Biography of Abraham Lincoln: The 5 Most Interesting Published Works

The life of Abraham Lincoln is a fascinating one — from losing eight elections to writing and delivering one of the greatest speeches in American history. So fascinating was his life that more books have been written about Lincoln than anyone else except Jesus Christ, according to NPR. But when you are looking for a biography of the 16th president, you can't buy all 15,000.

So which are the best to pick up?

Here are five of the most interesting biographies of Abraham Lincoln:

1. "Lincoln" by David Herbert Donald

Viewed by many as the best single-volume biography of the 16th president, this work, published in 1995, chronicles Lincoln's life from humble beginnings in Kentucky to Illinois politician to president of a divided nation. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author does not just provide a historic Lincoln time line; he delves into the Lincoln’s character. He shows how the man of limited political experience became a great leader for our country.

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2. "Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer" by Fred Kaplan

This 2008 work examines the brilliance of Abraham Lincoln as a writer. Kaplan wrote about how the president was able to craft his addresses to a wide array of audiences and listeners.

3. "Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America" by Garry Wills

Studs Terkel, an outstanding writer in his own right, called the 1993 work, which won the Pulitzer Prize, a clear insight into the thinking of a historical figure. “Garry Willis' glowing reconstruction of Lincoln's words and the circumstances gives us a real understanding of what we rote-memorized as schoolchildren,” Terkel said. “This is what history is about.”

4. "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" by Doris Kearns Goodwin

This 2006 work delves into Lincoln's ability to read individuals' character and forge relationships with them. Lincoln, for example, had four men in his Cabinet who also sought the Republican nomination for president in 1860, including Edwin Stanton, who called him a “long-armed ape.”

5. "Abraham Lincoln" by Lord Charnwood

An Oxford-educated philosopher, Godfrey Rathbone Benson, the first Baron Charnwood, provides a foreign perspective on the presidency of Lincoln. Although written in 1916, the book provides a great starting place for individuals today to learn about the president and his life. The New Republic, when reviewing the book at that time, noted that Charnwood ranked Lincoln among the greatest men of our time, but denied him any “frigid perfections and produced many concrete evidences of weakness.

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• Franklin Roosevelt, Creator of New Deal, Ranks Among Greatest Presidents
• Abraham Lincoln's Lost Lesson