"Historical analysis and psychological inquiry are combined in this insightful portrait of Abraham Lincoln. Through an examination of his childhood, courtship, marriage, and public career, an image emerges of a man often divided against himself - a description famously applied to Civil War-era America. Lincoln's troubled personal life, and the means by which he dealt with it, contributed to the lasting legacy of his presidency. An investigation into his important personal relations - with his parents, his wife and children, and with his law partners - shed light on the public triumphs of this great political figure."--BOOK JACKET.