{"product_id":"seward-lincolns-indispensable-man-9781439121184","title":"Seward: Lincoln's Indispensable Man","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller from one of the most acclaimed biographers--the first full life of the leader of Lincoln's \"team of rivals\" to appear in more than forty years.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWilliam Henry Seward was one of the most important Americans of the nineteenth century. Progressive governor of New York and outspoken US senator, he was the odds-on favorite to win the 1860 Republican nomination for president. As secretary of state and Lincoln's closest adviser during the Civil War, Seward not only managed foreign affairs but had a substantial role in military, political, and personnel matters. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSome of Lincoln's critics even saw Seward, erroneously, as the power behind the throne; this is why John Wilkes Booth and his colleagues attempted to kill Seward as well as Lincoln. Seward survived the assassin's attack, continued as secretary of state, and emerged as a staunch supporter of President Andrew Johnson, Lincoln's controversial successor. Through his purchase of Alaska (\"Seward's Folly\"), and his groundwork for the purchase of the Canal Zone and other territory, Seward set America on course to become a world empire. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSeward was not only important, he was fascinating. Most nights this well-known raconteur with unruly hair and untidy clothes would gather diplomats, soldiers, politicians, or actors around his table to enjoy a cigar, a drink, and a good story. Drawing on hundreds of sources not available to or neglected by previous biographers, Walter Stahr's bestselling biography sheds new light on this complex and central figure, as well as on pivotal events of the Civil War and its aftermath.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Simon \u0026amp; Schuster\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/17\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781439121184\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 720\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.72lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.25h x 6.19w x 1.31d","brand":"Walter Stahr","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41574705856693,"sku":"9781439121184","price":17.85,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_e1c50e7d-15bf-4211-a53e-c9636a11b3bf.jpg?v=1643698093","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/seward-lincolns-indispensable-man-9781439121184","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}