Abraham Lincoln: His Speeches and Writing

Compiled in 1946, this essential collection includes nearly 250 of Lincoln's letters, speeches, and thoughts, including the oft-quoted Gettysburg Address, Emancipation Proclamation, and Inaugural Addresses. Furthermore, editor Roy P. Basler directs our attention to Lincoln's less-remembered - but no less important - words, including a lengthy denouncement of the Supreme Court's 1857 Dred Scott decision and numerous letters - to Grant, McClellan, Stanton, and to his wife, Mary Todd. Basler has here culled the best of Lincoln's political, personal, and even poetic writings, adding extensive explanatory notes to help present-day Americans better understand the president who saved the Union. Since his ascendancy from a log cabin to the White House, Lincoln has been the subject of more books and writings than any other American. His principled character continues to captivate us even today - a time when we are in more need than ever of his plainspoken and moving language.