The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 1 - 1832-1843

The first volume of Abraham Lincoln's writings is introduced by President Theodore Roosevelt and the renowned historian and Lincoln scholar Carl Shurz.

The introductory itself offers meaningful praise and instruction on the profitable study of Abe Lincoln. The first, by Teddy Roosevelt, is an eloquent tribute to a man he treated as a role model for holders of high office and for individuals in general. The second introduction, by Shurz, offers an substantial, in-depth discussion on how best enthusiasts, historians and biographers of Lincoln may ascertain and grasp his character. 

In his essay introducing the first volume, Shurz notes that a great starting point for study of Lincoln is his personal letters, speeches and other writings. It is by reading these accounts sequentially that we gain an insight into the mind of a man who was to become arguably the greatest President the United States has seen to date. We come to realize that Lincoln was - contrary to his portrait as a near-infallible and towering figure - a human being with emotions, strengths and weaknesses. 

This record of Lincoln's personal correspondences is complete and unabridged, offering readers a chronologically arranged account of the man's early life. We join Lincoln as a young man in 1832, making his initial public addresses which reveal a man wise beyond his years and with a rare stubborn eagerness to perform as a public servant to the best of his capacity.  

Lincoln's early political opinions, and his ambition to rise through the political ranks are revealed in this collection. Capable of offering counsel and comfort to those he considered friends, many of his letters concern not politics, but matters such as contentious criminal cases which Lincoln, as a lawyer, could claim authority on. 

Volume One brings us to 1843, the year in which Lincoln sought nomination to Congress as a Whig.