Contents: opening scenes of a political year; hopeless division at Charleston; guiding minds at the capitol; genuine middle-ground party; Republican Convention at Chicago; Abraham Lincoln is nominated; why Seward was not available; compromise that made Lincoln famous; northern democrats nominate Douglas; Breckinridge the southern choice; what manner of men are these; Lincoln in the half-year's contest; Douglas in the campaign & after; Mr. Buchanan entertains, in a trying season; South Carolina takes steps; secession vs. coercion, the dilemma; three months of futile talk in Congress; cotton states in flight; Confederacy organizes; loyalists now surround Buchanan; defensive coercion, a new policy; Lincoln takes command of his party; Cameron, an episode in cabinet making; Seward, principal or under study; Lincolns & Todds, a family chapter; triumphal tour, with its anti-climax; scenes of a well-ordered inauguration. Profusely illustrated with contemporary cartoons, portraits & scenes.