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This new series of concise books fills a need for short studies of the life, times, and legacy of President Abraham Lincoln. Each book gives readers the opportunity to quickly achieve basic knowledge of a Lincoln-related topic. The primary audience consists of general readers, but these books are also of interest to scholars, specialists, and students. Each volume is between 30,000 and 50,000 words in length and includes up to ten illustrations.

Books in the Concise Lincoln Library bring a fresh perspective to well-known topics, investigate previously overlooked subjects, and explore in greater depth topics that have not yet received book-length treatment. In an effort to make new scholarship accessible to the widest audience possible, the books carry minimal endnotes and historiography and are written in a style that nonspecialists find easy to understand.

2011

Abraham Lincoln and Horace Greeley by Gregory A. Borchard

This valuable dual biography profiles two notable Americans in a way no previous historian has.  Lincoln and Greeley, the nineteenth century's masters of politics and of the press, had similar origins and paths to prominence, and Borchard combines their backgrounds and their sometimes antagonistic, sometimes harmonious relationship into a single, accessible story, providing a fresh perspective on their professional relationship and their legacies.

Lincoln and the Civil War by Michael Burlingame

This brief but probing study demonstrates that Lincoln's leadership was the North's secret weapon in the Civil War, the key variable that spelled the difference between victory and defeat. Burlingame clearly shows that Lincoln's eloquence, his political sagacity, his understanding of military strategy, and above all his psychological wholeness and balance enabled him to keep the North united so that it could prevail, thus saving the Union, abolishing slavery, and vindicating government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Burlingame, the Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield, is author of Abraham Lincoln: A Life.

Lincoln and the Election of 1860 by Michael S. Green

How did an obscure Illinois politician beat the odds and prevail over more famous opponents to win the Republican presidential nomination in 1860? How did a new political party win the presidency so quickly? Green discerningly explains the key reason: Abraham Lincoln's ability as a politician and manager of men. This book goes behind the scenes of Lincoln's first presidential campaign to examine how he won and to bring to life the men and women who worked for and against him.

Green, professor of history at the College of Southern Nevada, is the author of Freedom, Union, and Power: Lincoln and His Party in the Civil War.

Abraham and Mary Lincoln by Kenneth Winkle

Their contemporaries disagreed bitterly about the marriage of Abraham and Mary Lincoln, and historians have argued just as fiercely about the relationship of this apparently incompatible couple. Now, Winkle provides a sweeping and provocative portrait of their courtship and marriage, showing the Lincolns amid all the social, cultural, political, and military currents that swirled around them during the most challenging presidency in American history.

Winkle, Sorensen Professor of American History at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is the author of The Young Eagle: The Rise of Abraham Lincoln.

2012

Lincoln and the Constitution by Brian Dirck

Before the Civil War, Lincoln articulated a sophisticated antislavery reading of the Constitution, based upon his understanding of its relationship to the Declaration of Independence. As president, he advanced the causes of Union and emancipation with a robust, innovative interpretation of the Constitution's presidential war powers. Dirck's comprehensive examination shows Lincoln's interpretation of and lifelong engagement with the nation's founding document.

Dirck, professor of history at Anderson University, is the author of Lincoln the Lawyer. He blogs at www.alincolnblog.blogspot.com.

Lincoln's Greatest Mistakes by Harold Holzer

Lincoln is celebrated for a string of exemplary accomplishments: saving the Union, ending slavery, and enshrining the principles of freedom and democracy in unforgettable rhetoric, to name a few. But in honoring Lincoln, readers and historians alike tend to ignore his occasional, but noteworthy, errors. Here Holzer lifts the veil on several of Lincoln's missteps, large and small, personal and professional, private and public, and assesses their impact on Lincoln, his family, his country, and history.

Holzer, senior vice president of external affairs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is the author of Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860-1861.

Lincoln and Race by Richard Striner

In this exciting new study, Striner examines one of the most fascinating controversies surrounding the leadership of Abraham Lincoln. It is a controversy in some respects as old as the Civil War itself: the enduring question of whether Mr. Lincoln, notwithstanding his famous antislavery words and deeds, was to some extent a denier of full equality for black Americans. Striner's penetrating analysis of the debate is sure to become essential reading.

Striner, professor of history at Washington College, is the author of Father Abraham: Lincoln's Relentless Struggle to End Slavery.

Lincoln as Hero by Frank J. Williams

Abraham Lincoln's long-term dedication and determination make him a genuine hero for America and the world. In this appealing introduction to the topic, Williams shows how Lincoln grew into the role of hero through his vision, strategic command, political management, and skill as a communicator, and he explains how our image of Lincoln today fits both the mythic and classical concept of a true hero.

Williams, former Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, is the author of Judging Lincoln.

2013

Lincoln and Reconstruction by John C. Rodrigue

"Wartime" Reconstruction is often examined as prelude to postwar developments or to speculate on what Lincoln might have done had he lived, but in this insightful analysis, Rodrigue clearly shows how Lincoln's Reconstruction initiatives were inseparable from the war itself. The war, in essence, was about Reconstruction. Yet, just as the meaning of the war changed for Lincoln, so his approach to Reconstruction likewise evolved until it eventually came to include a broader, racially integrated vision of American citizenship.

