Books: Lucky Diarist

LINCOLN AND THE CIVIL WAR IN THE DIARIES OF JOHN HAY—Edited by Tyler Dennett—Dodd, Mead ($4).

Few men have watched more dramatic history in the making than John Hay. At 22 this spirited, sharp-eyed son of an Illinois doctor became assistant to Abraham Lincoln's wartime private secretary, John G. Nicolay. An adept in handling cranks and job-hunters, a shrewd political observer, personable, sympathetic, young Hay quickly rose in Lincoln's esteem, went everywhere in wartime Washington, missed little. He shared a room in the White House with his good friend Nicolay, held many a...