Founded in the Selfishness of Man's Nature

"Recent years have witnessed books on Lincoln’s marriage, his supposed homosexuality, and his melancholia and occasional temper tantrums. Such books are often fascinating and provocative, but their originality and reliability can vary greatly, since no new cache of private ­Lincolniana has recently come to light. Fortunately, there’s a way of re-envisioning even the most famous people: by freshly examining their relationship to their historical contexts. The great figures of history, as Melville wrote, 'are parts of the times; they themselves are the times, and possess a correspondent coloring.'"

David S. Reynolds in The New York Times reviews Eric Foner's The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery.