Pulitzer Prize History Winner

Abraham Lincoln: The War Years

by Carl Sandburg

Summary

Sandburg follows Lincoln through the presidency and the Civil War in a sprawling four volume portrait that blends documentary detail with the cadence of a poet. He renders the burdens of command, the politics of the Union, and the human figure behind the legend on a vast canvas. The work became one of the most celebrated and widely read accounts of Lincoln, completing Sandburg's biography begun with the prairie years.

Historical Context & Significance

Sandburg, a poet rather than an academic historian, won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1940 for these four volumes covering Lincoln's presidency.