"This well-written and well-researched book should appeal to to broad range of scholars."—Journal of Southern History

"Historians of Civil War politics will find this a must-read work, as Holt’s careful analysis and reliable retelling of a familiar story challenges the standing literature and should inspire new scholarship."—Congress & the Presidency

"Thoughtful, well-researched, and elegantly written."—Journal of American History

"Holt gives us a new and historiographically provocative analysis of an old and familiar story."—Review of Politics

"A copy of this book should be on every Civil War student’s bookshelf. In fact, it should be read by every student of American history."—Civil War News

"This briskly written study offers a wealth of detail and a fresh look at this pivotal election."—Choice

"A great addition to the scholarship of late antebellum national politics and the four-way presidential contest that finally transformed long-standing threats of southern secession into tragic reality. Highly recommended to seasoned students and new readers alike."—Civil War Books and Authors

“With his unequalled mastery of the political history of the pre-Civil War decade, Michael Holt brilliantly unpacks the complexities of the selection of the four presidential nominees in 1860 and the convoluted campaign that ensued. Challenging conventional wisdom regarding the determinative salience of the slavery expansion question, Holt highlights condemnation of Buchanan administration corruption as a key issue in what he portrays as America’s most consequential presidential election. Altogether, an analytic tour de force.”—Charles W. Calhoun, author of The Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant

"Michael Holt, the premier scholar of mid-nineteenth century American politics, is uniquely qualified to write about the 1860 presidential election. His incisive new book demolishes the idea that Abraham Lincoln’s victory demonstrated a national resolve to end slavery. Instead, Holt shows that Republicans hammered away primarily at the scandal-marred record of James Buchanan’s outgoing Democratic administration to carry the Lower North’s key swing states. Only the Deep South’s reckless secessionists transformed an electoral contest into a shooting war—and thereby unleashed forces that led ultimately to emancipation."—Daniel W. Crofts, author of Lincoln and the Politics of Slavery: The Other Thirteenth Amendment and the Struggle to Save the Union

“Readers have long expected indefatigable research and fresh interpretations from Michael Holt, and The Election of 1860 will meet those expectations. Holt’s description and analysis of this exceedingly important election is a valuable addition to the literature of politics, the Civil War, and Abraham Lincoln, and anyone who wants to know about all three of those subjects will benefit from reading this book.”—Michael S. Green, author of Lincoln and the Election of 1860