Prelude to Greatness: Lincoln in the 1850’s

“ . . . [The] paperback edition of Professor Fehrenbacher’s study, first published in 1962, of Lincoln in the 1850s is a welcome reminder of what can be achieved by a fresh and searching investigation of often-asked questions. . . . The book is lucidly and soberly written, and full of carefully considered argument. It is one more major contribution to the work of putting the slavery issue back where it has always belonged—at the very centre—of any discussion of the origins of the Civil War.”—Journal of American Studies

“This is a brilliant book. With thorough research . . . and a fresh point of view, we have a study that will shape Lincoln scholarship for many years.”—The Journal of Southern History

“To say that ‘this is just another Lincoln book’ would be to demean a significant contribution with a well-worn cliche. This is an outstanding book; we need more like it.”—The American Historical Review

“American historians generally, and Lincoln collectors and scholars particularly, would do well to add to their own pleasure and knowledge by reading this book, one of the finest pieces of Lincolniana yet written.”—The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography

“This fascinating volume deserves a wide audience.”—Mid-America

“ . . . [The] paperback edition of Professor Fehrenbacher’s study, first published in 1962, of Lincoln in the 1850s is a welcome reminder of what can be achieved by a fresh and searching investigation of often-asked questions. . . . The book is lucidly and soberly written, and full of carefully considered argument. It is one more major contribution to the work of putting the slavery issue back where it has always belonged—at the very centre—of any discussion of the origins of the Civil War.”—Journal of American Studies
“This is a brilliant book. With thorough research . . . and a fresh point of view, we have a study that will shape Lincoln scholarship for many years.”—The Journal of Southern History