Abraham Lincoln's Reading List
The 5 books that shaped Abraham Lincoln — 16th president of the united states.
Self-educated prairie lawyer who became America's greatest president, shaped by Shakespeare, the Bible, and Euclid.
Influential Books
The Complete Works of Shakespeare
William Shakespeare(1623)
Lincoln knew Shakespeare by heart. He debated interpretations of Macbeth and Hamlet with actors who visited the White House.
Elements
Euclid
Lincoln studied Euclid to sharpen his logical reasoning. He said he never understood "demonstrate" until he read it.
The Pilgrim's Progress
John Bunyan(1678)
One of the few books available on the frontier. Lincoln read it as a boy and absorbed its moral allegory.
Robinson Crusoe
Daniel Defoe(1719)
Lincoln read Defoe as a child in his log cabin — a story of self-reliance that mirrored frontier life.
Commentaries on the Laws of England
William Blackstone(1765)
Lincoln taught himself law from Blackstone. These volumes transformed a rail-splitter into a lawyer.