Bibliography of Abraham Lincoln
This bibliography of Abraham Lincoln is a comprehensive list of written and published works about or by Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States. In terms of primary sources containing Lincoln's letters and writings, scholars rely on The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, edited by Roy Basler, and others. It only includes writings by Lincoln, and omits incoming correspondence. In the six decades since Basler completed his work, some new documents written by Lincoln have been discovered. Previously, a project was underway at the Papers of Abraham Lincoln to provide "a freely accessible comprehensive electronic edition of documents written by and to Abraham Lincoln". The Papers of Abraham Lincoln completed Series I of their project The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln in 2000. They electronically launched The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln, Second Edition in 2009, and published a selective print edition of this series. Attempts are still being made to transcribe documents for Series II and Series III.
There have been 16,000 books published on Lincoln—125 on the assassination alone—more than any other American. This listing is therefore highly selective and is based on the reviews in the scholarly journals, and recommended readings compiled by scholars.
Biographies
- Beveridge, Albert J. Abraham Lincoln: 1809-1858. 2 vol. to 1858; notable for strong, political coverage that tends to favor Stephen Douglas
- Burlingame, Michael. Abraham Lincoln: A Life ; 2024pp; the most highly detailed life
- Carwardine, Richard. Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power , prize winning
- Lord Charnwood, Abraham Lincoln, first bio by a non-American,
- DeRose, Chris Congressman Lincoln: The Making of America's Greatest President Strong political coverage, especially the one term in Congress. https://www.amazon.com/Congressman-Lincoln-Chris-DeRose/dp/1451695144
- Donald, David Herbert. Lincoln The most useful scholarly biography.
- Gienapp, William E. Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America: A Biography, short bio by scholar,
- Goodwin, Doris Kearns. ', winner of the Lincoln Prize, basis for Lincoln.
- Guelzo, Allen C. Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President
- Harris, William C. Lincoln's Rise to the Presidency conservative author argues Lincoln was basically conservative ho
- , vol 3. of detailed biography
- Nicolay, John George and John Hay. Abraham Lincoln: a History ; online at and 10 volumes in all; highly detailed narrative of era written by Lincoln's top aides
- Luthin, Reinhard H. The Real Abraham Lincoln, emphasis on politics
- McPherson, James M. Abraham Lincoln, short
- detailed articles on many men and movements associated with AL
- Pulitzer Prize–winning author
- Oates, Stephen B. With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln
- Randall, James G. Lincoln the President by prize-winning scholar
- Mr. Lincoln excerpts ed. by Richard N. Current
- Sandburg, Carl. Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years ; '. Pulitzer Prize–winning biography by the famous poet
- Thomas, Benjamin P. Abraham Lincoln: A Biography
Specialty topics
- Angle, Paul M., Here I Have Lived: A History of Lincoln's Springfield, 1821–1865,
- Belz, Herman. Abraham Lincoln, Constitutionalism, and Equal Rights in the Civil War Era
- Boritt, Gabor S. Lincoln and the Economics of the American Dream. Lincoln's economic theory and policies
- Boritt, Gabor S. ed. Lincoln the War President
- Bruce, Robert V. Lincoln and the Tools of War on weapons development during the war
- Bush, Bryan S. Lincoln and the Speeds: The Untold Story of a Devoted and Enduring Friendship
- Chittenden, Lucius E., ,. – Google Books
- Donald, David Herbert. Lincoln Reconsidered: Essays on the Civil War Era
- Donald, David Herbert. We Are Lincoln Men: Abraham Lincoln and His Friends Simon & Schuster,.
- Emerson, James. The Madness of Mary Lincoln. Southern Illinois University Press..
- Foner, Eric. The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery ; Pulitzer Prize
- Gerleman, David J. Representative Lincoln at Work: Reconstructing a Legislative Career from Original Archival Documents Lincoln's congressional career
- Guelzo, Allen C., Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America, Simon & Schuster.
- Guelzo, Allen C., Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates that Defined America, Simon & Schuster.
- Harris, William C. With Charity for All: Lincoln and the Restoration of the Union. AL's plans for Reconstruction
- Hendrick, Burton J. Lincoln's War Cabinet
- Hofstadter, Richard. The American Political Tradition: And the Men Who Made It ch 5: "Abraham Lincoln and the Self-Made Myth"
- Howe, Daniel Walker, Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 16.1
- Kashatus, William C. Abraham Lincoln, the Quakers and the Civil War: A Trial of Principle and Faith. Praeger, 2014..
- Kunhardt Jr., Phillip B., Kunhardt III, Phillip, and Kunhardt, Peter W. Lincoln: An Illustrated Biography. Gramercy Books, New York, 1992.
