Stealing Lincoln's Body - Softcover

Propelled by its true-crime format, Craughwell's history of Lincoln's several reburials and their strange-but-true details is irresistible.--Gilbert Taylor"Booklist" (02/15/2007)

A fascinating [tale] that is well told.--James Srodes"Washington Times" (05/27/2007)

This is a terrific read.--Owen Richardson"The Age" (10/25/2008)

There is no end of fascinating context and detail in this engrossing, often zany, yet poignant tale.--Michael Kammen"Chicago Tribune" (01/05/2008)

Thomas Craughwell offers the first full-length account of the aborted attempt to steal the body of the nation's icon. Ian Fleming could not have done better than this fast-paced, well-written thriller. The story demonstrates yet again how good intelligence and police work can be so effective in preventing a national catastrophe.--Frank J. Williams, Chief Justice, Rhode Island Supreme Court, and chairman of The Lincoln Forum

With charm and authority, Thomas Craughwell offers an illuminating portrait of nineteenth-century America as he writes of the origins of the Secret Service, counterfeiting in America, the rambunctious growth of Chicago, and the assassination of the beloved president. At the heart of this book is the attempt to steal Old Abe's bones, a surprising story of ludicrous crooks, determined government agents, and loyal guardians devoted to the memory of their native son.--R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr., founder and editor-in-chief, American Spectator

Craughwell brings together counterfeiters, lawyers, corpse-stealers, Lincoln's Guard of Honor, and Abraham Lincoln himself in this intriguing novel that brings to light a little-known historical incident.--Kathy Ward"Juneauempire.com" (09/14/2007)

Thomas Craughwell has written a definitive and fascinating book about the hapless gang of counterfeiters who attempted to snatch Lincoln's body and hold it for ransom. This is history writing at its best.--Wayne C. Temple, author of Abraham Lincoln: From Skeptic to Prophet

While the field of Lincoln studies appears to have been exhaustively mined, Thomas Craughwell has found a gold nugget in the bizarre story of Stealing Lincoln's Body. In a well-researched and beautifully written book, he takes readers through the intriguing Irish underworld of counterfeiting that led to the plot to hold Lincoln's body for ransom.--Edward Steers, Jr., author of Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

Stealing Lincoln's Body tracks an unlikely series of events, reminiscent of a silent, black-and-white, cops-and-robbers movie, with passion and erudition.--John McBratney"Irish Times" (04/28/2007)

On the night of the presidential election in 1876, a gang of counterfeiters out of Chicago attempted to steal the entombed embalmed body of Abraham Lincoln and hold it for ransom. The custodian of the tomb was so shaken by the incident that he willingly dedicated the rest of his life to protecting the president's corpse.