John G. Nicolay & John Hay

Abraham Lincoln (18091865) is one of the most famous Americans in history and one of the countrys most revered presidents. Schoolchildren can recite the life story of Lincoln, the Westerner who educated himself and became a self made man, rising from lawyer to leader of the new Republican Party before becoming the 16th President of the United States. Lincoln successfully navigated the Union through the Civil War but didnt live to witness his own accomplishment, becoming the first president assassinated when he was killed at Fords Theater by John Wilkes Booth. As impressive as his presidency was, one of his most lasting legacies was his writing. In addition to masterful writing for everything from orders to his generals and condolences to the aggrieved Mrs. Bixby, his Second Inaugural Address and Gettysburg Address are considered masterpieces that rate among the greatest writings in American history. Perhaps Lincolns most impressive feat is that he was able to convey so much with so few words; after famous orator Edward Everett spoke for hours at Gettysburg, Lincolns Gettysburg Address only took a few minutes. In the generation after the Civil War, Lincoln became an American deity and one of the most written about men in history. Few were able to write with more insight and knowledge than John G. Nicolay and John Hay, Lincolns secretaries during the war. After Lincolns death, the two wrote a comprehensive 10 volume biography of Lincoln, offering details that only the people closest to Lincoln could have had. The first volume covers the first 50 years of Lincolns life, ending shortly after the John Brown raid on Harpers Ferry. This edition of Abraham Lincoln: A History - Volume One is specially formatted with a Table of Contents and pictures of Lincoln and his life, along with other famous leaders and generals of the Civil War.