{"product_id":"9780008681784_the-demon-of-unrest-abraham-lincoln-and-americas-road-to-civil-war","title":"The Demon of Unrest: Abraham Lincoln \u0026 America’s Road to Civil War","description":"\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003e#1 \u003cem\u003eNEW YORK TIMES \u003c\/em\u003eBESTSELLER \u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003eThe author of \u003cem\u003eThe Splendid and the Vile\u003c\/em\u003e brings to life the pivotal five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War in this 'riveting reexamination of a nation in tumult' (\u003cem\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/em\u003e).\u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fuelled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Harbor: Fort Sumter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaster storyteller Erik Larson offers a gripping account of the chaotic months between Lincoln’s election and the Confederacy’s shelling of Sumter – a period marked by tragic errors and miscommunications, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals. Lincoln himself wrote that the trials of these five months were ‘so great that, could I have anticipated them, I would not have believed it possible to survive them’.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the heart of this suspense-filled narrative are Major Robert Anderson, Sumter’s commander and a former slave owner sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union; Edmund Ruffin, a vain and bloodthirsty radical who stirs secessionist ardour at every opportunity; and Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of a prominent planter, conflicted over both marriage and slavery and seeing parallels between both. In the middle of it all is the overwhelmed Lincoln, battling with his duplicitous Secretary of State, William Seward, as he tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitable – one that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brink – a dark reminder that we often don’t see a cataclysm coming until it’s too late.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLarson's The Demon of Unrest is a riveting exploration of 19th-century United States, a historical masterpiece that delves into the military and political processes that led to the brink of cataclysm. The author's meticulous research and compelling narrative style bring to life the personal and political struggles of the era, making it a must-read for history and non-fiction enthusiasts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor fans of David Grann (The Wager), Hampton Sides (In the Kingdom of Ice), Ron Chernow (Titan), John Grisham (FRAMED), and Doris Kearns Goodwin (Leadership in Turbulent Times).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHarperCollins 2024\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Erik Larson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46889141469333,"sku":"9780008681784","price":52.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0484\/3175\/9509\/files\/9780008681784_d7d89048-3d5d-4f8f-9319-4800d8ad2fab.jpg?v=1776888400","url":"https:\/\/harpercollins.com.au\/products\/9780008681784_the-demon-of-unrest-abraham-lincoln-and-americas-road-to-civil-war","provider":"HarperCollins AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}