Reed, Abe Lincoln Images I've accepted my publisher's challenge to write a sequel to my very successful book for the Lincoln Bicentennial, "Abraham Lincoln, The Image of His Greatness" (Whitman, 2009). The working title is "Abraham Lincoln, Beyond the American Icon".

Knowing full well that most sequels flop, I am taking my inspiration from Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Even after sculpting the widely-acclaimed greatest Lincoln statue, his Standing Lincoln for Chicago's Lincoln Park in the mid-to-late-1880s, he accepted a commission from the same source to do another Lincoln memorial for the Windy City. Saint-Gaudens labored 12 years on a second masterpiece. He completed the statue in 1906, but died before it was cast. Eventually after exhibitions of his bronze Seated Lincoln on both coasts to great acclaim, it was installed in Chicago's Grant Park in 1926, a fitting memorial to both its subject and sculptor.

The new book will be similar in its presentation to the first book, but will expand upon my themes and allow me to drill down on some points that I want to reiterate. The new AbeBook will have entirely new text and 100% new art. It will be a complete book in itself, but also a natural companion to the first AbeBook.

I don't have a dozen years to work the kinks out of my sequel. The book is slanted toward interest in the Civil War sesquicentennial. It is due out next summer. The manuscript is due November 29th! I am looking for exceptional, interesting, or even quirky Lincolniana to illustrate in the new book. If you have items of interest that you'd like to share with the hobby, please email high resolution scans to me through my website www.fredwritesright.com. All contributors will be acknowledged, unless they request anonymity.