Happy Birthday, Abe!

Dozens of historians rushed to have their Lincoln biographies in tip-top shape for Honest Abe’s 200th birthday, and it’s been virtually impossible to tell the good books from the great. But now that the big day is finally here, two biographers have risen above the rest. Gettysburg College awarded their prestigious 2009 Lincoln Prize to James M. McPherson, author of Tried By War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief, and Craig L. Symonds, for his book Lincoln and His Admirals: Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. Navy, and the Civil War. At the awards ceremony in April, each author will receive $25,000 and a bronze cast of Lincoln (to add to their collections).