A. Lincoln: A Biography

In this important new biography, Ronald C. White, Jr. offers a fresh and fascinating definition of Lincoln as a man of integrity—what today’s commentators are calling “authenticity”—whose internal moral compass is the key to understanding his life. Through meticulous research, utilizing recently discovered Lincoln letters, legal papers, and photographs, White depicts Lincoln as a person of intellectual curiosity, comfortable with ambiguity, and capable of changing his mind. The reader is treated to an exploration of Lincoln’s compelling words, his changing ideas on slavery, the shaping of the modern role of Commander-in-Chief, and his surprising religious odyssey. A. Lincoln, so titled for the way Lincoln signed his name, sheds an innovative and profound light on our nation’s most beloved leader for a new generation of Americans.

“Ronald C. White’s A. Lincoln is the best biography of Lincoln since David Donald's Lincoln (1995).... Amid all the books on Lincoln that will be published during the coming year, this one will stand out as one of the best.” —James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize