Boss Lincoln

The Partisan Life of Abraham Lincoln

By: Matthew Pinsker

Narrated by: Peter Lerman

An eye–opening portrait of Lincoln behind the scenes: Here is the career–long party politician whose brilliant coalition–building during the Civil War set the political foundation for emancipation and Union victory.

We know Lincoln as the eloquent, compassionate leader of a nation torn by civil war. But he had another, less visible side, equally central to his character and leadership: Lincoln was a master of party politics. Schooled as a Whig in the rough–and–tumble of Illinois electioneering in the 1830s, Lincoln skillfully navigated treacherous partisan crosscurrents and helped build the Republican party into a viable force. His decades of experience as a party leader proved invaluable to him as president and commander in chief during the Civil War.

Matthew Pinsker’s groundbreaking history draws extensively on Lincoln’s private correspondence to move beyond the marble icon and realize a flesh-and-blood character in Boss Lincoln.

©2026 Matthew Pinsker (P)2026 Matthew Pinsker

very boring

nothing about the book was enjoyable--it was extremely boring--one of the worst books I have ever read.