By Dennis D. McDonald

If you are a fan of the history of technology as I am, this new book might interest you. Bob Willard has been kind enough to forward to me information about Tom Wheeler's book Mr. Lincoln's T-Mails: The Untold Story of How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War.

Here's what Bob, a certified Lincoln expert, said about this book in his email to me:

Over the past year, I had the good fortune to work with Tom Wheeler (whom I first met when he was head of the National Cable TV Association in the late 70s) on his new book, "Mr. Lincoln's T-Mails - The Untold Story of How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph To Win the Civil War." Tom tells how, less than two decades after Samuel Morse's famous first telegraph message was sent from the U.S. Capitol, Lincoln adopted the new technology and applied it in ways that were revolutionary in his time and that still have meaning in regard to our contemporary use of electronic messaging ... Whether your interests focus on information handling or Abraham Lincoln and history, I think you'd enjoy this book. I've attached a pdf version of the first chapter, and, of course, recommend that you check your local library if you want to read the whole thing. If you want your own copy, it's available through the usual internet book sites, but my friend Dan Weinberg, owner of the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop in Chicago, tells me that he has signed first editions in stock; you can contact the store at 312-944-3085 or email them at Staff@ALincolnBookshop.com.

I'll definitely be reading this one; thanks for the info, Bob!