Lincoln the Citizen, February 12, 1809 to March 4, 1861: The Complete Version

＂Written by a longtime friend and ally, Lincoln the Citizen offers a rare character study and insightful biography of Lincoln before he became president. Michael Burlingame restores material cut by editors of the original 1907 publication to present Henry Clay Whitney’s work in full. Whitney’s work reveals the legal and political spheres where Lincoln moved while providing eyewitness accounts and intimate stories shared by Lincoln himself. Whitney’s unique vantage point informs analyses of everything from Lincoln’s melancholic temperament to his colorful early career to views on his marriage and family life. Burlingame places Whitney’s singular contributions within Lincoln studies but also weighs criticisms of the book and disputes over what information the author may or may not have invented. A restored edition of an invaluable memoir, Lincoln the Citizen presents a wealth of overlooked biographical detail by one of the people who knew Lincoln best＂--

Henry Clay Whitney (1831-1905) was a lawyer and personal friend of Abraham Lincoln. His other books include Lincoln the President, March 4, 1861 to May 3, 1865. Michael Burlingame is a professor of history and the Lynn Distinguished Chairperson at the University of Illinois Springfield. He has written and edited twenty-one Lincoln books, among them The Black Man’s President: Abraham Lincoln, African Americans, and the Pursuit of Racial Equality and An American Marriage: The Untold Story of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd.