Life and Writings of Abraham Lincoln, The by Abraham Lincoln, Philip Van Doren Stern (Editor, Biographical Notes), Allan Nevins (Introduction); 1940/1999. Hardcover. (Modern Library)

Abraham Lincoln, the greatest of all American presidents, left us a vast legacy of writings, some of which are among the most famous in our history. Lincoln was a marvelous writer--from his humblest letter to his greatest speeches. His sentences were so memorably crafted that many resonate across the years. "Fourscore and seven years ago," begins the Gettysburg address, "our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

In 1940, the prolific author and historian Philip Van Doren Stern produced this volume as a guide to Lincoln's life through his writings. Stern's "The Life of Abraham Lincoln," which precedes the writings, is a full biography of the man and includes a detailed chronology.