Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer

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(as of Sep 10, 2025 17:25:11 UTC – Details)

“A fine, invaluable book. . . . It is always instructive to study Lincoln, but now is a particularly good time to consider his devotion to words.” —Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World

For Abraham Lincoln, whether he was composing love letters, speeches, or legal arguments, words mattered. In Lincoln, acclaimed biographer Fred Kaplan explores the life of America’s 16th president through his use of language both as a vehicle to express complex ideas and feelings and as an instrument of persuasion and empowerment.

This unique and engrossing account of Lincoln’s life and career highlights the shortcomings of the modern presidency, reminding us, through Lincoln’s legacy and appreciation for language, that the careful and honest use of words is a necessity for successful democracy.

“A fresh, revealing study of both Lincoln’s language and character.” —Publishers Weekly

“A new, solid, meaningful, even moving approach to the sixteenth president.” —Booklist

“Fascinating . . . persuasive, highly perceptive.” —Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

“Compelling.” —Francine Prose, O, the Oprah magazine

“Absorbing.” —Leon Wieseltier, The New Republic

“An elegant portrait of Lincoln’s literary sensibility.” —Ted Widmer, New York Observer

“Powerful and convincing.” —The Los Angeles Times

“Superb. . . . Kaplan demonstrates how [Lincoln] organized his thoughts and blended them into logical, effective and often soaringly eloquent treatises.” —The Seattle Times

“Essential reading for any Lincoln student preparing to dip into the rich field of Lincoln’s writings.” —Allen Barra, The Baltimore Sun

“Mr. Kaplan makes a good case. How many American writers, after all, have had their words chiseled in marble and, so to speak, graven in the hearts of their countrymen?” —The Wall Street Journal

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B001IG9D58
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial
Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 16, 2008
Edition ‏ : ‎ Reprint
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5.4 MB
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 418 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061980589
Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #88,629 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #17 in 19th Century World History #42 in American Literature Criticism #51 in Biographies of US Presidents
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