first, harold holzer, who is a lead are authority on lincoln and the civil war. he is chairman or the abraham lincoln bicentennial organization. honored for his work he has earned second place lincoln prize for "lincoln at keep union" in 2005, and in 2008 was awarded the national humanities medal. he is senior vice president at the metropolitan museum of art. joining him will be frank bond. frank has produced award-winning document riz on topics ranging from the role of the press in the civil rights movement and the berlin wall. on issues like bias in the media, -- there's none of that, is there -- n two buy graph wall sketches of juniorism. frank was a member of the team that created the museum's new museum gallery an interactive look at the role of media in journalism today. so without further adieu i'm delighted to yield the stage and podium to our guests, harold and frank. please join me in welcoming them to the stage. [applause] >> good evening. and welcome because tonight's program is going to prove to you that history can be as enticing and sizzling and dr

first, harold holzer, who is a lead are authority on lincoln and the civil war. he is chairman or the abraham lincoln bicentennial organization. honored for his work he has earned second place lincoln prize for "lincoln at keep union" in 2005, and in 2008 was awarded the national humanities medal. he is senior vice president at the met

who everybody knows is a great lincoln scholar and old friend of mine harold holzer who i -- i said hoarld, i'm going to write this write it tonight and he said gee how could you ever get away with that? i said let me try it just trying to do his language and today's issues, iraq terrorism, the huge tax cut etc. and i did it and harold called me up and said son of a gun i think we can make this work. and i said go through second inaugural and the other places, check out sentences for me that are actual lincoln sentences that fit this speech that i've written and we did that hand worked on it and so that's an idea of lincoln speaking today. i think he'd have to change some of his syntax and some of his grammar, but we need him desperately today. that's why i wrote the book. i think what he said what he believed the big ideas he offered you the wisdom he offers you we need desperately now. we're confused. we're riveted on terrorism which we need to deal with still losing men and women and other innocent people are dying as well and sure we have to think about it but we have to be

harold holzer thank you so much for insight and your wonderful book. you'll be signing copies right outside right after the program. thank you all for coming tonight and for bringing such terrific questions. it's been a real pleasure to spend time with you. [applause] gerald horne author of "the counter-revolution of 1776" and "race to revolution" is next on booktv. >> thank you very much for the invitation from echelon. it's great to be back to my home in southern california in los angeles. thank you to kpfa and casey lh to helping to bring you all out here this evening and i'm going to speak about these two books but i also feel compelled to make an apology to begin with. when the former west german leader went to poland for decades ago he was overcome with grief about what the germans had done to poland during world war ii. he said he fell down on his knees and apologize but of course you cannot feel compelled to apologize to the indigenous people who've who formerly occupied southern california and were ousted. i feel compelled to apologize to the

i was first brought her by gabor and then thanks to harold holzer and chief frank, i have been back again and again, but thank you, jim, of course, for helping this needy student on her journey toward civil war history. a powerful woman was at the center of swirling political debates during a re-election campaign of the president. her influence over him, did she or did she not sway him? was a source of parlor games in that most murky of fir bowls washington, d.c. gossip and gender create puerful sparks and reverberations and for those who think such issues don't matter, recall the presidential ambitions of ed muskie, dissolved in the melting snow versus tears debate in february 1972. a well educated woman with a track record of speaking her mind, a woman who did not mind bumping against the young, shiny palace guard at the white house. the capital remained agog anticipating her every misstep speculating on her motives with intensifying speculation as reporters tracked her every move. could it be 2012? or is it 1864? as i suggest in my recent biography of mrs. lincoln, a life, the storm en

harold, who everyone knows is a great lincoln scholar and old friend of mine, harold holzer -- i said going to write this tonight. he said, how can you ever get away with that. and i did it, and harold called me up and he says, you know, son of a gun, i think we can make this work. and i said, now, go through second inaugural and the other places. pluck out sentences for me that are actual lincoln sentences that fit this speech that ive written. and we did that and worked on it. and so thats an idea of lincoln speaking today. i think hed have to change some of his syntax and some of his grammar, but we need him desperately today. thats why i wrote the book. i think what he said, what he believed, the big ideas he offered you, the wisdom he offers you, we need desperately now. were confused. we're riveted on terrorism and the war, which we need to be. we're still losing men and women, and other innocent people are dying, as well. and sure, we have to think about it, but we have to be thinking about that and much more. he thought about the civil war. he thought about each battle. but he