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  Lincoln scholar David Herbert Donald graciously autographed books, one of which (Lincoln) has become canonical, and many of which are best-sellers. Here he is signing Brian Flanagan's copy of Lincoln.

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  David Herbert Donald (right) calls himself "an accidental historian." He stumbled into studying history in graduate school at the University of Illinois because it was the most interesting and opportune thing for him to do at the time.
  
  Donald said this about himself and his colleagues: "We are not speculators; we are historians -- and we should stay that way. As historians we tend to be conservative, ascertaining verifiable facts and basing our work on the documents."
  
  Donald's former student, Matthew Pinsker, is to the left. To young, aspiring Lincoln scholars in the audience, Donald offered encouragement: "The best is yet to come."

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  C-Span President and CEO Brian Lamb moderated the final panel of the conference and, as always, put disarmingly penetrating questions to the panelists.

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  "Abraham Lincoln is at once the most familiar and the most elusive of American heroes," observes Harold Holzer.
  
  Holzer, a panelist and Hauenstein Center favorite, has spent more time than most thinking about our 16th president: he has written 23 books about Lincoln.
  
  Did we forget to mention: that's in his spare time? Holzer is the vice president for communications at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

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  Gleaves Whitney and David Herbert Donald enjoyed a few moments talking about his masterful biography of Lincoln.

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  Lincoln conferences always attract Lincoln character interpreters. Towering over Brian Lamb, this interpreter from Boston is six-feet, 10-inches tall.

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  Lincoln's Springfield
  
  This aerial view of Lincoln's house at sunset was taken by Brian Flanagan, who hurridly snapped the photo while hanging from the wing strut of a Cesna 172. We lost Brian, but got a great photo for his sacrifice. The photo, taken moments before he lost his grip, shows the neighborhood near downtown Springfield where Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln lived with their sons. The simple clapboard colonial (left center) is the only house they ever owned. The National Park Service administers the site.

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  The Lincoln home after sunset.