Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln

Today I finished recording the best book I have ever narrated: Abraham Lincoln, A Life by Michael Burlingame. I've been working on it since before Christmas, so it was a complete coincidence that I finished on Lincoln's birthday.

There's a lot more to do before I send it to the publisher; there are 36 chapters and I'm only edited through chapter 22. But this book has been amazing. In many ways I feel that this book is the reason I've been learning the craft of narration for the last ten years.

You may recall that I posted a message about it when I got the contract, and later posted an excerpt. Sorry to beat the drum, but many of you have kindly expressed an interest.

The book was originally published in 1988 as a two-volume set, and it rapidly became acknowledged as the definitive Lincoln biography. Last year the author and a colleague decided to edit it down to a single volume, as well as add some additional material brought to light by new research. The resulting abridged version was published last October, which is how I had the chance to audition for it. Thanks to my friends at Redwood Audiobooks, I got the contract. At 300,000 words, it's the longest book I've ever done, and I've enjoyed every minute. I'm going to miss spending an hour every morning with Mr. Lincoln, as I have been doing since the third week of December. It will probably take the rest of February to finish editing, and I plan to give the whole book a careful review before sending it to Redwood.

When it comes up on Audible and iTunes, I will of course have promo codes available for free copies, and Ricochet friends are first in line. This is such a well-polished and accessible book, having been edited twice by two scholars of great skill and repute, that I hope it will reach a lot of people. I would be particularly thrilled to give copies to young people, hoping they will see inspiration in a man who went from dirt poverty to the heights of history, and to appreciate a country that can produce such people.