714 pp hardcover a masterful work by pulitzer prize-winning author david herbert donald, lincoln is a stunning portrait of abraham lincoln ;s life and presidency. Donald brilliantly depicts lincoln s gradual ascent from humble beginnings in rural kentucky to the ever-expanding political circles in illinois, and finally to the presidency of a country divided by civil war. Donald goes beyond biography, illuminating the gradual development of lincoln ;s character, chronicling his tremendous capacity for evolution and growth, thus illustrating what made it possible for a man so inexperienced and so unprepared for the presidency to become a great moral leader. In the most troubled of times, here was a man who led the country out of slavery and preserved a shattered union--in short, one of the greatest presidents this country has ever seen