The Essential Abraham Lincoln by Pete Whitfield

 This short audio-book gives a cursory look at Abraham Lincoln's life and legacy. It starts with a brief biography and then contains several of Lincoln's most famous speeches and a selection of his correspondence. It appears not to exist in print format and was created for the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth in 2012. 

The tone of the production is superficial and laudatory.  This is not a hard-hitting expose, but instead reminded me of what one might find in a US History class textbook. The editor clearly selected letters and speeches that shine a flattering light on Lincoln. For example, he includes a letter the Lincoln wrote a friend soon after Mary Todd refused his first proposal.  It shows how upset and depressed he was about her refusal.  I have read elsewhere about a different letter Lincoln wrote during the same time that contain unflattering statements about Mary but this author didn't include that one. Still, I don't regret reading the book. It is a nice reminder of Lincoln's major life events and political views even though does little to give the reader a new perspective on the great man.(2012, about 4 hrs long)