Basler has gone through the body of Lincoln utterance and his selections from it in a very peculiar time, a global war time and that war interwoven with many civil wars, a war in which the American Union of States issued as a colossal and decisive force among world powers. What have we to learn from Lincoln in this time when unprecedented and incalculable forces are to operate on our future, when the mind of man and his will and vision must meet the challenge of what is termed AA1, the Year One of the Atomic Age, when we hear the oft-recurring question, "What would Lincoln do now?" And now comes Mr. Basler to lay before you the best writings and speeches of Lincoln for you to find what of Lincoln is usable for these terrific history-shaping years. As a writer and speaker Lincoln had several styles and used them according to what events and occasions demanded. Plain talk, blunt and utterly lucid statements, these are to be found in plenty throughout his writings and speeches. Then again

Abraham Lincoln occupies a unique place in the American pantheon. Symbol, sage, myth and martyr, he is an American icon - Honest Abe and The Great Emancipator, a Janus-faced demigod sculpted in marble. But this is the post-assassination Lincoln. During his lifetime Lincoln elicited very different reactions. The writings and speeches presented in this scholarly edition illuminate Lincoln as a political thinker in the context of his own time and political situation. Opening with a concise yet rich introduction, the texts that follow are complete and carefully edited, with extensive annotation and footnotes to provide a clearer insight into Lincoln the man, the politician and political thinker. His views on race and slavery, on secession and civil war and on the contradiction (as his saw it) between the Declaration of Independence ('all men are created equal') and the original Constitution (which condones slavery) are laid out in Lincoln's own well-crafted words.

"In this era of the double-think, when jargon passes as literacy, when scandal and apathy are the order of the day, it is refreshing to look back to another time and a man who still stands above the rest. In Quotations from Abraham Lincoln we are given not just a group of Lincoln's utterances, but also an interpretative narrative which puts his words in proper historical context." -- book jacket

Collection of Abraham Lincoln's most important letters, speeches, and presidential messages, presenting a complete picture of his political career. From presidential messages to thoughtful, intimate letters and provocative speeches, this collection presents Lincoln's thinking on the horrors of slavery, the anguish of the Civil War and the struggles of leadership.

A collection of speeches and letters of Abraham Lincoln, with brief introductions that provice historical background. Illustrated throughout with black-and-white archival photographs.