Due to the current republican primary contest the history of contentious american presidential elections has caught my eye, and the election of 1860 has caught my eye in particular. I've been trying to find good books on the subject but am having some difficulty determining which books are by reputable historians.
Can anyone please suggest a good book by a reputable historian on the topic of the election of 1860, or other contentious american elections?
Team of Rivals is probably what you want. It covers all the main contenders for the Republican nomination in great detail (Seward, Chase, Bates, and Lincoln). Additionally, while it is nominally about Lincoln and his presidency, it continues to follow Seward, Chase, and Bates during the Civil War as members of Lincoln's cabinet (secretary of state, secretary of the treasury and attorney general, respectively).