380 lrndiana Magazine of History

History of St. Joseph County From Its Orgmization, by JOHN B. STOLL,Dayton, O., 1923, pp. 565. This volume follows the conventional lines of the county history. Geology, Topography, Early Settlement, Organiza- tion, County and City Government, Transportation, Banks and Banking, Physicians and Public Health, Education, Churches, Military, Press, Manufacturing and Commerce are taken up in order. There follow 390 pages of personal biographies. Those acquainted with this line of historical work know about what to expect in a county history. Its editorship by John B. Stoll is a guaranty of its workmanship. The editor is per- haps the best known newspaper man in Indiana at present. A number of full page illustrations are included. The man- ager of the publishing company, Selwyn Brant, began the work in Indiana over 30 years ago and some of our best coun- ty histories, written in the late eighties, bear his signature.

The Real Lincoln, a Portrait by JESSEW. WEIH. Eoughton- Mifflin Co., Boston and New York, 1922, pp. 314. In The Real Lincoln the author has laboriously and con- scienciously endeavored to present the human side of Lincoln, to show the incidents of his domestic and home life, and es- pecially to present his activities as a lawyer, being of the opinion that the public should know more of his Springfield environment ; thoroughly convinced that such a work would give a clearer and more definite portrait of one of the great- est characters of history. Mr. Weik is well fitted for such a work. He assisted Herndon in the writing of his book upon Lincoln, and as a result grew so enthusiastic over the subject that it became the all absorbing interest of his life. He has drawn largely upon old records wherever available, con- sulted acquaintances of Lincoln, and visiting the various places where the Lincolns lived; in fact he has exhausted all of the known sources of information in his search for the truth. As a result he has produced a book that is authentic and un- colored by any prejudices of the writer. The book covers the period from Lincoln’s boyhood until his departure for Washington to become president. It is well written, and con- Reviews and Notes 381 tains twenty-three illustrations. Due to reproducing a num- ber of letters and various parts of records and accounts rela- tive to law practice and court proceedings the work seems somewhat disconnected. The author no doubt realized this, but sacrificed smoothness for evidence. In giving opinions of others Mr. Weik has so indicated them as such whenever they could not be substantiated. Besides giving many new facts the author has succeeded in correcting wrong ideas and impressions now held by many persons. On the whole the book will make a valuable addition to the literature al- ready produced upon this notable figure. ALMONR. Bms

The Messages and Proclurntwns of the Governors of the State of M.iSsouri. Edited by BUEL LEOPARD,A. M., and FLOYDSHOEMAKER, A. M., Secretary of the State His- torical Society of . Three Volumes, Columbia, Missouri, 1922, pp. 526, 528, 541. The first volume contains the messages of Governors Alex- ander McNair, Frederick Bates, Abraham J. Williams, John Miller, Daniel Dunklin, Lilburn W. Boggs and Thomas Reyn- olds, covering the period from September 20, 1820, to Sep- tember 23, 1843. In the selections the editors have confined themselves strictly to public documents. These are Regular Messages, Veto Messages, Special Messages, Proclamations, and memoranda of Proclamations and writs of election. Near- ly all the messages have been taken from the Journal of the Senate. The second volume contains the messages of Meredith M, Marmaduke, John E. Edwards, Austin A. King and Sterlin Price and covers the period from November 18, 1844, to No- vember 15, 1856. Volume I11 includes messages of Gover- nors Trustin Polk, Hancock Lee Jackson, Robert M. Stewart, and Hamilton R. Gamble, covering the period from January 5, 1857, to October 15, 1863. The three volumes furnish an interesting and valuable source of history not only for Missourians but for the whole nation. Many significant questions of national history from the Mis-