Old as history is, and manifold as are its tragedies, I doubt if any death has caused so much pain to mankind as this has caused, or will cause, on its announcement; and this, not so much because nations are by modern arts brought so closely together, as because of the mysterious hopes and fears which, in the present day, are connected with the name and institutions of America. -from Ralph Waldo Emerson's remarks at Lincoln's funeral, April 19, 1865 Here, in one compact volume, is an extraordinary tribute to the life and legacy of one of the greatest presidents in United States history. Abraham Lincoln's (1809-1865) own words stand as powerful testimony to his wisdom and leadership: here you'll find his famous Gettysburg Address, both inaugural addresses, the Emancipation Proclamation, a selection of correspondence, his last public speech, and other notable papers. Also included are: . an 1891 essay by Carl Schurz (1829-1906), a prominent and trusted member of the Lincoln administration, a loving but un-idealized acclamation of the man and his work that delves into the deep sense of morality and prodigious intellect that informed his presidency . a stirring and emotional 1864 defense of Lincoln's prosecution of the Civil War by his friend, poet James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) . Ralph Waldo Emerson's (1803-1882) eulogy of Lincoln . poetry in honor of the fallen president by Lowell, John Greenleaf Whittier, Oliver Wendall Holmes, and Walt Whitman. Written by those who knew him, loved him, and witnessed his dramatic impact on United States during its most perilous crisis, this collection offers us the invaluable perspective of his contemporaries and the beginnings of the towering image we have of Abraham Lincoln today.