Abraham Lincoln: His Life in Print

An illustrated study of the historical printings that depict Abraham Lincoln’s life and legacy.

Abraham Lincoln: His Life in Print provides an indispensable overview of the rarely seen books and ephemera from the nineteenth century that made Lincoln a central historical figure. Written for anyone interested in America’s political, publishing, and cultural past, this catalogue presents the world of Lincoln through printed materials that reveal how he rose to prominence, oversaw the nation’s victory in the Civil War, and ended slavery. No person in the last 160 years has been written about more than Lincoln, but before the biographies, there were books, pamphlets, documents, handbills, and periodicals that influenced, informed, or invented Lincoln in his frontier youth, the political maelstroms of the 1850s and early 1860s, the White House, and upon his death. 
 
Lincoln used print throughout his life to improve his standing and communicate his ideas and policies. His election as president benefited from campaign literature that mythologized his Western origins. By studying law books, he became an attorney and overcame his poverty and lack of education. To dismantle the institution of slavery, he issued a series of public statements and executive orders which culminated in the Emancipation Proclamation. His finest speeches, such as the Gettysburg Address, gained renown only after they were widely read. 
 
The over 300 historical printings covered here are from the Americana collection of philanthropist David M. Rubenstein, who has written the preface. Mr. Rubenstein is also the New York Times bestselling author of five books, including The Highest Calling: Conversations on the American Presidency (2024) and The American Story: Conversations with Master Historians (2019). He is joined by twelve leading writers and historians of Lincoln, each of whom has contributed an essay on an aspect of the sixteenth president’s life and legacy, which will bring readers up to date on current trends in understanding Lincoln. Attractively designed and sumptuously photographed, Abraham Lincoln: His Life in Print assembles the print evidence for Lincoln’s greatness and humanity.