Bibliography of Abraham Lincoln

This bibliography of Abraham Lincoln is a comprehensive list of written and published works about or by Abraham Lincoln, the 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 (non-legal, pre-presidential materials) and Series III (presidential materials).

There have been 16,000 books and articles 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 (1928). 2 vols. to 1858; notable for strong, political coverage that tends to favor Stephen Douglas online edition
 * Burlingame, Michael. Abraham Lincoln: A Life (2 vols. 2008); the most detailed life. Manuscript. One-volume edition edited and abridged by Jonathan W. White (2023).
 * Burlingame, Michael. The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln (1994). Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
 * Carpenter, Francis Bicknell (1866). Six Months at the White House with Abraham Lincoln: The Story of a Picture, New York: Hurd and Houghton (1866); also published as The Inner Life of Abraham Lincoln: Six Months at the White House, New York: Hurd and Houghton (1867). Author was the artist who painted First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln.
 * Carwardine, Richard. Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power (2003), winner of the Lincoln Prize
 * Lord Charnwood, Abraham Lincoln (1916), first bio by a non-American, Excerpt


 * Donald, David Herbert. Lincoln (1995) Useful scholarly biography. Excerpt
 * Gienapp, William E. Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America: A Biography (2002), short bio by scholar, online edition
 * Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (2005), winner of the Lincoln Prize, basis for the 2012 film Lincoln.
 * Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (2005), winner of the Lincoln Prize, basis for the 2012 film Lincoln.


 * Guelzo, Allen C. Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President (1999) online edition Second edition, 2022.
 * Harris, William C. Lincoln's Rise to the Presidency (2007) conservative author argues Lincoln was basically conservative Excerpt
 * Holland, Josiah Gilbert (1866). Holland's Life of Abraham Lincoln. Springfield, Massachusetts: Gurdon Bill. Published in 1998 with introduction by Allen C. Guelzo, Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press.
 * Luthin, Reinhard H. The Real Abraham Lincoln (1960), emphasis on politics
 * McPherson, James M. Abraham Lincoln (2009) (short biography) Excerpt
 * , vol 3. of detailed biography
 * Miller, William Lee. Lincoln's Virtues: An Ethical Biography (2002). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 037540158X
 * Miller, William Lee. President Lincoln: The Duty of a Statesman (2008). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-1400041039
 * Pulitzer Prize–winning author
 * detailed articles on many men and movements associated with AL
 * , vol 3. of detailed biography
 * Miller, William Lee. Lincoln's Virtues: An Ethical Biography (2002). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 037540158X
 * Miller, William Lee. President Lincoln: The Duty of a Statesman (2008). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-1400041039
 * Pulitzer Prize–winning author
 * detailed articles on many men and movements associated with AL
 * Pulitzer Prize–winning author
 * detailed articles on many men and movements associated with AL


 * Nicolay, Helen (1913). Personal Traits of Abraham Lincoln, New York: The Century Co. (based on material that the author's father John George Nicolay had collected but been unable to use in the biography of Lincoln that he wrote with John Hay)
 * Nicolay, John George and John Hay. Abraham Lincoln: A History (1890); online at Volume 1 and Volume 2 vol 6 10 volumes in all; highly detailed narrative of era written by Lincoln's top aides
 * Oates, Stephen B. (1977). With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln. Excerpt
 * Randall, James G. Lincoln the President (4 vols., 1945–55; reprint 2000) by prize-winning scholar. Fourth volume: Randall, J.G. and Current, Richard N., Last Full Measure: Lincoln the President, New York: Dodd, Mead & Company (1955). Randall had died in 1953 and Current completed the book.
 * Reynolds, David S. (2020). Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times. Penguin Press. ISBN 978-1594206047
 * Sandburg, Carl. Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years (2 vol 1926) vol. 1 online (Subscription required.) vol. 2 online (Subscription required.) ; The War Years (4 vol 1939). Pulitzer Prize–winning biography by the famous poet
 * Smith, Harvey H. (1931). Lincoln and the Lincolns. Pioneer Publications, Inc.
 * Striner, Richard (2020). Summoned to Glory: The Audacious Life of Abraham Lincoln. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-1538137161
 * Tarbell, Ida. The Life of Abraham Lincoln
 * Thomas, Benjamin P. Abraham Lincoln: A Biography (1952; 2nd ed. 2008) online edition
 * White, Ronald C. (2021). Lincoln in Private: What His Most Personal Reflections Tell Us About Our Greatest President. Random House. ISBN 978-1984855091
 * Thomas, Benjamin P. Abraham Lincoln: A Biography (1952; 2nd ed. 2008) online edition
 * White, Ronald C. (2021). Lincoln in Private: What His Most Personal Reflections Tell Us About Our Greatest President. Random House. ISBN 978-1984855091
 * White, Ronald C. (2021). Lincoln in Private: What His Most Personal Reflections Tell Us About Our Greatest President. Random House. ISBN 978-1984855091

