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compelling story of the purported insanity of one of America’s most tragic first ladies provides new and previously unpublished materials; including the psychiatric diagnosis of Mary’s mental illness and her lost will.Emerson charts Mary Lincoln’s mental illness throughout her life and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 Lincoln’s understanding of his wife’s mental illness and the degree to which he helped keep her stable. It also traces Mary’s 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 mother’s 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 Mary’s 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.Univeristy Press Books for Public and Secondary Schools 2013 edition
#350572 in Books 2002-05-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.08 x .91 x 6.16l; 1.02 #File Name: 0809140241352 pages
Review
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Skimming Through It; Seems LegitBy MatthewPurchased this to add to my Classics of Western Spirituality collection. When I get around to reading it; probably years from now; I'll probably review it then.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent Service!By Bentsion BovermanThe book arrived sooner than expected. In excellent codition. I hope to do more business with you in the future.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Stories that Provide an Insight into the World of the Early RabbisBy Stefano NikolaouI have an interest in post-Biblical Jewish history. The language barrier (Hebrew and Aramaic); the massive amount of actual material (Talmud; Tosefta; Midrash) and the terse nature of the narratives make it nearly impenetrable. Thus; I jumped at the chance to read this nice collection of stories of the Rabbis; which is reasonably priced and translated into a readable English idiom.I didn't find the preface or the introduction particularly helpful. The division of the material into broadly chronological (and then thematic) sections was a nice move. As a rule the further back you go from the date of the Mishnah (2nd Century) and the Talmud (5th century) the less reliable and the more sparse the stories. For example; the Rabbis seem to know very little about the Hasmoneans or Herod.I found Part VI on 'Romans; Gentiles and Others' and Part VIII on 'Suffering; Martyrdom and Theodicy' to be the most interesting as insights into the world of the Rabbis.I came to a number of conclusions from reading this book. The Rabbinic sources are not history. If anything historical is mentioned only to illustrate some point of law. Rabbinic culture was very insular as they tended to ignore Greco-Roman culture. Finally; the Rabbis firmly believed in the supernatural - some of their stories are so outlandish that no one could have actually believed them.The notes are really helpful in understanding the extracts. Further investigation has made me realise this volume contains the best selection of stories. They are referred to in many histories of Judaism and early Christianity. I have re-read this book a number of times and each time I get more from it.
