Mary Lincoln: Biography of a Marriage

More fascinating than fiction, this is the moving story of the most misunderstood woman in American history…

The truth about Mary Lincoln has for nearly a century been hidden under a mountain of myth.

They said Lincoln really loved Ann Rutledge. That he had tried to avoid marriage to Mary Todd, that his wife hurt him politically though she drove him to the Presidency, that she embarrassed him financially as well as socially and inflicted on him the agony of adjustment to her psychopathic personality.

Now for the first time, the true woman beneath the myth is presented. The veil of legend surrounding Mary Lincoln is torn aside and an entirely new picture of a woman and a marriage emerges.

Here, through the eyes of the people who knew the Lincolns, through the long-lost telegrams and letters they sent each other, comes the story of their day-to-day life together. It begins in Springfield, and there, many years later, it ends. But the truth of those years gives evidence to restore Mary Todd Lincoln to her rightful place in history and in the affections of the American people.

Acclaimed by the critics...

“Never has such a story seemed better worth telling or better told.”—SATURDAY REVIEW

“This is an important and definitive volume.”—AMERICAN HISTORY REVIEW

“Out of the most searching scrutiny ever leveled on the Lincolns’ family affairs comes the picture of a tempestuous yet essentially happy marriage.”—NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE

“This is a very moving book. It is also a nice example of what a first-rate historian can do with a difficult subject.”—THE NEW YORKER

“It is a book that can be recommended without reservation: A combination of profound research and fine prose style, it meets both the requirements of the Lincoln scholar and the casual reader who is looking for a truly fascinating story.”—SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE