One of the most important works on Abraham Lincoln from the era when he was passing out of living memory and into history, this 1917 classic is a rich, evocative portrait of the man and how actions as a leader were shaped by his character and ideals. From its British perspective, offering a fresh angle on an American legend, to its charming readability, Charnwood's treatise-which was called, in 1947, "the best one-volume life of Lincoln ever written" by historian Benjamin Thomas-today remains one of the most intriguing examinations of the great president, and a keystone for understanding the evolution of Lincoln scholarship. British author and academic GODFREY RATHBONE BENSON, 1st Baron Charnwood (1864-1945) also wrote the biography *Theodore Roosevelt* (1923).