"Enjoyable . a swift-paced narrative of Lincoln's pre-presidential life." --Washington Post Book World The award-winning historian John C.Waugh takes us on Lincoln's road to the CivilWar. From Lincoln's firstpublic rejection of slavery to his secret arrival in the capital, from his stunning debates with Stephen Douglas to his more contemplative moments,Waugh shows us America as Lincoln saw it and as Lincoln described it.Much of this wonderful story is told by Lincoln himself, detailing through his own writing his emergence onto the political scene and the evolution of his beliefs about the Union, the Constitution, democracy, slavery, and the buildup to the CivilWar. In this acclaimed biography,Waugh brings us ever closer to understanding this mysterious, complicated, and truly great man. "Waugh is a smooth and gifted writer .

[His] description of life on the frontier and the prairies is fascinating." --Newark Star-Ledger ".a fascinating look into the life of one of America's best-known presidents, Abraham Lincoln.highly recommended to those interested in Lincoln and U.S. history before the Civil War." -- The Oklahoman.