The Life of Abraham Lincoln - Softcover

A rare detailed look at Lincoln's life and rise to prominence.

“He had a face and manner which disarmed suspicion, which inspired confidence, which confirmed good will. He was a man without vices. He had a strong sense of duty.... He had what the farmers call a long head.... He was a great worker; he had a prodigious faculty of performance; worked easily.... He had a vast good nature which made him accessible to all.... Fair-minded ... affable ... this wise man.

“What an occasion was the whirlwind of the war! Here was the place for no holiday magistrate, no fair-weather sailor; the new pilot was hurled to the helm in a tornado. In four years,—four years of battle-days,— his endurance, his fertility of resources, his magnanimity, were sorely tried and never found wanting. There, by his courage, his justice, his even temper, his fertile counsel, his humanity, he stood a heroic figure in the center of a heroic epoch. He is the true history of the American people in his time. Step by step he walked before them; slow with their slowness, quickening his march by theirs, the true representative of this continent; an entirely public man; father of his country, the pulse of twenty millions throbbing in his heart, the thought of their minds articulated by his tongue.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) is one of the most famous Americans in history and one of the country's most revered presidents. Schoolchildren can recite the life story of Lincoln, the "Westerner" who educated himself and became a self made man, rising from lawyer to leader of the new Republican Party before becoming the 16th President of the United States. Lincoln successfully navigated the Union through the Civil War but didn't live to witness his crowning achievement, becoming the first president assassinated when he was shot at Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865.

In the generation after the Civil War, Lincoln became an American deity and one of the most written about men in history. With such a sterling reputation, even historians hesitate to write a critical word; in Team of Rivals world renowned historian Doris Kearns Goodwin cast Lincoln as an almost superhuman puppet master in control of his Cabinet's political machinations and the war's direction, juggling the balancing act flawlessly. As a result, Lincoln the man is far less known than Lincoln the myth.

In his introduction to The Life of Abraham Lincoln, Henry Ketcham notes that there has been so much written about Lincoln that the legend has begun to obscure, if not to efface, the man.

Ketcham’s clearly-written, unadorned account of Lincoln’s life achieves its stated purpose, never removing its focus from the man who became the 16th President of the United States and led the nation through some of its most turbulent and difficult times.

Written in 1901, only 36 years after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, The Life of Abraham Lincoln is a fast-paced and enjoyable biography of America's 16th president. Ketcham draws heavily on personal accounts to portray a more human and accessible Lincoln. Particular attention is paid to Lincoln's relationship with rivals such as Douglas, Seward, Chase, McCllenan, and Greeley. The reading takes on an extended story-telling fireside chat feeling, where you know and trust the storyteller - who happens to know the kinds of things you would be interested in knowing. An excellent read. The author covers the timeline of Lincoln's life in a concise but descriptive manner. The book is a primer that guides you through the numerous facets of Lincoln life. Interestingly narrated as an admirer of his life from a first hand experience. It renewed my belief in the greatness of leaders, and portrayed Lincoln's qualities so admirably.