One of the most important works on Abraham Lincoln from the era when he
was passing out of living memory and into history, this 1917 classic is
a rich, evocative portrait of the man and how actions as a leader were
shaped by his character and ideals. From its British perspective,
offering a fresh angle on an American legend, to its charming
readability, Charnwood's treatise-which was called, in 1947, "the best
one-volume life of Lincoln ever written" by historian Benjamin
Thomas-today remains one of the most intriguing examinations of the
great president, and a keystone for understanding the evolution of
Lincoln scholarship. British author and academic GODFREY RATHBONE
BENSON, 1st Baron Charnwood (1864-1945) also wrote the biography
*Theodore Roosevelt* (1923).