Rodrigue, Lawrence and Theresa Salameno Professor of History at Stonehill College, is the author of Reconstruction in the Cane Fields: From Slavery to Free Labor in Louisiana's Sugar Parishes, 1862-1880.

Lincoln and Medicine by Glenna R. Schroeder-Lein

The first synthesis of Lincoln and medicine since 1933, this volume examines the personal medical issues of Abraham Lincoln and his wife and sons. In addition, Schroeder-Lein studies Lincoln's relationship to Civil War medicine. She organizes, analyzes, and synthesizes both discoveries and speculations about Lincoln and medical topics, including the alleged diseases Lincoln suffered, and concludes with a medical examination of his assassination.

Schroeder-Lein, manuscript librarian at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, is the author of The Encyclopedia of Civil War Medicine.

Lincoln and the U.S. Colored Troops by John David Smith

Abraham Lincoln evolved from opposing to embracing African Americans in the U.S. Army during the Civil War, and in this rewarding study, Smith clearly demonstrates Lincoln's deep understanding of white racism in the North and his concern about alienating Unionists in the border slave states by freeing their slaves and bringing them into the Union army. By war's end, the valiant service of almost 180,000 black troops in Union blue validated Lincoln's confidence in them as men and soldiers.

            Smith, Charles H. Stone Distinguished Professor of American History at University of North Carolina-Charlotte, is the author of Black Judas: William Hannibal Thomas and "The American Negro."

Lincoln and Religion by Ferenc Morton Szasz

Newcomers to the life of Abraham Lincoln are often surprised at the controversy over the exact nature of his religious views. Was he a Christian? Did he believe in God? Szasz's insightful examination, the first book-length study in a generation to treat this theme, places Lincoln's evolving position squarely within the context of the religious world of his day. It also revealingly analyzes Lincoln's role as the center of America's civil religion.

            Szasz, Regents' Professor of History at the University of New Mexico, is the author of Abraham Lincoln and Robert Burns: Connected Lives and Legends.

2014

Lincoln's Statesmanship by Joseph R. Fornieri

What qualities distinguish a statesman from a mere politician or even a tyrant, for that matter? This valuable work explores Lincoln's statesmanship and those qualities of character and intellect that made him a brilliant leader. Fornieri astutely views Lincoln's statesmanship in terms of five elements that contributed to his greatness: principle, prudence, patriotism, personality, and power.

Fornieri, associate professor of political science at Rochester Institute of Technology, is the author of Abraham Lincoln's Political Faith.

Lincoln's Campaign Biographies by Thomas A. Horrocks

This is the first study to address the role campaign biographies played in making Lincoln president of the United States. By examining the Lincoln biographies published for the 1860 campaign, Horrocks highlights the important relationship between print and politics in nineteenth-century America and skillfully explains how candidates were presented to the American voter in the days before radio, television, and the internet.

Horrocks, associate librarian of Houghton Library for Collections at Harvard University, is the author of Popular Print and Popular Medicine: Almanacs and Health Advice in Early America.

Lincoln and the Military by John F. Marszalek

The military history of the Civil War has long been a topic of major interest for historians and enthusiasts. Marszalek analyzes the mass of publications the war has inspired and presents a concise insight, through the eyes of the commander-in-chief, into how this conflict was fought. Lincoln's increasingly effective military leadership provided the inspiration and opportunity for talented Federal generals like Grant and Sherman to undertake and win the military campaigns necessary for victory in a difficult war.

Marszalek, Giles Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History, Mississippi State University, serves as the executive director and managing editor of the Ulysses S. Grant Association. He is the author of Sherman, A Soldier's Passion for Order. He can be reached at johnmarsz@yahoo.com.

Lincoln and Emancipation by Edna Greene Medford

At the beginning of the Civil War few Americans expressed interest in altering the legal status and political condition of people of color. Medford insightfully examines the evolution of Lincoln's own thinking regarding black freedom and considers the challenges he faced--both personal and political--as he moved toward abolishing slavery. She discusses the legal, political, and military considerations of emancipation and expertly investigates the responses Lincoln-s decisions elicited from those people--enslaved and free--most affected by them.

Medford, associate professor of history at Howard University, is the coauthor of The Emancipation Proclamation: Three Views.

2015

Lincoln's Assassination by Edward Steers Jr.

           For nearly one hundred years writers have treated the assassination of Abraham Lincoln as an event that should be described rather than explained. Contrary to popular belief, John Wilkes Booth's plot to remove Lincoln began a full year before the actual killing and involved a web of conspiracy that reached deep into the Confederate Secret Service. While it was Booth's hand that held the small derringer that fired the fatal shot, many fingers were on the trigger. 

            Steers, the leading authority on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, is the author of seven books on Lincoln's death, including Blood on the Moon and The Lincoln Assassination Encyclopedia.