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"Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington" by Ted Widmer! Hardcover – Published April 7, 2020 to Rave Reviews!  Free Shipping!

"This book is packed with historical photos and drawings. I would say it is almost 20% photos and illustrations and 80% text. Widmer's writing draws the reader in and paints pictures in clear terms with his writing style. This book is almost 600 pages but it has a bit everything: history, drama, humor, poetry, and illustrations."

About the Book:

"As a divided nation plunges into the deepest crisis in its history, Abraham Lincoln boards a train for Washington and his inauguration—an inauguration Southerners have vowed to prevent by any means necessary. Drawing on new research, this account reveals the President-Elect as a work in progress, showing him on the verge of greatness, foiling an assassination attempt, and forging an unbreakable bond with the American people.

On the eve of his 52nd birthday, February 11, 1861, the President-Elect of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, walked onto a train, the first step of his journey to the White House, and his rendezvous with destiny.

But as the train began to carry Lincoln toward Washington, it was far from certain what he would find there. Bankrupt and rudderless, the government was on the verge of collapse. To make matters worse, reliable intelligence confirmed a conspiracy to assassinate him as he passed through Baltimore. It is no exaggeration to say that the fate of the Republic hung in the balance.

How did Lincoln survive this grueling odyssey, to become the president we know from the history books? Lincoln on the Verge tells the story of a leader discovering his own strength, improvising brilliantly, and seeing his country up close during these pivotal thirteen days.

From the moment the Presidential Special left the station, a new Lincoln was on display, speaking constantly, from a moving train, to save the Republic. The journey would draw on all of Lincoln’s mental and physical reserves. But the President-Elect discovered an inner strength, which deepened with the exhausting ordeal of meeting millions of Americans.

Lincoln on the Verge tells the story of America’s greatest president and the obstacles he overcame, well before he could take the oath of office and deliver his inaugural address."

Review:

"Ted Widmer has expertly documented one of the most critical times in US history. The nation was divided almost as much as it appears to be today. Lincoln's inauguration ushered in a much needed era of change that helped to extend human rights regardless of one's melanin content. This book not only details the 13 day journey that Lincoln took, but it also shines a spotlight on the backdrop of a nation on the verge of war. Widmer chronicles the journey of one of America's greatest presidents as he overcame one obstacle after another while maintaining his integrity as a leader and moving forward against a previously corrupt administration. It is fascinating to see similarities of historical events to what is happening in our nation today and we would be wise to take note, especially when the nation is facing a pandemic that is bringing the world to its knees.

This book is packed with historical photos and drawings. I would say it is almost 20% photos and illustrations and 80% text. Widmer's writing draws the reader in and paints pictures in clear terms with his writing style. This book is almost 600 pages but it has a bit everything: history, drama, humor, poetry, and illustrations.

Overall, and excellent addition to a Lincoln library or to anyone with an interest in one of the greatest presidents of all time." 

Editorial Reviews:

“With stunning verve and you-are-there immediacy, Ted Widmer evokes the thirteen day journey of president-elect Abraham Lincoln from Springfield to Washington in which he sealed a fervent bond with his northern followers. Loaded with high drama, danger, and plentiful suspense, the train rides take on an almost mythic dimension, representing the democratic revolution that will soon tip the fractious country into a bloody civil war. A riveting piece of history and a first-rate read."—Ron Chernow, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of Grant and Washington: A Life

"Ted Widmer's Lincoln On the Verge is an impressively vivid and intimate portrait of Abraham Lincoln on his historic 1861 train journey from Illinois to Washington D.C.  (where he was sworn-in as America's 16th president).  With a deft blend of textured storytelling and fresh research Widmer recounts the widespread uncertainty and fear that consumed the nation on the eve of the Civil War.  Highly recommended!"—Douglas Brinkley, author of Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America

“Lincoln's journey by train from Springfield to Washington in February 1861 was full of drama and tension caused by a nation breaking in two as the president-elect's passage through seven of the largest Northern states helped unify them for the impending struggle even a delegates from seven seceded states met a thousand miles to the south to form the Confederacy and conspirators in Baltimore plotted to assassinate Lincoln as he passed through their city, a conspiracy that was foiled by a secret midnight transit.  Ted Widmer's narrative captures the drama and tension with sparkling prose that projects the reader back in time to that fateful journey.”—James M. McPherson, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era

“A positively elegiac account of the most consequential pre-inauguration journey—and pre-presidential public relations offensive—in American history. Lincoln said at the outset that he had a “task greater than” George Washington faced to preserve the Union the founders had created. Ted Widmer has successfully undertaken a great task of his own in crafting a cohesive, dramatic, and ultimately stirring account of the politically fraught, emotionally draining, and physically dangerous voyage that brought Illinois’ favorite son to the nation’s capital in time, and shape, to meet his destiny.”—Harold Holzer, winner of the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize

“A richly detailed and colorful narrative, Ted Widmer's book is wonderfully readable, and surely the fullest account yet of Lincoln's perilous trip to Washington as President-elect.”—Douglas L. Wilson, author of Honor's Voice and Lincoln's Sword

“Ted Widmer is one of our best contemporary chroniclers of the American story. He immerses readers in a pivotal moment at the brink of the Civil War, bringing our greatest president to life on the page. And as America now faces another moment of seemingly irreparable disunion, Widmer finds relevance — and even reasons for hope — in the past.”—Adam Goodheart, author of 1861: The Civil War Awakening 

“Lincoln buffs will undoubtedly devour the book. A colorful, richly detailed overture to Lincoln’s odyddey.”—Kirkus Reviews  

 

“Widmer’s exploration of this historical footnote delivers real depth… History buffs will be entertained and enlightened by this unique view of Lincoln and the country on the cusp of war.”—Publishers Weekly

About the Author:
Ted Widmer is Distinguished Lecturer at Macaulay Honors College (CUNY). In addition to his teaching, he writes actively about American history in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and other venues. He has also taught or directed research centers at Harvard University, Brown University, and Washington College. He grew up in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and attended Harvard University.