Lincoln at Gettysburg by Garry Wills (1993, Paperback, Reprint)

I became an immediate fan of Garry wills after reading this book. I am a Lincoln nut, but even so this book was meticulously researched and incredibly well-written. I have read five books of Wills', and consider this to be far and away his best. Many said at the time of Lincoln's speech that he better captured the mood of the day in his two-minute speech than a celebrated orater did in his two-plus hours of speaking preceding Lincoln. Wills frames the historical context of the speech masterfully and beautifully captures the atmosphere at Gettysburg.

Any student of history, the Civil War, and Lincoln should consider this book a must-read.