First published 2022
Abraham Lincoln kept his deepest thoughts private, even from close associates. The sixteenth president regularly wrote brief notes to himself, working through his positions on major issues in frank, unpolished fragments he never intended others to read. He stored these reflections in desk drawers and his top hat. Historian Ronald C. White gathers twelve of Lincoln's most significant private notes for the first time, drawing from scattered archives to reveal the president's intellectual process. Readers witness Lincoln wrestling with slavery, preparing for the Douglas debates, processing his Senate defeat, worrying about the Republican Party's future, and developing theological reflections during the Civil War. White contextualizes each note, showing Lincoln's brilliance and empathy alongside his human anxieties and ambitions. The book includes all 111 discovered Lincoln notes transcribed in full, offering scholars and enthusiasts unprecedented access to the private mind of America's most studied president.
Genres: biography, history, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-fiction
Setting: United States
Period: 19th-century
352 pages · Paperback · Random House Trade Paperbacks