's Last Day (1930); Jim Bishop's The Day Lincoln Was Shot (1955) created best-selling journalism. Reck, a retired university administrator and public relations consultant, has researched that same subject for some 30 years and presents the findings in well-written and carefully annotated fashion. His exhaustive research includes many manuscript collections. Reck's purpose is narrative; critical examination of sources and interpretation lag behind. Details fascinate Reck, who writes that Lincoln at breakfast ``may have had a bit of bacon, of which he was fond.'' The book is recommended to those who share such interests as well as to research libraries.-J.Y. Simon, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
