Lincoln by Gore Vidal is a 657-page softcover published by Vintage Books, a Division of Random House, Inc., first published in 1984, this copy is the first Vintage International Edition of February 2000.  The overall condition is very good; however the front endpaper is becoming detached from the spine.  All other pages are still tightly attached. 

Book Summary

Gore Vidal's Narratives of Empire span the history of the United States from the Revolution to the post-World War 11 years.  With their broad  canvas and large cast of fictional and historical characters, the novels in this series present a panorama of the American political and imperial experience as interpreted by one of the most worldly, knowing, and ironic observers.

To most Americans, Abraham Lincoln is a monolithic figure, the Great Emancipator and Savior of the Union, beloved by all.  In Gore Vidal's Lincoln we meet Lincoln the man and Lincoln the political animal, the president who entered a besieged capital where most of the population supported the South and where even those favoring the Union had serious doubts that the man from Illinois could save it.  Far from steadfast in his abhorrence of slavery, Lincoln agonizes over the best course of action and comes to his great decision only when all else seems to fail.  As the Civil War ravages his nation, Lincoln must face deep personal turmoil, the loss of his dearest son, and the harangues of a wife seen as a traitor for her Southern connections.  Brilliantly conceived, masterfully executed, Gore Vida's Lincoln allows the man to breathe again.