Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through His Private Letters

A tantalizing biography of the legendary Civil War hero--Winner of the Lincoln Prize

Watch for Elizabeth Brown Pryor's new book, Six Encounters with Lincoln: A President Confronts Democracy and its Demons, coming from Viking in February 2017 

Robert E. Lee is remembered by history as a tragic figure, stoic and brave but distant and enigmatic. Using dozens of previously unpublished letters as departure points, Pryor produces a stunning personal account of Lee's military ability, shedding new light on every aspect of the complex and contradictory general's life story. Explained for the first time in the context of the young United States's tumultuous societal developments, Lee's actions reveal a man forced to play a leading role in the formation of the nation at the cost of his private happiness.