Abraham Lincoln's life and work have inspired more books than any other historical figure except Jesus and Shakespeare and attracted some of America's most renowned writers. But few know him as well as Phillip Paludan, one of the nation's foremost authorities on Lincoln and the Civil War.

Paludan offers us Lincoln in whole - a complex, even contradictory personality who found greatness without seeking it and who felt deeply troubled about what he perceived as the nation's intertwined triumph and tragedy. Filled with fresh insights and new interpretations, this book presents a genuinely new and compelling portrait of a president and nation at war. It is essential reading for anyone interested in Lincoln, the presidency, and the Civil War.