Lincoln (novel)

Lincoln
Cover of the first edition
AuthorGore Vidal
LanguageEnglish
SeriesNarratives of Empire
GenreHistorical novel
PublisherRandom House
Publication date
1984
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages672 pp
ISBN0-375-70876-6
OCLC43479239
Preceded byBurr 
Followed by1876 

Lincoln: A Novel is a 1984 historical novel, part of the Narratives of Empire series by Gore Vidal. The novel describes the presidency of Abraham Lincoln and extends from the start of the American Civil War until his assassination. Rather than focus on the Civil War itself, the novel is centred on Lincoln's political and personal struggles. Though Lincoln is the focus, the book is never narrated from his point of view (with the exception of several paragraphs describing a dream Lincoln had shortly before his death); Vidal instead writes from the perspective of key historical figures. He draws from contemporary diaries, memoirs, letters, newspaper accounts, the biographical writings of John Hay and John Nicolay (Lincoln's secretaries), and the work of modern historians.