In the Houses of Their Dead: The Lincolns, the Booths, and the Spirits

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Abraham Lincoln is perhaps the most studied figure in American history, the subject of myriad books examining his views on slavery, his family, his mental health, and even his eyeglasses and footwear. Yet, until now, no scholar has delved into Lincoln's least-expected side: his fascination with spiritualism, which held that the dead were nearby and anxious to comfort those who mourned them. And, strangely enough, this fascination connected Lincoln to John Wilkes Booth well before the Civil War. Presenting new and unexpected linkages between Lincoln, his wife Mary, and the Booths, distinguished historian Terry Alford demonstrates that personal tragedy led both families to turn for solace to spiritualism, including to the same mediums, one of whom would warn the president of his impending death. A novelistic narrative of two exceptional American families set against the convulsing social movements of the nineteenth century, In the Houses of Their Dead reveals how ghost stories helped to shape the nation.