Unlike many biographies of Abraham Lincoln, which have concentrated on particular aspects of his life, his politics, his writings, his personal life or background, this book is presented as a detailed, definitive biography which draws together all the strands of the politician's life, and includes much new material. Lincoln emerges from it as a fascinating personality, an intensely political, tormented, yet deeply attractive figure. The author, David Herbert Donald, is an authority on Lincoln and the winner of two Pulitzer prizes for biography.