Dr. Burton succeeds in bring the reader back into the feel of the mid 19th century America. He calls the period roughly 20 years either side of Lincoln's inauguration "The Age of Lincoln". This is not a Lincoln book. Its about the transformation of the United States. The major themes are well documented by both the author and other review's here.

What is stunning is how accessible the book is to the non-historian. This is not a thesis work but a portrait of Americans. Woven around the framework of obvious historical events are individual stories and social trends. Specific stories, well researched and cited. All told in great narrative. I read alot of nonfiction and the occasional fiction , I can't label what the style is but its a bit like a Ken Burns documentary. You see the pictures. You hear the music. As you read. Its an easy to read book...something we readers can appreciate. Yet Burton is on solid factual ground. He brings so many facts and stories to light that I'm sure the work adds to the period's research. Even the book's cover adds to the overall work- a striking bloody red, white and blue across a typically American rural setting at sunset. Its a carefully chosen artwork circa 1861 entitled "Our Banner in the Sky" oil work by the American painter Church. Look at it here.

The reader is immersed in a difficult, painful yet singularly American period. The authors keeps the readers attention with a subtle yet brilliant literary style. Just read the first page.

A five-star work and one of the better books you'll ever read.

The type size in the paperback edition is far too small for my (middle age) eyes.