Synopses & Reviews
How did Abraham Lincoln, long held as a paragon of presidential bravery and principled politics, find his way to the White House? How did he become thisand#160;one man great enoughand#160;to risk the fate of the nation on the well-worn but cast-off notion that all men are created equal?
Here award-winning historian John C. Waugh takes us on Lincolnand#8217;s road to the Civil War. From Lincoln's first public rejection of slavery to his secret arrival in the capital, from his stunning debates with Stephen Douglas to his contemplative moments considering the state of the country he loved, Waugh shows us America as Lincoln saw it and as Lincoln described it. Much of this wonderful story is told by Lincoln himself, detailing through his own writing his emergence onto the political scene andand#160;the evolution of his beliefs about the Union, the Constitution, democracy, slavery, and civil war. Waugh brings Lincolnand#8217;s path into new reliefby letting the great man tell his own story, at a depth that brings us ever closer to understanding this mysterious, complicated, truly great man.
Review
"General audiences will delight in Waugh's expansive narrative full of colorful anecdotes. This book vividly illustrates why Abraham Lincoln remains a touchstone for democracy."
Review
PRAISE FOR
REELECTING LINCOLN"Reelecting Lincoln . . . brings a great deal of discrete information together in an informative fashion and it is, as Waugh well knows--and well tells it--a terrific story." --The Washington Post
"Waugh . . . recounts the 1864 election with great narrative skill. The story sweeps along, with brilliant vignettes of all the players in the drama and one vivid scene after another." --The New York Times Book Review
Review
PRAISE FOR
ONE MAN GREAT ENOUGH A swift-paced narrative of Lincolns pre-presidential life.”Washington Post Book World
Waugh is a smooth and gifted writer . . . [His] description of life on the frontier and the prairies is fascinating.” Newark Star-Ledger
Synopsis
The award-winning historian John C.Waugh takes us on Lincolnand#8217;s road to the CivilWar. From Lincolnand#8217;s first public rejection of slavery to his secret arrival in the capital, from his stunning debates with Stephen Douglas to his more contemplative moments,Waugh shows us America as Lincoln saw it and as Lincoln described it.Much of this wonderful story is told by Lincoln himself, detailing through his own writing his emergence onto the political scene and the evolution of his beliefs about the Union, the Constitution, democracy, slavery, and the buildup to the CivilWar. In this acclaimed biography,Waugh brings us ever closer to understanding this mysterious, complicated, and truly great man.
About the Author
John C. Waugh is the award-winning author of four other books about the Civil War, two of which--Reelecting Lincoln and The Class of 1846--were Main Selections of the History Book Club. A former bureau chief of the Christian Science Monitor, his writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and the Civil War Times Illustrated. He lives in Pantego, Texas.