“If you read one book about Lincoln, make it A. Lincoln.”—USA TodayNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BYThe Washington Post • The Philadelphia Inquirer • The Christian Science Monitor • St. Louis Post-Dispatch. NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERWINNER OF THE CHRISTOPHER AWARDEveryone wants to define the man who signed his name “A. Lincoln.” In his lifetime and ever since, friend and foe have taken it … define the man who signed his name “A. Lincoln.” In his lifetime and ever since, friend and foe have taken it upon themselves to characterize Lincoln according to their own label or libel. In this magnificent book, Ronald C. White, Jr., offers a fresh and compelling definition of Lincoln as a man of integrity–what today’s commentators would call “authenticity”–whose moral compass holds the key to understanding his life.
Through meticulous research of the newly completed Lincoln Legal Papers, as well as of recently discovered letters and photographs, White provides a portrait of Lincoln’s personal, political, and moral evolution. White shows us Lincoln as a man who would leave a trail of thoughts in his wake, jotting ideas on scraps of paper and filing them in his top hat or the bottom drawer of his desk; a country lawyer who asked questions in order to figure out his own thinking on an issue, as much as to argue the case; a hands-on commander in chief who, as soldiers and sailors watched in amazement, commandeered a boat and ordered an attack on Confederate shore batteries at the tip of the Virginia peninsula; a man who struggled with the immorality of slavery and as president acted publicly and privately to outlaw it forever; and finally, a president involved in a religious odyssey who wrote, for his own eyes only, a profound meditation on “the will of God” in the Civil War that would become the basis of his finest address.
Most enlightening, the Abraham Lincoln who comes into focus in this stellar narrative is a person of intellectual curiosity, comfortable with ambiguity, unafraid to “think anew and act anew.”
A transcendent, sweeping, passionately written biography that greatly expands our knowledge and understanding of its subject, A. Lincoln will engage a whole new generation of Americans. It is poised to shed a profound light on our greatest president just as America commemorates the bicentennial of his birth.
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Best biography I have read on Abraham Lincoln in a long time. Tarries enough to give fascinating details, but doesn’t get overly bogged down. the description of the Vallandigham incident brought out details I had not known before. The literary analysis of the Gettysburg address was brilliant. I appreciated the chapter on Lincoln’s spiritual …
The depth of character and wisdom of Abraham Lincoln runs through this biography. His courage and insight led this country through a divisive time in its history and frames many of the trials of the current time. Would that there was as honest, upstanding leadership now as was demonstrated by Lincoln.
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uthor expressed a continuity in the intellectual and moral nature of one of the most important Americans in history. Every American should read Lincoln’s writings in the original, and strive to express themselves in such a lofty and profound manner… “with malice to none and charity to all….”
I’ve always been a Lincoln-admirer and have read several biographies as well as much else on the civil war. Other than the Sandberg biography, this is for me one of the best accounts of Lincoln’s life. It’s particularly strong on his inner life – his ethics, beliefs and doubts – and one is, as always, impressed by how he combined pragmatism with …
Excellent biography of Lincoln. There are many biographies of him but this is one of the better ones.
Historically accurate. I wish the book was longer s d reviewed Lincoln after his death. I felt although the book read well, and was thoroughly enjoyed, it ended too abruptly.
I didn’t feel the closure, after knowin him so well.
Learned a lot, but could have learned it in half the pages
I got tired of the author constantly talking about Lincoln’s father and how awful he was. I finally stopped reading the book.
I have always loved reading about Lincoln and learned even more about him and his family.
This is the best biography of Abraham Lincoln I have read so far. I am amazed at how “like” Donald Trump he was in terms of politics, and how UNLIKE he was in character and commitment to the American Dream. Easy to read, useful, and well worth spending the time to digest it.
Best biography I ever read.
I’m a usually a fast reader, but this book took a bit. It did give much info on his political life. An added plus.
Having read over the years all of “CANTONS” books,I still found things I had missed ! So many parallels to our present days divisions that it is eye opening.
Very interesting book that gives a new understanding to the America split by a civil war. An intimate look into the life and times of A. Lincoln. I guarantee there is a lot you don’t know about Lincoln, his life leading up to the Presidency and the Civil War. A well researched trip through history.
Needed better editing but very informative.