Abraham Lincoln And Civil War America - 02 edition

Gienapp, William E. : Harvard University

William E. Gienapp is Professor of History at Harvard University. He is the author of the award-winning Origins of the Republican Party, co-author of one of the best-selling college texts for American history, Nation of Nations, and editor of The Civil War and Reconstruction: A Documentary Collection.

"The best brief biography of Lincoln I have read. Briskly written, concise, and informed by the latest scholarship, it is destined to become a standard book in its field."

--David Herbert Donald, Charles Warren Professor of American History Emeritus, Harvard University, and author of Lincoln

"In a notoriously crowded field, this book is something quite rare: a truly concise, authoritative overview of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. While scholars will admire its sure command of the subject and its deft treatment of complicated historical issues, this book will be particularly valuable for non-specialists. Written in clear and direct prose by one of the leading scholars in the field, it is an ideal choice for the student or general reader."

--Douglas L. Wilson, author of Honor's Voice: The Transformation of Abraham Lincoln

"William Gienapp's Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America answers a longstanding need for a biography of Lincoln manageable in size, accessible in style, and wise and balanced in content. Lincoln appears on every page of the book and is never lost sight of in the welter of events. He emerges from the text a real and believable person, an individual and a great one. Gienapp also gives readers a well-considered, powerful and persuasive assessment of Lincoln's leadership abilities, the finest such appraisal available anywhere."

--Mark E. Neely, Jr., McCabe-Greer Professor of History of the Civil War Era at Pennsylvania State University and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties

"When one of the best of our historians focuses on our greatest president, one expects remarkable results. Readers will not be disappointed. Gienapp's book fills well a long-felt need for a brief, first-rate biography of Lincoln."

--Gabor Boritt, Director of the Civil War Institute, Gettysburg College

Oxford University Press Web Site, November, 2002

Preface

1. A Son of the Frontier
2. Thwarted Ambition
3. Rise to Power
4. A People's Contest
5. From Limited War to Revolution
6. Midstream
7. To Finish the Task
8. With Malice Toward None

Chronology of Abraham Lincoln
List of Abbreviations
Notes
Bibliographical Essay
Index