Galesburg, IL – The co-director of the Lincoln Studies Center at Knox College says the idea for his highly acclaimed new book came about after he was contacted by the Library of Congress.
Douglas Wilson was asked to help transcribe and annotate the Library's Lincoln papers for the web. During this time, Wilson was struck by Lincoln's compositional process. He says Lincoln was a careful and deliberate writer.
Wilson's latest book is "Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and The Power of Words." It received the Lincoln Prize, which is the highest award for Lincoln scholarship.
Wilson is just the second person to receive this honor twice. He also earned it for 1999's "Honor's Voice."
News Director Rich Egger spoke with Wilson about "Lincoln's Sword." You can listen to that inteview by clicking on the audio button.
Additional information:
*Wilson says the Lincoln Studies Center is finishing an edition about the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858. He says it should be available next year.
*Wilson says researchers are now reviewing the letters, interviews, and lectures by Lincoln's law partner, William Herndon. Wilson says Herndon knew a lot about Lincoln and he believes the material will prove to be an important collection.
*Wilson received an honorary degree from Knox College during this year's commencement ceremonies.