Product Description

While the heart of the book focuses on the Civil War, Gienapp begins with a finely etched portrait of Lincoln's early life, from pioneer farm boy, to politician and lawyer in Springfield, to his stunning election as sixteenth president of the United States. We see how Lincoln grew during his years in office, how he developed a keen aptitude for military strategy and displayed enormous skill in dealing with his generals, and also how his strategy evolved from a desire to preserve the Union into one of emancipation and total war. A former backwoodsman and country lawyer, Abraham Lincoln rose to become one of America's greatest presidents. The biography offers a vivid account of Lincoln's dramatic ascension to the pinnacle of American history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #807350 in Books
• Published on: 2003-05-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
"Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America is the best brief biography of Lincoln that 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, 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

About the Author
William E. Gienapp has taught at the University of California, Berkeley, The University of Wyoming and Harvard University, where he is professor of Harvard College. He is the author of The Origins of the Republican Party, 1852-1956 (1987), which received the Avery O. Craven Award from the organization of American Historians, and co-author of Nations of Nations, a U.S History textbook. A specialist on the Civil War era, he recently published a documentary collection
on the war and Reconstruction and is currently writing a history of the Civil War.

Customer Reviews

A very interesting book
This book was very helpful to me as I am doing a self-designed course on how far was the victory of the North in the American Civil War a credit to Lincoln alone. Of course there are other factors involved, but this book has helped me with the area focusing on Lincoln, taking the reader from early childhood, which helps you to understand Lincoln's intelligence, his appeal to the lower classes and his speech writing talent. The book also contains anecdotes that help you to understand his character, always a helpful thing. This book may be thought to be a little concise in places, and narrative rather than analytical, but this was helpful for the purpose i needed it. A very interesting book.