‘The Demon of Unrest’ Review: The Seeds of Civil War

The arrival of a new Erik Larson book is a genuine event, a feast of historical insight and narrative verve even when it focuses on a twice- or thrice-told tale. America’s secession winter, the period between Abraham Lincoln’s election in November 1860 and his inauguration the following March, is surely such a theme, having been explored by writers such as W.A. Swanberg, David M. Potter, Richard N. Current, William W. Freehling, and in more recent years Ted Widmer (and myself). Mr. Larson graciously acknowledges this “core library” at the end of “The Demon of Unrest,” his latest work of popular history.