- Laxner, James, Staking Claims to a Continent: John A. Macdonald, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and the Making of North America. Anansi Press
- McPherson, James M. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. Pulitzer Prize winner surveys all aspects of the war
- Neely, Mark E. The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties. Pulitzer Prize winner.
- Neely, Mark E. Lincoln and the Triumph of the Nation: Constitutional Conflict and the American Civil War
- Oakes, James. The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2007.
- Ostendorf, Lloyd, and Hamilton, Charles, Lincoln in Photographs: An Album of Every Known Pose, Morningside House Inc., 1963,.
- Paludan, Philip S. The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln, thorough treatment of Lincoln's administration
- Polsky, Andrew J. "'Mr. Lincoln's Army' Revisited: Partisanship, Institutional Position, and Union Army Command, 1861–1865." Studies in American Political Development, 16: 176–207
- Randall, James G. Lincoln the Liberal Statesman
- Richardson, Heather Cox. The Greatest Nation of the Earth: Republican Economic Policies during the Civil War
- Shenk, Joshua Wolf. Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness
- White, Jonathan W. Abraham Lincoln and Treason in the Civil War: The Trials of John Merryman
- White, Jonathan W. Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln
- Williams, T. Harry. Lincoln and His Generals.
- Wilson, Douglas L. Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words .
Historiography and memory
- Barr, John M. "Holding Up a Flawed Mirror to the American Soul: Abraham Lincoln in the Writings of Lerone Bennett Jr.," Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 35, 43-65.
- Barr, John M. Loathing Lincoln: An American Tradition from the Civil War to the Present.
- Boritt, Gabor S., ed. The Historian's Lincoln U. of Illinois Press, 1988
- Burkhimer, Michael. One hundred essential Lincoln books , examines the major books
- Foner, Eric, ed. Our Lincoln: New Perspectives on Lincoln and His World, essays by scholars
- Holt, Michael F. "Lincoln Reconsidered." Journal of American History 96.2 : 451-455.
- Holzer, Harold and Craig L. Symonds, eds. Exploring Lincoln: Great Historians Reappraise Our Greatest President, essays by 16 scholars
- Kunhardt III, Philip B. et al. Looking for Lincoln: The Making of an American Icon .
- Manning, Chandra, "The Shifting Terrain of Attitudes toward Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation", Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, 34, 18–39.
- Neely, Mark E. "The Lincoln Theme since Randall's Call: The Promises and Perils of Professionalism." Papers of the Abraham Lincoln Association 1 : 10-70.
- wide-ranging survey of how Lincoln was remembered after 1865.
- Pinsker, Matthew. "Lincoln Theme 2.0." Journal of American History 96.2 : 417-440.
- Pinsker, Matthew. "Lincoln Theme 2.0." Journal of American History 96.2 : 417-440.
- Randall, James G. "Has the Lincoln Theme Been Exhausted?." American Historical Review 41#2 : 270-294.
- Schwartz, Barry. Abraham Lincoln and the Forge of National Memory
- Schwartz, Barry. Abraham Lincoln in the post-heroic era: history and memory in late twentieth-century America
- Smith, Adam I.P. "The 'Cult' of Abraham Lincoln and the Strange Survival of Liberal England in the Era of the World Wars", Twentieth Century British History, 21#4 pp. 486–509.
- Spielberg, Steven; Goodwin, Doris Kearns; Kushner, Tony. "Mr. Lincoln Goes to Hollywood", Smithsonian 43#7 pp. 46–53.
Lincoln in art and popular culture
- Ferguson, Andrew. Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe's America. Grove Press..
Primary sources
- Angle, Paul McClelland; Earl Schenck Miers. The Living Lincoln: the Man, his Mind, his Times, and the War He Fought, Reconstructed from his Own Writings. Barnes & Noble Publishing..
- Basler, Roy P. et al., eds.. The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. 9 vols. Rutgers University Press..
- Fehrenbacher, Don E., ed. Abraham Lincoln: Speeches and Writings 1832–1858
- Fehrenbacher, Don E., ed. Abraham Lincoln: Speeches and Writings 1859–1865
- Stowell, Daniel W., et al., eds. The Papers of Abraham Lincoln: Legal Documents and Cases. University of Virginia Press, 2008
Attacks on Lincoln
- Marshall, John A., American Bastille Fifth edition: A History of the Illegal Arrests and Imprisonment of American Citizens in the Northern and Border States on Account of Their political opinions during the late Civil War. Part 1
- Masters, Edgar Lee. Lincoln: The Man