Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln treated language as serious business, whether he was writing a love letter, drafting a speech, or building a legal argument. Fred Kaplan's biography follows the sixteenth president through his writing, examining how Lincoln used words to give shape to complex thoughts and emotions, and how he used them to persuade audiences and to encourage them.

Kaplan, who previously wrote biographies of Charles Dickens and Mark Twain, presents Lincoln's life and career through this focus on language. The result is an absorbing study of a man whose command of words was central to his public life.

The book also looks at the shortcomings of the modern presidency. Drawing on Lincoln's legacy and his regard for language, it argues that the careful and truthful use of words is essential to a democracy that works.