1995: Special Award
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The Last Best Hope of Earth: Abraham Lincoln and the Promise of America.

By John Rhodehamel and Thomas F. Schwartz, with a foreword by James M. McPherson.

San Marino: The Huntington Library, 1993.

80 p., profusely illustrated in color.

Lincoln's vision of America and a government based on democratic ideals are the main ideas behind this catalog and the exhibition it records. Visually appealing and intellectually solid, the catalog is copiously illustrated by color photographs of the items in the exhibition — flags, cartoons, banners, portraits, and other objects. Manuscripts and printed items have been illustrated in readable formats. The catalog's eight sections are arranged chronologically and expertly demonstrate the progression of Lincoln's ideas over time. Included in the catalog are a checklist of the exhibition and a bibliography of Lincoln scholarship.

Under the leadership of William A. Moffett, late director of the Huntington Library, the exhibition was made possible by the remarkable collaboration of the Huntington Library, the Illinois State Historical Library, and private collectors Louise and Barry Taper. An extensive educational program for area young people and a scholarly symposium were also undertaken in conjunction with the exhibition. Printed in an edition of 20,000 copies, the catalog records for posterity an extraordinary outreach effort and what was "arguably the largest and most comprehensive exhibit of Lincoln materials ever."

Quote from page 9 of the catalog. Colophon: "The design and typographic format of this catalog are by Ken and Denis Parkhurst of Los Angeles. Composed by Central Typesetting Company, Los Angeles, in Janson with Caslon 540 and Bauer Bodoni phototypes. Printing on Remarque, a recycled coated paper, was contributed by Nestlé USA." Catalog produced in conjunction with an exhibition held October 1993 — August 1994, at the Huntington Library, San Marino, California. Special Award of Merit for Exceptional Outreach Effort, 1995. Exhibited courtesy of LSU Libraries, Louisiana State University. (CM & ES)

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