History Mary Lincoln often took out her frustrations on the two presidential secretaries, Nicolay and Hay, who among other things routinely kept her away from her husband. Hay soon dubbed her the “Hell-Cat” and Nicolay referred to her as “Her Satanic Majesty.” Emotionally needy, Mary turned to material things to help fill the void. --Looking for Lincoln: The Making of an American Icon by Philip B. Kunhardt III, Peter W. Kunhardt, and Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr. (Alfred A. Knopf, $50)
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