What is the author's tone in With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen B. Oates?

The book is non-assuming, and portrays early Lincoln very much as a man, and not the future President. Lincoln's failures, as well as his victories, as shared with the reader, and the reader identifies with Lincoln without be told they must. Obviously Lincoln is the subject of the work, but the reader does not feel pressured by the author to accept Lincoln as a knight in shining armor. Instead, the writing juxtaposes humanity with history and private life with career, making sure the reader understands every aspect of why Lincoln does, thinks, and feels what he does. If the book ever tries to lead the reader, it is with slavery and emancipation, or essentially, equal right: a touchy subjects even today. The book states the historical facts, then weaves in explanations and situations that explain the events.