Abraham Lincoln, The blogger.

Recently in our fair city, there has been an explosion in the number of bloggers. For some, this seems like a very new trend. However, it is not. The use of "handles" goes back as far as the very first paper in England in 1711. It was called the "Spectator" and it was published by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele. So, for those who feel a bit uncomfortable with such a structure of media, it is a bit late for surprise. Like 300 years late for a sudden surprise. I still remember when I ordered the four volume set of Spectator Papers from Everyman Press some 40 years ago.

You may not have known, but Abe Lincoln, President Lincoln, when he was a young lawyer traveling on the circuit, stayed in coach houses just like our own Coach House in our fair city, and spent the evenings writing "posts" under assumed names to the papers back in Springfield, Illinois.

It was one of the most popular pastimes in Lincoln's time. One problem though was that because of the time delay, the answers and posts did not always match and misunderstandings were frequent. Lincoln and Mary Todd were frequent posters and in fact due to a misunderstanding, they had to have a special sit down negotiation prior to their nuptial agreement to iron out some very seriously hurt feelings. To this day, historians are debating what it was all about. It is a matter of deep scholarship.

There are several wonderful books on Abe Lincoln in our own Eager Free Public Library. Expore the life of one of the most famous bloggers of history---- Abe Lincoln.