The Rail Splitter: A Novel

by John Cribb

Overview

From John Cribb, author of the acclaimed novel Old Abe, comes a new work of historical fiction that brings Abraham Lincoln to life as never before.
 
The Rail Splitter tells the story of Abraham Lincoln’s remarkable journey from a log cabin to the threshold of the White House—a journey that makes him one of America’s most beloved heroes. We walk beside him on every page of this spellbinding novel and come to know his hopes and struggles on his winding path to greatness.
 
The story begins with Lincoln’s youth on the frontier, where he grows up with an ax in one hand and book in the other, determined to make something of himself. He sets off on one adventure after another, from rafting down the Mississippi River to marching in an Indian war. When he is twenty-six, the girl he hopes to marry dies of fever. He spends days wandering the countryside in grief. A few years later, he purchases a ring inscribed with the words “Love Is Eternal” and enters a tempestuous marriage with Mary Todd.
 
Lincoln literally wrestles his way to prominence on the Illinois prairies. He teaches himself the law and enters the rough and tumble world of frontier politics. With Mary’s encouragement, he wins a term in the US Congress, but his political career falters. They are both devastated by the loss of a child. As arguments over slavery sweep the country, Lincoln finds something worth fighting for, and his debates with brash rival Stephen Douglas catapult him toward the White House.
 
Part coming-of-age story, part adventure story, part love story, and part rags-to-riches story, The Rail Splitter is the making of Abraham Lincoln. The story of the rawboned youth who goes from a log cabin to the White House is, in many ways, the great American story. The Rail Splitter reminds us that the country Lincoln loved is a place of wide-open dreams where extraordinary journeys unfold.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781645720645
Publisher:	Republic Book Publishers
Publication date:	01/24/2023
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	208,085
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

John Cribb is a bestselling author who has written about subjects ranging from history to education. Old Abe, his first novel, tells the story of the last five years of Abraham Lincoln’s life. His other works include coauthoring The American Patriot’s Almanac and The Educated Child, both New York Times bestsellers; coediting The Human Odyssey, a 3-volume world history text; and developing online history courses. His writing has been published in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, FoxNews.com, RealClearPolitics, and several other publications.
 
During the Reagan administration, he worked at the Department of Justice, the Department of Education, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. A native of Spartanburg, SC, John studied literature at Vanderbilt University. He and his wife, Kirsten, are the proud parents of two daughters.
 

Editorial Reviews

If you want to walk beside America’s greatest hero on his way to greatness, read The Rail Splitter. This is the Lincoln every American should know and love.”  —William J. Bennett, former US Secretary of Education and author of The Book of Virtues

“Historical biographic fiction at its very best. . . . A riveting read from start to finish.”  —Library Bookwatch

“Readers find in The Rail Splitter the heart of the 16th US President and the country that shaped him.”  —K.M. Sandrick, Historical Novel Society

“A deep and dimensional historical novel.”  —Joseph S. Pete, Forward Reviews

“Cribb brings young Abe to life with all his humanizing quirks and doubts.”  —Jo Niederhoff, The Manhattan Book Review

“Cribb tells the story of Abraham Lincoln as if talking about an old friend he has known since childhood.”  —Tom Mayer, Athens News Courier

“Carl Sandburg has a competitor in his contemporary embodiment, John Cribb.”  —Mary Beth Klee, The Core Virtues Foundation

"Historical biographic fiction at its best, an entertaining and informative novel. This is in many ways, the great American story, reminding us that the country Lincoln loved is a place of wide-open dreams where extraordinary journeys unfold.”  —Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher