No American president before or since has faced the problems that confronted Abraham Lincoln when he took office in 1861. Nor has any president expressed himself with such eloquence on issues of great moment. Lincoln's writings reveal the depth of his thought and feeling and the sincerity of his convictions as he weighed the cost of freedom and preserving the Union. Now for the first time an annotated edition of Lincoln's essential writings examines the extraordinary man who produced them and explains the context in which they were composed. The Annotated Lincoln spans three decades of Lincoln's career, from his initial political campaign for state assemblyman in 1832 to his final public address on Reconstruction, delivered three days before his assassination on April 15, 1865. Included here are selections from his personal and political letters, poetry, speeches, and presidential messages and proclamations. In their generous annotations, Harold Holzer and Thomas Horrocks explore Lincoln's thoughts on slavery, emancipation, racial equality, the legality of secession, civil liberties in wartime, and the meaning of the terrible suffering caused by the Civil War. And they bring Lincoln's writings into the ambit of Lincoln scholarship, to offer a broader appreciation of his thoughts, words, and career. Numerous illustrations throughout animate historical events and actors. Teachers, students, and especially Lincoln enthusiasts will treasure this elegant volume and keep it close at hand for reference and enjoyment.

"Johnson After Three Centuries: New Light on Texts and Contexts" examines several aspects of Johnson's career through fresh perspectives and original interpretations by some of the best-known and widely-repsected scholars of our time. Included are essays by James Basker, James Engell, Nicholas Hudson, Jack Lynch, and Allen Reddick.

Although none of his contemporaries considered Buchanan a political genius or a brilliant statesman, many thought in 1856 that he was the right man for the times. Few have assumed the office of the presidency with such a sterling resume as Buchanan. With many years of experience, including stints as a member of the United States House of Representatives and Senate, Minister to Russia, Secretary of State, and Minister to Great Britain, he seemed well equipped to deal with the brewing sectional crisis he faced as president. Buchanan entered office during a time that required strong and decisive presidential leadership. Yet, despite his years of political experience, James Buchanan failed to provide that leadership. This book examines the life and presidency of James Buchanan and seeks to explain why such an experienced politician failed the test of leadership in a time of national crisis.

To commemorate the tercentenary of the birth of Samuel Johnson (1709 1784), whose influence on his time was as monumental as his legacy is enduring, Harvard University s Houghton Library presents this exhibition catalogue of items drawn from the Donald & Mary Hyde Collection of Dr. Samuel Johnson, bequeathed to the library in 2004 by Mary Hyde Eccles. This copiously illustrated catalogue documents sixty years of assiduous and painstaking effort on the part of Lady Eccles, initially in collaboration with her first husband, Donald F. Hyde, and later with the encouragement and support of her second husband, David, Viscount Eccles, to assemble one of the world s finest collections of eighteenth-century English literature. The catalogue, including essays on Johnson s literary durability and on Donald and Mary Hyde s life as collectors, pays tribute to a great literary icon and to a remarkably generous woman who devoted her life to collecting an astonishing array of books, manuscripts, prints, and other rare artifacts relating to his life and times.