I just started reading The Lincoln-Douglas Debates, The First Complete Unexpurgated Text. I learned about them in school but we never got to the point of reading their actual speeches. I had to look up unexpurgated. It means containing the complete and original text uncensored. The practice was then as now for the newspapers to favor one candidate over the other which manifested itself in their reporting. In the absence of what we have now, these debates were a big deal and attracted a broad audience, since there was little in the way of other diversions.
Thanks for this very interesting discussion! I have to say that I still love to read, but my reading list is getting longer and longer. It's just that I'm too tired in the evenings. I've also noticed that many younger people just don't seem to read anymore...
When I was a teen, I read between 3-4 books a week. Now my eyes play tricks on me so it is not as easy.