Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America: A Biography. (History).(Brief Article)

Gienapp, William E. Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America: A Biography. c.235p. index. ISBN 0-19-515099-6. ea. vol: Oxford Univ. Apr. 2002. permanent paper. $25. HIST

Not taking much stock in the genre, Lincoln tried to shield himself from biography by guarding his private self and carefully crafting his public words and image. Of course, so complex a man, who came to embody America in its ordeal by fire, has attracted scores of biographers hoping to solve the ultimate American enigma. Now Gienapp, author of the acclaimed Origins of the Republican Party, enters the crowded field. This biography neatly synthesizes much recent scholarship and makes Lincoln believable as …