Specialty topics

 * Published as a book titled The Trent Affair: An Historical Retrospective, with "A few changes in language ... and a paragraph added." Boston, 1912
 * Angle, Paul M., Here I Have Lived: A History of Lincoln's Springfield, 1821–1865, (1935) online edition
 * Belz, Herman. Abraham Lincoln, Constitutionalism, and Equal Rights in the Civil War Era (1998)
 * Boritt, Gabor S. Lincoln and the Economics of the American Dream (1994). Lincoln's economic theory and policies
 * Boritt, Gabor S., ed. Lincoln the War President (1994)
 * Bruce, Robert V. Lincoln and the Tools of War (1956) on weapons development during the war online edition
 * Bush, Bryan S. Lincoln and the Speeds: The Untold Story of a Devoted and Enduring Friendship (2008) ISBN 978-0979880261
 * Chittenden, Lucius E. Recollections of President Lincoln and His Administration, (1891). – Google Books
 * Donald, David Herbert. Lincoln Reconsidered: Essays on the Civil War Era (1960)
 * Donald, David Herbert. We Are Lincoln Men: Abraham Lincoln and His Friends Simon & Schuster, (2003).
 * Emerson, James (2007). The Madness of Mary Lincoln. Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 978-0809327713.
 * Foner, Eric. The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery (2011); Pulitzer Prize excerpt and text search
 * Gerleman, David J. Representative Lincoln at Work: Reconstructing a Legislative Career from Original Archival Documents (2017) Lincoln's congressional career The Capitol Dome - 2017 Dome 54.2
 * Guelzo, Allen C. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America, Simon & Schuster (2004). ISBN 0743221826
 * Guelzo, Allen C. Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates that Defined America, Simon & Schuster (2008). ISBN 978-0743273206
 * Harris, William C. With Charity for All: Lincoln and the Restoration of the Union (1997). AL's plans for Reconstruction
 * Hendrick, Burton J. Lincoln's War Cabinet (1946) online edition
 * Hofstadter, Richard. The American Political Tradition: And the Men Who Made It (1948) ch. 5: "Abraham Lincoln and the Self-Made Myth."
 * Howe, Daniel Walker. Why Abraham Lincoln Was a Whig. Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 16.1 (1995)
 * Kashatus, William C. Abraham Lincoln, the Quakers and the Civil War: A Trial of Principle and Faith. Praeger, 2014. ISBN 978-1440833199.
 * Kunhardt Jr., Phillip B., Kunhardt III, Phillip, and Kunhardt, Peter W. Lincoln: An Illustrated Biography. Gramercy Books, New York, 1992. ISBN 051720715X
 * Laxner, James, Staking Claims to a Continent: John A. Macdonald, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and the Making of North America (2016). Anansi Press ISBN 978-1770894303
 * Lind, Michael. What Lincoln Believed. The Values and Convictions of America's Greatest President (2004). Anchor Books, a division of Random House, Inc. New York ISBN 978-1400030736
 * McPherson, James M. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (1988). Pulitzer Prize winner surveys all aspects of the war
 * Neely, Mark E. The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties (1992). Pulitzer Prize winner. online version
 * Neely, Mark E. Lincoln and the Triumph of the Nation: Constitutional Conflict and the American Civil War (2011)
 * 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. ISBN 0393061949. review
 * Ostendorf, Lloyd, and Hamilton, Charles. Lincoln in Photographs: An Album of Every Known Pose, Morningside House Inc., 1963, ISBN 0890290873.
 * Paludan, Phillip S. The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln (1994), 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 (2002), 16: 176–207
 * Randall, James G. Lincoln the Liberal Statesman (1947)
 * Richardson, Heather Cox. The Greatest Nation of the Earth: Republican Economic Policies during the Civil War (1997)
 * Shenk, Joshua Wolf. Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness (2005)
 * , a survey of contemporary criticism and polemic directed at Lincoln
 * White, Jonathan W. Abraham Lincoln and Treason in the Civil War: The Trials of John Merryman (2011). review
 * White, Jonathan W. Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln (2014)
 * White, Jonathan W. Lincoln on Law, Leadership, and Life (2015). review
 * White, Jonathan W. My Day with Abe Lincoln (2024) Children's book based on facts of Lincoln's childhood.
 * Williams, T. Harry. Lincoln and His Generals (1967).
 * Wilson, Douglas L. Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words (2006) ISBN 1400040396.
 * Randall, James G. Lincoln the Liberal Statesman (1947)
 * Richardson, Heather Cox. The Greatest Nation of the Earth: Republican Economic Policies during the Civil War (1997)
 * Shenk, Joshua Wolf. Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness (2005)
 * , a survey of contemporary criticism and polemic directed at Lincoln
 * White, Jonathan W. Abraham Lincoln and Treason in the Civil War: The Trials of John Merryman (2011). review
 * White, Jonathan W. Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln (2014)
 * White, Jonathan W. Lincoln on Law, Leadership, and Life (2015). review
 * White, Jonathan W. My Day with Abe Lincoln (2024) Children's book based on facts of Lincoln's childhood.
 * Williams, T. Harry. Lincoln and His Generals (1967).
 * Wilson, Douglas L. Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words (2006) ISBN 1400040396.
 * White, Jonathan W. Abraham Lincoln and Treason in the Civil War: The Trials of John Merryman (2011). review
 * White, Jonathan W. Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln (2014)
 * White, Jonathan W. Lincoln on Law, Leadership, and Life (2015). review
 * White, Jonathan W. My Day with Abe Lincoln (2024) Children's book based on facts of Lincoln's childhood.
 * Williams, T. Harry. Lincoln and His Generals (1967).
 * Wilson, Douglas L. Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words (2006) ISBN 1400040396.
 * Williams, T. Harry. Lincoln and His Generals (1967).
 * Wilson, Douglas L. Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words (2006) ISBN 1400040396.

