"Shortly after Lincoln's death, in 1865, all the papers which had accumulated in his office files during his presidency, plus many more which he had brought with him from Springfield, were removed from the White House by his son. From that time until July 26, 1947, when the collection was first opened to the public, these papers were shrouded in secrecy. In the introductory chapters of this book, the author presents the dramatic history of the collection, exploring and explaining the origins of the fabulous legend which grew up around it during the eighty-two years that it remained inaccessible to scholars and to the public. Following this introductory section is the main body of these two volumes- a selection of more than 500 vital documents from the monumental collection now in the Library of Congress, with notes when they are necessary to make the papers completely intelligible to the reader. This selection of papers goes up to July 4, 1861, covering Lincoln's early years, his political campaigns, and the first critical months of the presidency when the nation was torn by civil war."--Jacket.