Joshua Wolf Shenk

A reassessment of the life of Abraham Lincoln argues that America's sixteenth president suffered from depression and explains how Lincoln used the coping strategies he had developed to face the crises of the Civil War and personal tragedy.

How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness

Lincoln's Melancholy

A curator and essayist surveys the inner workings of creative duos, from John Lennon and Paul McCartney to Marie and Pierre Curie to Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, and describes how their creative techniques can be adapted and used in everyday life. 50,000 first printing.

Finding the Essence of Innovation in Creative Pairs

Powers of Two

Harold Holzer

On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth and in conjunction with the Library of Congress 2009 Bicentennial Exhibition, In Lincoln’s Hand offers an unprecedented look at perhaps our greatest president through vivid images of his handwritten letters, speeches, and even childhood notebooks—many never before made available to the public. Edited by leading Lincoln scholars Joshua Wolf Shenk and Harold Holzer, this companion volume to the Library of Congress exhibition offers a fresh and intimate perspective on a man whose thoughts and words continue to affect history. To underscore the resonance of Lincoln’s writings on contemporary culture, each manuscript is accompanied by a reflection on Lincoln by a prominent American from the arts, politics, literature, or entertainment, including Toni Morrison, Sam Waterston, Robert Pinsky, Gore Vidal, and presidents Carter, George H.W., and George W. Bush. While Lincoln’s words are quite well known, the original manuscripts boast a unique power and beauty and provide rare insight into the creative process. In this collection we can see the ebb and flow of Lincoln’s thoughts, emotions, hopes, and doubts. We can see where he paused to dip his pen in the ink or to capture an idea. We can see where he added a word or phrase, and where he crossed out others, searching for the most precise, and concise, expression. In these marks on the page, Lincoln’s character is available to us with a profound immediacy. From such icons as the Gettysburg Address and the inaugural speeches to seldom-seen but superb rarities, here is the world as Lincoln saw and shaped it in words and images that resound to this very day.

His Original Manuscripts with Commentary by Distinguished Americans

In Lincoln's Hand

Mi a közös Warren Buffettban, Sigmund Freudban és J. R. R. Tolkienben? Hogyan kovácsolnak tőkét a konfliktusokból a legsikeresebbek? Kit akart túlszárnyalni Picasso az Avignoni kisasszonyokkal? Miért alszik ki a tűz egyes párosok között, és miért marad meg másoknál? Joshua Wolf Shenk író-esszéista lebilincselő könyvében lerombolja a magányos zseni mítoszát, és rámutat, hogy az emberi kreativitás legnagyobb eredményei együttműködés gyümölcsei. Legyen szó a „South Parkról”, az amerikai polgárjogi mozgalomról vagy éppen Van Gogh Csillagos éjéről, mindig egy páros áll a háttérben. A szerző ‒ többek között John Lennon és Paul McCartney, Marie és Pierre Curie, Steve Jobs és Steve Wozniak példáján keresztül ‒ feltárja a bensőséges viszony hat fontos szakaszát, a találkozástól a kapcsolat felbomlásáig. Tudományos kutatásokra, személyes beszámolókra és történelmi bizonyítékokra támaszkodva nemcsak a kreativitásról és az emberi kapcsolatokról alkotott véleményünket változtatja meg, de közös alkotásra is ösztönöz.

Joshua Wolf Shenk

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