Lincoln Unbound

National Review editor Rich Lowry follows the rise of Abraham Lincoln from provincial upstart to dominant politician and urges a return to his ethic of relentless striving. Lowry portrays a man ambitious from youth who never meant to make a living with an ax, taught himself on the frontier and preached work and discipline as the road to self-improvement. As a Whig and then a Republican, Lincoln fought both the rural backwardness of his youth and the Southern plantation economy built on slavery. He favored a small but active government, embraced the market and new transport and communications, and helped launch the modern industrial economy. Lowry argues that stagnation and social breakdown now threaten that mobile society.

Rupert Murdoch called it fascinating while reading it, describing Lincoln as surely the greatest and most interesting American president.