Learn how Abraham Lincoln's frontier childhood and early appetite for reading shaped his character
Dramatization of aspects of Lincoln's childhood in Kentucky and Indiana.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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News •
Today in History: Abraham Lincoln wins presidency
• Nov. 6, 2026, 4:30 AM ET (Chicago Tribune)
Charleston’s iconic Sword Gate house, once owned by Abraham Lincoln descendant, lists for $35M
• Oct. 19, 2026, 1:15 PM ET (The Charleston Post and Courier)
'Lincoln in the Bardo' leaps from book to stage in Missy Mazzoli's new opera
• Oct. 14, 2026, 9:35 AM ET (AP)
Transcript
LINCOLN: My father taught me to work, but he never taught me to love it.
[Music in]
NARRATOR: Despite his demanding father, he read every book he could borrow in any moment he could find.
LINCOLN: The things I want to know are in books.
NARRATOR: He watched preachers and how they could hold a crowd. He imitated them; he also began to pick up the rough, folksy humor that delighted his friends all his life. He grew to young manhood in the wilderness, curious and ambitious.
[Music out]
[Music in]
NARRATOR: Despite his demanding father, he read every book he could borrow in any moment he could find.
LINCOLN: The things I want to know are in books.
NARRATOR: He watched preachers and how they could hold a crowd. He imitated them; he also began to pick up the rough, folksy humor that delighted his friends all his life. He grew to young manhood in the wilderness, curious and ambitious.
[Music out]
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