“Aches with sadness and pulses with page-turning excitement. This is a perfect storm of a book - so well done at every level of scholarship and style that one cannot imagine another version of the story at once as tense and heartbreaking.”
Harold Holzer, Co-chair, U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and winner of a Lincoln Prize
"No reader will come away unmoved, even at this distance, by anguish about [Lincoln's assassination]. . . . a real page-turner about real history."
Publishers Weekly
"Pitch has given us if not the definitive story of the assassination and the events before and after, then the one that readers should turn to first."
Chicago Sun-Times
"A treat for the Lincoln fanatic."
USA Today
"Pitch's energetic narrative will be highly popular."
Booklist
"To the well-worn record, Anthony Pitch contributes several riveting new discoveries he gleaned from scouring private letters and newspaper reports... Pitch is a patient storyteller, and the well-developed characters, brought to life through diaries, letters and other primary sources, heighten the drama and poignancy. A study of burning focus and intimate depth."
Kirkus Reviews
“Pitch has come up with the best title of the year. This is an intense, vivid and moving portrayal of a family (and a country) brutally deprived of its leader."
Chicago Tribune
“So well written and researched that it will add greatly to our knowledge of Lincolniana.”
Dr. Wayne Temple, Deputy Director of the Illinois State Archives and author of many books on Lincoln
“There are, Lord knows, one jillion books on Lincoln, but this is a happy and welcome addition and deserves a celebration all its own.”
Christopher Buckley
“Emotionally wrenching .... expertly researched."
Christian Science Monitor
“A worthy contribution to the vast literature on Lincoln."
Washington Post
“What, another book on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln? What more can be said about the regicide of our greatest President? Actually, Anthony Pitch's beautifully written narrative stands on its own as a splendid contribution to the subject. It is told by an author who has an intimate knowledge of all the sites related to the assassination and the trials that followed.”
Frank J. Williams, Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court and founding Chair of The Lincoln Forum
“A compelling narrative indeed, the most engrossing on this subject that I have ever read."
William Seale, author of The President's House: A History
"Truly masterful. As good as historical recreation gets!"
Gilbert Grosvenor, chairman, National Geographic Society
"Vivid and exciting. Must reading"
Austin Kiplinger, chairman, Kiplinger Washington Editors
"Spirited, informative. A lucid popular history"
Washington Post
"Like the epic Gone With the Wind, ... no less dramatic, and equally significant"
Maryland Historical Magazine
"As readable as a novel. An exciting story well told"
History Book Club
"Takes its place alongside the best volumes on the War of 1812"
Register of the Kentucky Historical Society
"Will clearly replace Walter Lord's
Dawn's Early Light as the standard popular history of the entire campaign"
Journal of Military History
"Gracefully written, incredibly detailed. Arguably the best account of those few awful days for Washington"
Journal of American History
"Exquisite historical recreation. Anthony Pitch may very well be the Michael Shaara of the antebellum era"
Military Heritage
"Impressive narrative......well told"
Amazon.com
Fills a conspicuous void and does it surpassingly well"
American History
"Since he's been in the White House President Clinton has always been intrigued by the burning. That's
why he got hold of this book"
Associated Press quoting a White House spokesman
"Masterful. It reminded me of a Masterpiece Theater series"
Dr. Donald Ritchie, Senate Historical Office
"An archivally-based, definitive account"
Publishers Weekly
"Exhaustively researched and of substantial literary merit"
Choice - Current Reviews for Academic Libraries
"Difficult to put down"
Rex Scouten, former Curator, The White House
"A good balance of scholarship and historical accuracy yet reads like a novel"
General Superintendent, Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
"Colorful, well-researched....an exciting ride"
Journal of the War of 1812
"Outstanding research and writing"
Prince George's County Historical Society, Md.
"Extraordinary"
Scott Sheads, author/historian, Fort McHenry
"It's all riveting stuff"
The Daily Yomiuri, Tokyo
"Recommended for public and academic libraries"
Library Journal
"Ideal for first-time visitors"
Washington Post
""Comprehensive"
New York Times
"Lively, amusing, and informative anecdotes"
Donald Ritchie, U.S. Senate Historical Office
"A collection of terrific anecdotes of Congress"
WWRC
"Showcases the outrageous, picaresque and downright goofy aspects of Congress"
The Washington Monthly
"Have members of Congress always been odd? Some clues are in the anecdotal Congressional Chronicles"
Washington Post
"Chockfull of beguiling vignettes"
The Georgetowner
"Fascinating tidbits of presidential trivia"
Associated Press
"For trivia lovers"
New York Times
Brand new! Just published!
"So you think you know all there is to know about Washington? A new book might convince you otherwise"
New York Times