History Links of the Day

I'm afraid that I'm really busy today with grading and writing, so unless inspiration unexpectedly strikes, I won't have anything original to contribute to this blog. Here are some nice history links, though:

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• What does the biographer William Manchester have in common with Robert Ludlum and V.C. Andrews? He's expected to continue publishing from beyond the grave, it seems!
  
• How big a role did Abraham Lincoln play in the passage of the 13th Amendment? How did he shape the president's role as commander-in-chief? James McPherson discusses questions like these in his Nation review of several new books on Lincoln.
  
• Thought for the day: instead of being an all-American hero, Benjamin Franklin was "the least American and the most European of the nation's early leaders." That's the argument of a new book by Gordon Wood that's reviewed in Newsday.
  
• After giving us his own take on the passion, Mel Gibson has decided to produce a movie about a little-known historical personage: the ancient British queen Boudicca, who led a rebellion against the Romans in A.D. 60. (Not surprisingly, the movie will prominently feature blood, revenge, and lots of floggings.) (via HNN)
  

The Boudicca article includes a lot of fun details: I didn't know that Elizabeth I played a key role in the creation of the Boudicca legend, for example. Oddly enough, it seems that there are scripts floating around for four movies about everyone's favorite leader of the Iceni... I hope at least one of them is better than Troy!

Posted by Ed at June 3, 2004 01:05 PM