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

"Pryor's biography of Lee, chiefly through Lee's own words, helps part with a lot of stupid out there about Lee - chiefly, that he was, somehow, 'anti-slavery.'" - Ta-Nehisi Coates, "Five Books to Make You Less Stupid About the Civil War," theatlantic.com

"In this epistolary biography, Pryor uses Robert E. Lee's letters as a launching pad for essays that discuss his life story and military record . . . Lee's correspondence is well-written and revealing, and Pryor complements it with intelligent insight and analysis." - The New York Times

"Pryor has taken an icon and given us the soul of a complex man and his turbulent age."
--The Wall Street Journal

"Elizabeth Pryor's magnificent Reading the Man forever buries the tired assumption that the real Robert E. Lee can never be found. Her exhaustive research and beautiful prose recover the many layers of Lee's being."
--Peter Carmichael, Virginia Magazine of History and Biography

"An orthodox, critical, and engaging biography. . . . [Pryor] impressively captures Lee's character and personality."
--The Boston Globe

"Pryor moves onto important historical and interpretive terrain with a far more discerning and critical eye than most of her scholarly or popular predecessors."
--The New Republic

Published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the Confederate general's birth, a portrait based on his unpublished personal correspondence offers insight into the lesser-known complexities of his personality, in a collection of essays that covers such topics as Lee's early years, his relationships with family and slaves, and his thoughts on military strategy. Reprint.