Martin Larson's "Jefferson: Magnificent Populist" is an outstanding compelation of the views and philosophies of Thomas Jefferson. Larson provides interesting and helpful commntary at the beginning of each new chapter giving a synopsis of Jefferson's philosophy in each area. Jefferson is truly allowed to speak for himself instead of a new historian or author "interpreting" him. His views on education, slavery, freedom, Alexander Hamilton, liberty,and the American Revolution are all there. Larson truly brings out Jefferson's greatness by allowing this champion of human liberty to tell it like it is- from his own words. Great volume for a Jefferson collection or general read.

This volume is a welcome addition to the various editions of Jefferson's writings available. Although many of the selections may be found in the Library of America edition, this work conveniently arranges them topically. In addition, there are many pieces *not* available anywhere else. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the work is the large and informative list of short biographies in front. The only real drawback I can see is the exclusion of some important documents, most notably his draft of the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798. But on the whole, it's great, and it should appeal to most serious Jeffersonians.

This is a really a great collection of Thomas Jefferson's views on liberty, slavery,democratic government, social policy in a republic, education, etc. Forget all of the "interpretations" or "revisionist" histories by professional historians, instead pick up this book and read about one of the greatest philosophers of human liberty and democracy. Reading Jefferson in his original words without the personal views of the historical crowd really brings out his true vision for a great republic. A great buy.

Charles Wiltse's the Jeffersonian Tradition in American Democracy is a very good account of the intellectual background and philosophy of Thomas Jefferson. Wiltse starts out with the intellectual background for Enlightenment thought in Great Britian and France. It is shown how the philosophy of republicanism and libertarian thought progressed from the mid 17th century to the time of Jefferson.

Next Jefferson's intellectual background is explored. Locke, Bacon, Newton, Sidney, and Lord Kames are shown to be the main influences on our greatest founder. It then moves to Jefferson's progressive philosophy of liberty and republican thought. Public education, religious freedom, the abolition of slavery, ending primogenture and entail, and a republican constitution consume the mind of Jefferson.

Wiltse also goes into Jefferson's philosophy for "ward republics",a form of grass roots democracy. He details Jefferson's passion for ward republics to be the "salvation of the republic" as he called it. The main thing that makes this work so good id that it lacks the anti-intellectual postmodern "deconstruction" of Jefferson. No political correctness or extreme "presentism" viewpoint. A really good book for a Jeffersonian education.

As the illustrator of the Jefferson building's overview for the book (pp.276-277), I had the rare privilege of walking through many of the areas of the Jefferson building not open to the public. Entering the Great Hall for the first time, I was caught off guard by its extraordinary beauty. Being a native Washingtonian, I was surprised that such a lavishly decorated structure existed here in Washington, D.C. The overall impression of the interior is more that of the Paris Opera House, than a government building. This beautiful book, with its many photographic details of the interior, allows the reader to recreate that sense of awe that I experienced walking through the entrance. With Anne Day's vivid photos, and the Libary's wonderful history, this book should be a welcome addition to anyone's personal library. Once you see the book, I suspect you may modify your itinerary for your next trip to Washington. This gem of a building is definitely worth a visit.

-Doug Stern

This is an unabridged first edition published in Boston in 1874.
This is the first work about Jefferson and his times within the reach of the mass of readers.

Reading this book is like looking at a time capsule 128 years later... Wow, I was excited. The prose in this volume are different as the times between then and now, but it was worth the wait.

The book is solid and contains very interesting research, remembering that is was difficult to obtain what we have available at libraries today, back then a mere 48 years after Jefferson's death. I must say that this is one of the stepping stones of modern research for the writers today.

Those who like to read about the life Thomas Jefferson... do NOT miss this work by James Parton.

Enjoyable, knowledgeable, interesting and informative.

A good solid work.

This book prints every painting, drawing, or sculpture done of Jefferson when he was alive. All other portraits are derivative from these. Not even all the ones included in the book are truly originals, as nine are reproductions of originals that have been lost. Sixteen actual originals are included.

The portraits say almost as much about the artist as they do about Jefferson. Each reflects the unique style of the artist--for example, one done by Gilbert Stuart is very similar to a well-known portrait he did of Washington. The one by Stuart and several others are very romantic, presumably idealized, portraits. Others are far less flattering. Needless to say, the less flattering ones are less well known.

Perhaps the variation in the portraits also reflects the different sides of Jefferson, the "American Sphinx." Taken together, the originals give a sense of what Jefferson looked like, but none strikes me as the perfect portrait.

The book contains a very unflattering portrait of Washington. That one, as well as the several unflattering ones of Jefferson, make me wonder how accurate the better-known portraits of the Founding Fathers are.

Seeing the many different portraits of Jefferson, ones that flatter as well as ones that don't, help to give a sense of his being a flesh-and-blood human being and not just an icon.

This book describes the marine life of the Gulf of Mexico with numerous color photos and paintings by artist Larry Foster. This is a well-written and highly-recommended reference guide that will be particularly useful to readers or travelers visiting the Gulf.

Included in the book is a set of drawings of the skulls of Gulf species allow readers who find beached animals to identify the animal. Sketches provide dorsal, ventral and lateral views.

The authors discuss the environmental problems of the Gulf as they affect marine mammals, concluding: "Suffice it to say that our love for these creatures has the capacity of being turned into a positive conservation force, not for just them but also for their fragile environments worldwide." This is a recommended title!

A very interesting look at the house Thomas Jefferson built as his personal retreat away from the crowds who visited him at Monticello. This is especially informative for those interested in historic home restorations, particularly of the colonial era. It's fascinating to see the progress made over the years!

This introductory biography in the Compass Point Early Biographies series provides young students with the high points of the life of Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States (a.k.a. the guy on the nickel coin and the $2 bill). Lucia Raatma sketches out the basic biographical details of Jefferson's life, but in addition to detailing all the political offices Jefferson held she also makes a point of summing up some of his key political beliefs as well. While this summary does not explain the difference between the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists, it will give young readers a sense for how some of Jefferson's core beliefs are also at the heart of what most Americans believe today. The book is illustrated with historic paintings and etchings as well as more contemporary photographs of some of the key places in Jefferson's life. The result is a solid introduction to the life of one of the nation's most important political thinkers, especially since his work as a scientist and inventor is only briefly touched upon.