Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

Goodwin, Doris Kearns

ISBN 10: 0684824906 / ISBN 13: 9780684824901

Published by Simon & Schuster, New York, 2005

First printing, full number line. Signed by the author on the title page: "Doris Kearns Goodwin." The sixth book by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author; parts of it were the basis for the 2012 film "Lincoln" directed by Steven Spielberg, for which Daniel Day-Lewis won a best actor Oscar. The book is unmarked; the spine is slanted and cupped; top corners and spine ends bumped. The dust jacket is not price-clipped (original price $35.00); an "Autographed Copy" sticker on the front panel; Brodart protected. Seller Inventory # 016958

Synopsis:

Winner of the Lincoln Prize

Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Abraham Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president.

On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry.

Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war. That Lincoln succeeded, Goodwin demonstrates, was the result of a character that had been forged by experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals. He won because he possessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires.

It was this capacity that enabled Lincoln as president to bring his disgruntled opponents together, create the most unusual cabinet in history, and marshal their talents to the task of preserving the Union and winning the war.

We view the long, horrifying struggle from the vantage of the White House as Lincoln copes with incompetent generals, hostile congressmen, and his raucous cabinet. He overcomes these obstacles by winning the respect of his former competitors, and in the case of Seward, finds a loyal and crucial friend to see him through.

This brilliant multiple biography is centered on Lincoln's mastery of men and how it shaped the most significant presidency in the nation's history.

About the Author: Doris Kearns Goodwin's work for President Johnson inspired her career as a presidential historian. Her first book was Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream. She followed up with the Pulitzer Prize-winning No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Homefront in World War II. She earned the Lincoln Prize for Team of Rivals, in part the basis for Steven Spielberg's film Lincoln, and the Carnegie Medal for The Bully Pulpit, about the friendship between Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. Her bestselling Leadership: In Turbulent Times was the inspiration for the History Channel docuseries on Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin Roosevelt, which she executive produced. Her most recent book, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s, provides a front-row seat to the pivotal people--JFK, LBJ, RFK, and MLK--and events of this momentous decade.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of ...
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, New York
Publication Date: 2005
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good +
Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
Signed: Signed by Author(s)
Edition: 1st Edition