Lincoln Letters

These are the private words of a man who saved the Union and lost his life doing it, and they reveal something no biography can: the actual voice of Abraham Lincoln, unguarded and unpolished for posterity. The letters span from his restless young years in Illinois through theCivil War's darkest days, and they display a wit sharper than any statue suggests, a tenderness toward his son that borders on anguish, and a moral clarity that makes modern politicians seem like children playing at governance. Here Lincoln advises his father not to rely on charity, urges Grant to boldness, and confesses to a friend that he has 'been driven to it' by the terrible weight of war. The collection includes his famous sharp remarks about slavery, his even sharper observations about marriage and human nature, and dozens of letters that show a man wrestling with history in the small hours. For readers who want to meet Lincoln not as marble but as flesh, these letters are irreplaceable: they are history speaking in a living voice, two centuries later.