'Lincoln's Boys:' The men behind the president's image

Author Joshua Zeitz gives us a glimpse of Abraham Lincoln's White House through the lens of two of his closest aides.

In "Lincoln's Boys: John Hay, John Nicolay and the War for Lincoln's Image," Zeitz makes the case that the Lincoln we've come to know is largely the creation of these two men.

"Zeitz skillfully recounts what were heady days for Nicolay and Hay, even as they were tragic days for the nation," writes Scott Martelle for the Los Angeles Times.

More from his review:

The friends lived in the White House and wielded considerable power as advisors and conduits of Lincoln's orders. Over the four years of the Lincoln presidency, they had as good a view of the unfolding Civil War battles -- both military and political -- as Lincoln himself.

And after the assassination, the friends tasked themselves with chronicling Lincoln's life, leading to publication of the 10-volume"Lincoln: A History." The series and the related "Abraham Lincoln: Complete Works" co-edited by the two men remain part of the foundation for how modern Americans view the nation's 16th president. Or, as Zeitz phrases it, the creation of the "Lincoln Memorial Lincoln."

Zeitz joins The Daily Circuit to discuss his book and the men behind Lincoln's legacy.