Although he was Abraham and Mary Lincoln’s oldest and last surviving son, the details of Robert T. Lincoln’s life are misunderstood by some and unknown to many others. Nearly half a century after the last biography about Abraham Lincoln’s son was published, historian and author Jason Emerson illuminates the life of this remarkable man and his achievements in Giant in the Shadows: The Life of Robert T. Lincoln. Emerson, after nearly ten years of research, draws upon previously unavailable materials to offer the first truly definitive biography of the famous lawyer, businessman, and statesman who, much more than merely the son of America’s most famous president, made his own indelible mark on one of the most progressive and dynamic eras in United States history.
Meticulously researched, full of never-before-seen photographs and new insight into historical events, Giant in the Shadows is the missing chapter of the Lincoln family story. Emerson’s riveting work is more than simply a biography; it is a tale of American achievement in the Gilded Age and the endurance of the Lincoln legacy.
Awarded 2012 BOOK OF THE YEAR by the Illinois State Historical Society
Named an alternate selection by the History Book of the Month Club, the Military History Book of the Month Club, and BOMC2 (online)
“Fascinating. … Mr. Emerson’s impressive research and eye for detail yield dozens of … interesting though little-known historical tidbits. His writing is enjoyable and accessible.” (Full review)
— Ryan L. Cole, The Wall Street Journal
“It has never been easy growing up or living in the public eye. To do so under the enormous shadow cast by our 16th president would test the resiliency of even the doughtiest character. As historian Jason Emerson details in this richly informative biography, Robert Todd Lincoln, the only one of Abraham Lincoln’s children to survive into adulthood, bore his peculiar burden with quiet grace and admirable dignity.”
— Ron Reagan, political commentator and author of My Father at 100
www.jasonemersonhistorian.com 