"Here I have Lived: A History of Lincoln's Springfield 1821-1865" by Paul M. Angle

While we were in Springfield Illinois, we visited the legendary collectible bookstore Prairie Archives.  I mentioned before that it is a great place to find a special volume.

Well, as I talked to them and told them what I collected, they showed me a wonderful signed first edition of Paul M. Angle's "Here I Have Lived:  A History of Lincoln's Springfield 1821-1865".

I have read Angle before.....  He has covered a lot of Illinois ground!  AND, the last time I read him he was discussing crime in the southern part of the state.

Anyway, "Here I have Lived" came out in 1935.  The copy I now own was probably in someone's hands that year.  Also, the Abraham Lincoln Association published the book.  I am guessing (though, there is a good chance I might be wrong) that, since this book, VERY connected to Springfield was bought in Springfield, it may have, until I brought it to Kentucky, spent it's entire life in or near Springfield.

That adds to the magic of a book like this.  It came out (the book, and my copy) about 70 years after the death of Lincoln.  It was in an area where a lot of people knew him.  As I read this copy, I thought to myself that, someone before me may have held or even read this very copy.  Those hands possibly could have waved to Lincoln as a small child, or they may have even shaken his hand!

At the very least, the fascinating author, Paul Angle, at one point held my copy.

The book itself is a great study of the town of Springfield, discussing its origins, people who helped get it up and running and on the map.  Housing, economics, etc are discussed in a fun to follow way.  In fact, the town of Springfield is the main character- evolving as it grows.  The book does cover Lincoln and his quick political ascent, but the town is the focus.

Obviously transportation, and the transporting of goods is important early on.

Oh, and I love how Angle really shows that locals had mixed feelings about Abe, as could be seen in the numbers of city and county residents who voted for AND against him.  The book is closer to the source of the events....  and it gives a really interesting description of the opposition Abe faced, even in the north during the Civil War.

Yeah, this is a fun book to read on its own, but I feel very privileged that I found a beautiful old copy at a good price from Prairie Archives.