Lincoln's Virtues by William Lee Miller

Lincoln's Virtues

An Ethical Biography

William Lee Miller

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group · Print & ebook · February 4, 2003

William Lee Miller’s ethical biography is a fresh, engaging telling of the story of Lincoln’s rise to power.

Buy on Amazon

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
A biography that treats character as something you can think with, not just admire.
Genres
Presidents & World Leaders, Civil War Era, Political Lives
Published
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, February 4, 2003

Nearest books

Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved. Most of these share its genres: Presidents & World Leaders and Civil War Era.

  1. His Greatest SpeechesDiana Schaub60% match
  2. The Fiery TrialEric Foner59% match
  3. Why We Did ItTim Miller, Josh Bloomberg48% matchAlso shares Political Lives
  4. The Book of CharlieDavid Von Drehle47% match
  5. The Great DissenterPeter S. Canellos48% match
  6. Lincoln at GettysburgGarry Wills55% match
  7. Boss LincolnMatthew Pinsker67% matchAlso shares Political Lives
  8. One Man Great EnoughJohn C. Waugh66% matchAlso shares Political Lives

For younger readers: Lincoln in His Own Words, A Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln, Who Was Abraham Lincoln?

Start with three books, and this one can be the first.

Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.

Start with this book

About this book

William Lee Miller’s ethical biography is a fresh, engaging telling of the story of Lincoln’s rise to power. Through careful scrutiny of Lincoln’s actions, speeches, and writings, and of accounts from those who knew him, Miller gives us insight into the moral development of a great politician — one who made the choice to go into politics, and ultimately realized that vocation’s fullest moral possibilities.

Continue reading

As Lincoln’s Virtues makes refreshingly clear, Lincoln was not born with his face on Mount Rushmore; he was an actual human being making choices — moral choices — in a real world. In an account animated by wit and humor, Miller follows this unschooled frontier politician’s rise, showing that the higher he went and the greater his power, the worthier his conduct would become. He would become that rare bird, a great man who was also a good man. Uniquely revealing of its subject’s heart and mind, it represents a major contribution to our understanding and of Lincoln, and to the perennial American discussion of the relationship between politics and morality.

Ethical Portrait

A biography that treats character as something you can think with, not just admire.

Come here for

  • an ethical lens on Lincoln
  • moral reflection without the marble pedestal

Expect

  • history shaped by virtue
  • a steady, sustained read

Where it sits

Presidents & World Leaders91%
Political Lives47%
Civil War Era46%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Presidents & World Leaders
  • Civil War Era
  • How Political Campaigns Work
Authors
William Lee Miller
Publisher
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published
February 4, 2003
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Presidents & World Leaders