How well do you know Abraham Lincoln? Yes, he was the 16th president of the United States. Known as “Honest Abe” and the “Great Emancipator,” he is credited with freeing the slaves during the Civil War. And John Wilkes Booth shot him inside Ford’s Theater in 1865.

But many other things about Lincoln are not as well-known: He loved limericks and jokes; and he was a huge fan of Shakespeare. He enjoyed the poetry of Lord Byron.

Those facts and others can be discovered in author Fred Kaplan’s book “Lincoln: the Biography of a Writer.”

“I read every word about Lincoln that had ever been written in preparation for this book – and a lot has been said,” Kaplan said. “To truly understand the man, you don’t have a choice. You need to read every word.”

Kaplan has been a summer visitor to Boothbay since 1968 and has lived here for over 10 years. He has written 10 books that have gained national acclaim. His biography about Thomas Carlyle, written in 1983, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle award.

In 2008, Pres. Barack Obama was photographed by Charles Dharapak with “Lincoln: the Biography of a Writer” in his hand. A large framed copy of this photograph hangs in Kaplan's study.

“I was thrilled, of course, when I saw the photo,” Kaplan said. “I voted for Obama, I respect his intellect and it was great publicity. My publisher got really excited and honestly, it was very gratifying to my ego.”

In every book Kaplan has written (and there are quite a few), he immerses himself completely in the life of his subject. Whether Mark Twain, Charles Dickens or Thomas Carlyle, Kaplan throws himself into a fervent study of every word written about or by them.

“It's an exploration of life, of both the subject and myself. I'm 75 years old and granted, by this stage of my life, I have a good sense of who I am,” Kaplan said. “But there is always more to discover.”

Kaplan enjoys shining a different light on well-known historical figures.

“The main challenge is saying something that hasn't been said before,” Kaplan said. “The vast majority of biographies about Lincoln are written in a political or historically context, and I wrote about him as a literary figure.”

When working on a book, Kaplan uses a “total immersion writing style.” He spends around five years working on every book, and at least half that time is spent of preparation and learning about his subject.

Kaplan is currently working on a biography about John Quincy Adams, “John Quincy Adams: An American Visionary,” which is tentatively scheduled for publication in April of 2014. He started working on it in early 2008, and is currently in the revision stage.

“A writer's job first begins when he thinks he is done,” Kaplan said. “The book (about Adams) was originally 320,000 words, it's down to 260,000 and more revisions are still being made.

“At some point you have to stop, but the work is never truly done. I try not to re-read my own work because I'll be thinking 'Oh, I could improve this,' all the time,” Kaplan said.

When not writing or studying what others have written, Kaplan enjoys gardening, spending time with his wife, Rhoda A. Weyer and his dog, Kai, and reading.

He most recently finished the book “Fear Itself: The New Deal and the Origins of Our Time” by Ira Katznelson.

Katrina Clark can be reached at 207-633-4620 or katrinaclark@boothbayregister.com. Follow her on Twitter: @BBRegisterClark or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BBRegisterKatrinaClark.