Allen Carden, Ph.D., professor of history, has co-written the book John George Nicolay: The Man in Lincoln’s Shadow, published in June 2019 by the University of Tennessee Press. The other author is Thomas J. Ebert, librarian emeritus at California State University, Fresno.
From the publisher’s description: “Apart from the president’s family, arguably no one was closer to Abraham Lincoln during his tenure in the White House than John George Nicolay. A German immigrant with a keen intelligence and tenacious work ethic, Nicolay (1832-1901) served as Lincoln’s personal secretary and, owing to the extraordinary challenges facing the White House, became in effect its first chief of staff. Intensely devoted to the president, he kept the White House running smoothly and allowed Lincoln to focus on the top priorities. After Lincoln’s death, Nicolay’s greatest achievement was his co-authorship, with his White House assistant, John Hay, of the first thoroughly documented account of Lincoln’s life and administration, a work still consulted by historians.” More at amazon.com/John-George-Nicolay-Lincolns-Shadow/dp/1621904970