No other narrative account of Abraham Lincoln's life has inspired such widespread and lasting acclaim as Charnwood's Abraham Lincoln: A Biography. Written by a native of England and originally published in 1916, the biography is a rare blend of beautiful prose and profound historical insight. Charnwood's study of Lincoln's statesmanship introduced generations of Americans to the life and politics of Lincoln and the author's observations are so comprehensive and well-supported that any serious study of Lincoln must respond to his conclusions.

To address the growing concern about the decline of political parties in American politics and the consequences this might have for America's constitutional democracy, the twelve leading constitutional scholars who contribute to this volume examine the purposes of political parties in America's constitutional order, each major party's strongest recent manifestation-the Democrat's New Deal coalition and the Republican's Reagan coalition, and the future of the American party system. Sponsored by the John M. Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs.