The post-assassination Lincoln took on a greatly amplified importance to much of the American public, probably the president most deeply reviled in his lifetime and mostly highly regarded after his death.

Myth and mythology often serve constructive and aspirational purposes. But they also do harm.

I want to contribute to the culture and keep great writers alive by telling the stories of their lives.

I first wrote a biography of Thomas Carlyle, and it turned out I loved writing biographies and had a talent for it. I believed I had a contribution to make.

Serious biographies need to have a historical base in facts.

I started out as a writer of fiction, but nobody wanted to publish my work as a young man. So I decided to put my interest in the narrative writing of biographies.

We do ourselves a disservice when we self-servingly massage the record.

Lincoln was the Twain of our politics.

Obama is a very fine writer with an excellent command of language. His memoir 'Dreams From My Father' is a fine book, but it will not rank as one of the great autobiographies.

Lincoln is a genius of language and a brilliant writer who deserves to be seen as part of the canon of great writers in American literature.