Book description
" Though Abraham Lincoln has been the subject of numerous
biographies, his personality remains an enigma. During his lifetime,
Lincoln prepared two sketches of his life for the 1860 presidential
race. These brief campaign portraits serve as the core around which Paul
Zall weaves extracts from correspondence, speeches, and interviews to
produce an in-depth biography. Lincoln's writing about himself offers a
window into the soul and mind of one of America's greatest president.
His words reveal an emotional evolution typically submerged in political
biographies. Lincoln on Lincoln shows a man struggling to reconcile
personal ambition and civic virtue, conscience and Constitution, and
ultimately the will of God and the will of the people. Zall frames
Lincoln's words with his own illuminating commentary, providing a
continuous, compelling narrative. Beginning with Lincoln's thoughts on
his parents, the story moves though his youth and early successes and
failures in law and politics, and culminates in his clashes and
conflicts--internal as well as external--as president of a divided
country. Through his writings, Lincoln said much more about himself than
is commonly recognized, and Zall uses this material to create a unique
portrait of this pivotal figure.
