Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith's detailed biography covers the places in Lincoln's life: Indiana, Illinois, and Washington. It also traces his various roles as storekeeper, serviceman, state legislator, lawyer, politician, Republican Party leader, and of course President. Along the way, we learn about his days of hardship as a beginning lawyer, his love for Anne Rutledge, such myths as 'Honest Abe,' and his deep concerns over the issue of slavery. The author uses Lincoln's correspondence with others to show his personality traits and opinions about topics of his world.

Abraham Lincoln was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865.