Brian Thornton - Honest Abe: 101 Little-Known Truths about Abraham Lincoln

There are few historical figures as beloved as Abraham Lincoln. The national monument erected in his honor dominates an entire end of the Mall in our nation's capital. He is one of the most recognizable icons our society has ever produced.

Unfortunately, an icon in the truest sense of the word is a religious image, either a painting or a statue. Americans tend to revere the icon that history has made of Abraham Lincoln without really understanding the flesh-and-blood man behind it.

This is a shame, because the man himself is fascinating enough without all of the trappings of myth that have sprung up in the 140 years since his death. Abraham Lincoln was a man. He was good and he was bad, and like many good American heroes, he was keenly aware of his faults. The resulting humility that others found so endearing both during his lifetime and in the years since his untimely death is a distinctly American character trait. We love for our heroes to be modest.

And yet Abraham Lincoln was so much more than that grave-faced image sitting on the throne in Washington, D.C. A skilled, charming politician, a genius at reading people, a devoted family man, Lincoln was literally the right man at the right time to step forward in his country's darkest hour and be that rarest of men: a leader. He was also a religious skeptic, a frequently inattentive husband, terribly shy around single women, given to bouts of deep depression, and possessed of a short memory when it came to personal friendships. These perceived shortcomings should not be swept into the dustbin of history. Rather, they lend color, perspective, and shading to the polished white marble of one of our favorite statues, showing a man all the more remarkable for possessing these faults.

If you're going to understand this extraordinary man, it is important to humanize the legend, to show him and his extraordinary accomplishments in context. Abraham Lincoln was a remarkable human being who transcended his humble origins, overcame early tragedy, and ascended to the highest office in the land. But that is only half of the story. The intent of this book is to educate as well as entertain, to give Lincoln the man back to the people who so love him. After all, they have more reason to do so than they know.