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 (Winter 2014), 43–65.
 * Barr, John M. Loathing Lincoln: An American Tradition from the Civil War to the Present (LSU Press, 2014).
 * Boritt, Gabor S., ed. The Historian's Lincoln U. of Illinois Press, 1988
 * Burkhimer, Michael. One hundred essential Lincoln books (2003), examines the major books
 * Foner, Eric, ed. Our Lincoln: New Perspectives on Lincoln and His World (2009), essays by scholars excerpt and text search
 * Holt, Michael F. "Lincoln Reconsidered." Journal of American History 96.2 (2009): 451–455. online
 * Holzer, Harold and Craig L. Symonds, eds. Exploring Lincoln: Great Historians Reappraise Our Greatest President (2015), essays by 16 scholars
 * Kunhardt III, Philip B. et al. Looking for Lincoln: The Making of an American Icon  (2012).
 * Manning, Chandra, "The Shifting Terrain of Attitudes toward Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation", Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, 34 (Winter 2013), 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 (1979): 10–70. in JSTOR
 * Manning, Chandra, "The Shifting Terrain of Attitudes toward Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation", Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, 34 (Winter 2013), 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 (1979): 10–70. in JSTOR


 * wide-ranging survey of how Lincoln was remembered after 1865.
 * Pinsker, Matthew. "Lincoln Theme 2.0." Journal of American History 96.2 (2009): 417–440. online
 * Pinsker, Matthew. "Lincoln Theme 2.0." Journal of American History 96.2 (2009): 417–440. online
 * Randall, James G. "Has the Lincoln Theme Been Exhausted?." American Historical Review 41#2 (1936): 270–294. online
 * Schwartz, Barry. Abraham Lincoln and the Forge of National Memory (2003) excerpt and text search
 * Schwartz, Barry. Abraham Lincoln in the post-heroic era: history and memory in late twentieth-century America (2008) excerpt and text search
 * 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, (Dec 2010) 21#4 pp. 486–509.
 * Spielberg, Steven; Goodwin, Doris Kearns; Kushner, Tony. "Mr. Lincoln Goes to Hollywood", Smithsonian (2012) 43#7 pp. 46–53.
 * Spielberg, Steven; Goodwin, Doris Kearns; Kushner, Tony. "Mr. Lincoln Goes to Hollywood", Smithsonian (2012) 43#7 pp. 46–53.
 * Spielberg, Steven; Goodwin, Doris Kearns; Kushner, Tony. "Mr. Lincoln Goes to Hollywood", Smithsonian (2012) 43#7 pp. 46–53.

Lincoln in art and popular culture

 * Ferguson, Andrew (2008). Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe's America. Grove Press. ISBN 978-0802143617.
 * Ferguson, Andrew (2008). Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe's America. Grove Press. ISBN 978-0802143617.

Attacks on Lincoln

 * Marshall, John A. American Bastile: A History of the Arbitrary Arrests and Imprisonment of American Citizens in the Northern and Border States, on Account of Their Political Opinions, During the Late Civil War (1883)
 * Masters, Edgar Lee. Lincoln: The Man (1931)
 * Marshall, John A. American Bastile: A History of the Arbitrary Arrests and Imprisonment of American Citizens in the Northern and Border States, on Account of Their Political Opinions, During the Late Civil War (1883)
 * Masters, Edgar Lee. Lincoln: The Man (1931)