Galley copies
I now have a few “galley copies” of the Stanton book. It is a bound paperback version of the book, not quite final, created by the publisher to excite people about what the REAL book will look like in a few weeks. But from an author’s perspective it is pretty exciting in and of itself; it…
Read MoreStanton Update
I have on my desk here a large stack of paper, the first set of printed page proofs for Stanton. I am reading and marking them, in some cases finding small typos, in other cases making small improvements. I am nearly done, which is good, because I owe these pages back to the publisher on…
Read MoreStanton events
My biography of Edwin Stanton is coming, on August 8, 2017. With the new year I am turning away from writing and revising the book (although there is still some of that work ahead) and towards promoting the book. I have one book event set, for Jackson, Mississippi, on August 17, 2017. I expect to…
Read MoreThanksgiving
In early October 1863, Seward drafted and Lincoln issued a proclamation, calling upon Americans to thank God for their blessings. How much of the final proclamation is Seward and how much Lincoln we do not know, but even Gideon Welles, who did not much like Seward, praised Seward’s draft in this case. I received a…
Read MoreElection Results
After a long, bitter, divisive election, a Republican president candidate has prevailed. The candidate’s partisans rejoice, but his opponents are outraged that such a narrow, prejudiced man will become president. Some are so outraged that they are thinking about leaving the United States. A Republican senior statesman is asked for his comments. The year is…
Read MoreAugust 2017
I have learned from Simon & Schuster in the past few days that Stanton will be published in August 2017. We do not have a precise date within that month but we will fix one soon. This means that I have to give the book, in final form, to S&S by some time in early…
Read MoreSeattle Prep Remarks
Simon & Schuster has asked me for a list of my speeches about Seward, which turns out to be a long list. While looking for them on my old computer, I came across these remarks at Seattle Prep in early 2014. I post them in case they might help others understand why and how I…
Read MoreJeremiah Black To the Public
I have just returned from Washington, from the Library of Congress, where I found many interesting and useful sources. What is sad is that, in most cases, I will be able to quote only a few words from these sources, not whole paragraphs. In an effort to right that wrong, I attach here my rough…
Read More176,372 words
I am making progress on Stanton. I now have 176,372 words written in 18 chapters. The book is supposed to be 200,000 words long, so that would suggest that I only have another 24,000 words to write. The reality is that I have more to do than that. This morning, for example, I am rewriting…
Read MoreProgress
I am making progress on my biography of Edwin McMasters Stanton. I am finishing today chapter 9, which takes Stanton to the end of 1862, his first year as Secretary of War. I have thus finished the first nine chapters, from 1814 through 1862. I have 1863 ahead of me, two chapters. The end of…
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