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Lincoln's Assassins: Their Trial and Execution | 
 enlarge | Authors: James L. Swanson, Daniel Weinberg
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $11.74
You Save: $8.21 (41%)
New (29) Used (5) from $11.74
Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 48385
Media: Paperback
Pages: 160
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 11.2 x 9 x 0.3
ISBN: 0061237620
Dewey Decimal Number: 973
EAN: 9780061237621
ASIN: 0061237620
Publication Date: June 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
This definitive illustrated history of Abraham Lincoln's assassination follows the shocking events from the tragic scene at Ford's Theatre to the trial and execution of John Wilkes Booth's coconspirators. Few remember them today, but once the names Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, George Atzerodt, Edman Spangler, Samuel Arnold, Michael O'Laughlin, and Dr. Samuel Mudd were the most reviled and notorious in America. In Lincoln's Assassins, James L. Swanson and Daniel R. Weinberg present an unprecedented visual record of almost three hundred contemporary photographs, letters, documents, prints, woodcuts, newspapers, pamphlets, books, and artifacts, many hitherto unpublished. These rare materials evoke the popular culture of the time, record the origins of the Lincoln myth, take the reader into the courtroom and the cells of the accused, document the beginning of American photojournalism, and memorialize the fates of the eight conspirators.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
"The bodies were laid on white pine boxes...and they were buried in unmarked graves beside the gallows." August 18, 2008
J. Guild (Toronto,Canada)
This has to be one of the most fascinating ,interesting ,and probably the most factual treatment of the trial and execution of the assassins of President Lincoln.
There are several reasons that this book is so outstanding.It's large size,9 1/2 X 12 inches is required to do the photographs justice.The paper, quality,printing ,color reproduction and overall construction are supurb.The two authors are outstanding in their knowledge and long time interest in the subject.It has a selected bibliography that must be as good as one will find on the subject.The organization of the book makes it a clear ,concise and easily absorbed chronology of events that was probably even more captivating in its day than the period after the Assassination of President Kennedy.
The book also shows, as a besides, the difference in the art of photography in 1865 compared to what we have come to take for granted today or in the time of Kennedy's assassination. The fact that newspapers did not even have the ability to print a photograph. Photographs were not even available until several days after taken,and forget about color photography then. Come the advances in 100 years and we watched events live and in our living rooms with the assassination of JFK.
Compare this advancement in recording and speedy dissipating of information with the regression of and the drawn out, convoluting that takes place in the legal and justice that has become the norm today. Absolutely amazing in both cases.A few weeks and negligable expense in the case of Lincoln and years and untold millions with Kennedy.There has been great advances in the information processes and just the opposite in the legal and justice process.
Getting back to how the assassination is covered in this book. The authors have been able to make the reader feel that they were living at the time the event took place and convey what it might have felt to witness those great events taking place.There have been many books on the subject,and it was complicated;but the authors have boiled it down to the essentials.The hundreds of photographs,illustrations,reproductions and illustrations are a real treasure trove that have been collected and assembled in a way that obviously must have talen taken lot of time ,knowledge and contacts.
If you want a book that details the capture,trial and execution of President Lincoln,in a clear,concise way;look no further --this is the book you are looking for.
Avid Lincoln Reader July 25, 2008
Good Mom (California)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I saw James Swanson giving a speech about his other book "Manhunt" and found him fascinating to listen to. he knew facts that I had never heard before and could describe them with such detail I felt like I was watching it happen. I read "Manhunt" and was thrilled to have the details of those twelve days come to life. When I saw this book I snatched it up as quickly as I could. It is the perfect book for both the avid reader and for those who like to look at artifacts and photographs of the era. This is by far my new favorite Civil War book (and I have many). James and Daniel did an excellent job of laying out the story then showing artifacts and pictures from the event. I've looked at this book for hours and am only through the second chapter! Not that it's hard to get through, just fun to look at and read.
 Neat little book for assasination historians July 10, 2008
Evan S. Shikora (PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This text dovetails nicely with Swanson's recent effort "Manhunt", but more from an artifact perspective than a written one. Many of the pictures are one-of-a-kind, especially Alexander Gardner's entire collection from the courtyard at the D.C. prison where the conspirators were hung. Again, this is not a complete text (nor does it aspire to be), but a great addition to any historical collection regarding the Lincoln assasination.
Excellent Pictorial Study of Lincoln's Assassins July 4, 2008
Sol A. Factor (Cleveland, Ohio)
James Swanson has done a super job at presenting Lincoln's assassins thru the the use of pictures of the individuals as well as documents of the time. An excellent source for teachers dealing with the capture, trial, and execution of those associated with Lincoln's assassination.
Excellent January 26, 2008
magellan (Santa Clara, CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is more of a picture book than a text-laden history book, but it's the appeal of the many photos, pictures, illustrations, and even cartoons that make this book a fascinating one to read. The book includes photos of all the conspirators, in life as well as death, along with other interesting details such as a letter Booth wrote as a teenager. Today few remember that John Wilkes Booth was the teenage heart-throb of his day, making it all the more shocking when he was involved in the assassination.
The details of the trial sound like something from some fantastic kangaroo court, not the U.S. For example, the defense had no time to marshall their case, interview or call witnesses, or even to meet much with their clients. The jury was composed of generals and military men, not civilians, and their decision would be final, with no right of appeal.There were indeed judges in the courtroom, but they were watching from the audience.
The public and the press constantly talked about their favorite conspirators, of which the young, handsome and dashing looking Lewis Powell was the favorite, who attempted to kill secretary of state William Seward with a Bowie knife on the night of the assassination, rather than the president, but was foiled. Even the decision of who to prosecute left many questions unanswered, as several suspects with far more incriminating evidence weren't even brought to trial, whereas others with less evidence were tried and executed. The authors suggest that this might have had more to do with who actually plotted the murder vs. who was involved with post-assassination attempts to shelter Booth.
However, it's the stunning visual presentation here rather than the now well known history that is the star here. This book will be enjoyed by any history or Americana buffs or anyone interested in a well done presentation of a unique event in our history.
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