Almost every fragment begins with a problem Lincoln was facing, and it’s fascinating to see how he grappled with each one.

... they do add a unique perspective on the evolution of thought in America’s greatest President, revealing seeds that later blossomed into his personal and political inspiration.

White shows there still is space on crowded Lincoln bookshelves for a unique work.

... an intimate character portrait and fascinating inquiry into the basis of Lincoln’s energetic, curious mind.

Occasionally, readers will encounter writing of genuine historical value, such as a public statement Lincoln proposed to release if defeated in the 1864 election or arguments pointing out the irrationality of slavery. These fragments appear in the appendix, and readers who turn to them first will realize that, while Lincoln may be immortal, most of what he put on paper is not. Many will feel grateful to biographers, who read everything that great men and women wrote so that we don’t have to. Fortunately, White is a formidable scholar, one of the leading authorities on Lincoln and his milieu. He devotes most of the text to summarizing the work and explaining what Lincoln was thinking and doing at the time.

... probing.