Edward Steers, Jr.

Hoax: Hitler’s Diaries, Lincoln’s Assassins, and Other Famous Frauds by Edward Steers Jr.
209 pages

★★ ½

This book is pretty self explanatory. It delves into some famous hoaxes – how they came to be, the people behind it, the discovery, the consequences.

I wish I could give this book a better rating. It had interesting stories (it goes into 6 instances of hoaxes in recent times) but somewhere along the line I just got bored. It just became the same thing, a different artifact but the same story mostly – someone forged something, people believed it, people paid lots of money, item turns out to be fake, people are sad. I pretty much perused my way through those last 20 pages, just not really caring anymore. The research was well done but I felt at times that the book came across in a textbook style, so very boring – I did that enough in college, thank you very much. There also black and white photos throughout. The pictures had promise but many were blurry and out of focus. What was the point of putting those pictures in? Seems like if you can’t find a good one, just don’t bother. Started out strong but just became too much for me. I should be thankful this book was just a little over 200 pages. That took me long enough for me to read. Not bad but ready to move on to something else, and quickly.
… (mer)

"Lincoln Legends: Myths, Hoaxes and Confabulations Associated With Our Greatest President" by Edward Steer Jr. is an excellent addition to any historian's collection of Civil War-related tomes and yet, at the same time, it is easily accessible by non-Lincoln scholars as well.

The sections deal with many different myths and hoaxes that seem to surround our 16th President. The book begins with the fraud that is the Lincoln cabin, the "alleged" birthplace of the President. Its legitimacy is called into question by its shady and questionable past and uncertain provenance.

In other chapters, the hoax surrounding fabricated love letters between Lincoln and Ann Rutledge is revealed, even with this hoax, the unsupported illusion that Ann was Lincoln's "one great love" (addressed in another chapter) still refuses to die. Of course, according to one misguided historian, Lincoln was actually gay (supported only by reading into a few statements what he wanted to see) another myth easily dispensed with.

From "lost" drafts of the Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" to the shifting of authorship of the Bixby Letter, it certainly seems that interest in Lincoln and his writings hasn't diminished any in the last 150 years.

By far though, my favorite chapter was the "Noble American or Deceptive Doctor?" one about Doctor Samuel Mudd, the man who continues to be historically vilified for his role in helping John Wilkes Booth escape. In this chapter, Steers presents the case and proves BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT, that Doctor Mudd was a traitor and deserved his punishment (the continued actions of his descendents to clear his name not withstanding) and in the opinion of this reader, should have hanged with Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt, he got off easy.

"Lincoln Legends" is a fascinating and engaging read. I recommend it to one and all.… (mer)

"Lincoln Legends: Myths, Hoaxes and Confabulations Associated With Our Greatest President" by Edward Steer Jr. is an excellent addition to any historian's collection of Civil War-related tomes and yet, at the same time, it is easily accessible by non-Lincoln scholars as well.

The sections deal with many different myths and hoaxes that seem to surround our 16th President. The book begins with the fraud that is the Lincoln cabin, the "alleged" birthplace of the President. Its legitimacy is called into question by its shady and questionable past and uncertain provenance.

In other chapters, the hoax surrounding fabricated love letters between Lincoln and Ann Rutledge is revealed, even with this hoax, the unsupported illusion that Ann was Lincoln's "one great love" (addressed in another chapter) still refuses to die. Of course, according to one misguided historian, Lincoln was actually gay (supported only by reading into a few statements what he wanted to see) another myth easily dispensed with.

From "lost" drafts of the Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" to the shifting of authorship of the Bixby Letter, it certainly seems that interest in Lincoln and his writings hasn't diminished any in the last 150 years.

By far though, my favorite chapter was the "Noble American or Deceptive Doctor?" one about Doctor Samuel Mudd, the man who continues to be historically vilified for his role in helping John Wilkes Booth escape. In this chapter, Steers presents the case and proves BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT, that Doctor Mudd was a traitor and deserved his punishment (the continued actions of his descendents to clear his name not withstanding) and in the opinion of this reader, should have hanged with Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt, he got off easy.

"Lincoln Legends" is a fascinating and engaging read. I recommend it to one and all.… (mer)