In 1890, Abraham Lincoln's two main White House secretaries, John G Nicolay and John Hay, published the ten-volume biography "Abraham Lincoln: A History". This book presents the personal observations of the secretaries during the Lincoln presidency, placing ten excerpts in chronological order.

In this clear and captivating new work, Burlingame has made key portions of Nicolay and Hay's immense biography available to a wide audience of today's readers.