The editors at LIFE vigorously carry on the traditions of excellence in photography, journalism and storytelling of and about our country and our world, which began with the founding of LIFE magazine in 1936 by editor and publisher Henry R. Luce. LIFE has published books on a broad range of subjects, including bestsellers The Day Kennedy Died, One Nation and The American Journey of Barack Obama.

Allen C. Guelzo is the Henry R. Luce III Professor of the Era at , where he serves as Director of the Civil War Era Studies Program.Rachel A. Shelden says that for two decades Guelzo, "has been at the forefront of Civil War-era scholarship. In particular, he has focused his analytical efforts on the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln, publishing books covering the Lincoln-Douglas debates, the origins of the Emancipation Proclamation, and Lincoln's presidential leadership, among others."

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University, as well as director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. He is the author most recently of Black in Latin America (New York University Press, 2011) and Faces of America (New York University Press, 2010), which expand on his critically acclaimed PBS documentaries, and Tradition and the Black Atlantic: Criticism in the African Diaspora (Basic Books, 2010). He is the co-editor of Call and Response: Key Debates in African American Studies (W. W. Norton, 2011). His four-hour documentary, Black in Latin America, aired on PBS in April and May.

On the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, the editors of LIFE bring readers everything that has been left to us from the life of one of history's most iconic figures. His pictures, actions, words in his speeches and his private letters are analyzed and pointed inward toward the person, to help us understand the man: the heart and soul of the man. This book is about the artifacts that are left us all these years later (letters, speeches and particularly pictures) - things that LIFE can show that allow us to know this man more intimately. And so we, with help from experts and several famous commentators, will show them in our pages, and lead the reader to the clues about Lincoln's essence.

Includes chapters such as:
"Lincoln Pictured," an introduction by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
A narrative by Allen C. Guelzo, explaining the man and his image - how the image reflects the true man
"Who Was Mathew Brady?" - the famous photographer, his life and times, his truths and deceptions (before and after shots from the Gettysburg battlefield, detailing how he moved things around - even bodies - for dramatic impact)
The words of Lincoln, in an artifact presentation with removable letters and speeches on archival paper that bring the reader back to the times
"The Camera and the White House" - A fascinating chapter on American Presidents and their visual image - Thomas McAvoy's secret snaps of FDR, FDR hiding his legs, JFK's manipulation of photography taken of him, etc.
The "book within a book" - the likes of David McCullough, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Richard Norton Smith, Walter Isaacson, Jon Meachem, Macklemore, Brad Pitt, Maya Angelou, Zadie Smith, Gay Talese, Tom Wolf and more in answer to the question "When you see Lincoln's face, what do you see?"