"At the Edge of the Precipice" is historian Robert V. Remini's fascinating recounting of the Compromise of 1850, a titanic act of political will that only a skillful statesman like Clay could broker. Although the Compromise would collapse ten years later, plunging the nation into civil war, Clay's victory in 1850 ultimately saved the Union by giving the North an extra decade to industrialize and prepare.

Compromise in the nation's early history -- The crisis and the return of the great pacificator -- A possible solution -- The great triumvirate weighs in -- Disaster -- Douglas to the rescue.