This juvenile biography of Thomas Jefferson makes a concerted effort to touch on all of the controversial aspects of his public and private life; think of this as a biography for students who had to live through the Clinton scandal and impeachment trial. Certainly that dog and pony show makes the entire Sally Hemmings question seem less tawdry (although on that particular score I do want to point out that this biography, like so many, takes no note of the apparent fact that Hemmings was the half-sister of Jefferson's wife, which strikes me as having some importance in this entire matter). Anyhow, author Ann Heinrichs begins not only by calling Jefferson "The Man Who Invented America," but also by setting up the key contrasts that filled his life, from standing for the common people while living in luxury to fighting for equality while being a slave owner.

As you would want with an introductory biography on someone like Jefferson, this volume provides breadth rather than depth. There is more basic information about Jefferson's life and political career in this volume than in any of the other comparable grade level biographies I have seen to date. When specific mention is made of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, one of three things Jefferson had mentioned on his tombstone along with the authorship of Declaration of Independence and the founding of the University of Virginia, you know that appropriate attention is being paid to the many facets of Jefferson's life. Heinrichs also takes pains to explain things she know might confuse her young readers, such as how Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party relates to the two major political parties of today.

This entry in the Profiles of the Presidents series has some nice supplemental material in the back of the book, with a glossary, one man profiles of his personal and public life, a six-page comparative time line of his life and world events, and additional resources to be found in the library, on the web, and at various Jefferson historic sites across the country. The book is illustrated with relatively few pictures that are actually from Jefferson's time, but there is a nice collection of contemporary photographs of places important to his story as well as honoring his place in history. This book has some excellent production values that should help involve young readers. This is the first volume I have seen in the Profiles of the Presidents series, and if the rest are as solid as this one it will certainly being one of the better series of juvenile books to examine the lives of the Presidents.

Final Note: One of the first photographs in the book shows the statue of Jefferson in the Jefferson Memorial with the opening and closing lines of the Declaration of Independence carved into the walls. However, while Jefferson did indeed write those immortal opening lines, the closing ones were an amendment to his original draft proposed by another member of the Continental Congress (I want to say the Reverend Witherspoon, delegate from New Jersey, but I am not absolutely sure of that).

Thomas Jefferson And The Politics Of Nature surveys one of our most important and influential Founding Fathers' thought as a politician, writer, philosopher, Christian, and economist. This series of essays contributed by a roster of accomplished and knowledgeable scholars, covers Jefferson's republicanism in support of Christian ethics and Aristotle, his best theoretical approach to democracy, his natural rights philosophy within a Kantian perspective, his incorporation of the Scottish Enlightenment, the broader cultural influences shaping Jeffersonian thought, and much, much more. Thomas Jefferson And The Politics Of Nature is an invaluable, informative, highly recommended contribution to Jeffersonian studies and the history of American political thought.

I have borrowed this book from a friend, and although only just begun to read it, the book is extremely relevant, well organized, and even though copyrighted in 1971, still very timely. This is an excellent source for counter-argument of recent DNA tests concerning Thomas Jefferson's potential paternity issues. All information is extrapolated directly from Jefferson's own letters and writings, which lend a strong sense of credibility to issues which are otherwise mere speculation.

Amelia Hornsby is a twelve-year-old schoolgirl living in Philadelphia in 1803. She soon plans to join her widowed father on the frontier in Pittsburgh, but in the meantime she's living with his friend, Dr. Rush. When she suspects a visitor of being a foreign spy, she writes to President Thomas Jefferson, who, to her surprise writes back, telling her that the visitor is his secretary Meriwether Lewis, who will soon lead an expedition to the Pacific coast with the help of William Clark. Even after Amelia goes to live in Pittsburgh, she continues to correspond with the President. This was a fascinating book, written in the form of letters between Amelia and President Jefferson, that reveals what life might have been like for an educated, inquisitive young girl in the early 1800s.

I feel that Mr.Barefoot did an excelent job. Not only did he emphasize the impact that Jefferson had on America, he also let us know that he was a real person. I have read many Jefferson books, but this one is at the very top.
thank you for writing this wonderful book!

This is a fine little volume on the thoughts of Thomas Jefferson arranged in alphabetical order. It covers numerous topics from character, citizenship,corruption, etc to term limits, war and peace, etc. It is a great book for a person wanting to introduce themselves to Jefferson and his socio-political views. The quotes used are some of the best that Jefferson ever uttered. It brings out the diversity of Jefferson's thought and his greatness. Perfect as a conversation piece.

Jefferson's architectural drawings, edited and compiled by a noted architectural historian who taught at the university which Jefferson founded, give the general reader a perfect opportunity to observe Jefferson's talents not just as an architect but as a draftsman and artist. The drawings of the 1st and 2nd Monticello convincingly reveal to a general audience how the design and shape of his beloved home evolved from that of a two-story villa derived from the designs of the famous Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio to the red-bricked, octagonal, and domed three-story Neoclassical building that we see today. The drawings of Jefferson's other architectural masterpieces like the University of Virginia, Virginia State Capitol, and Poplar Forest also show this extraordinary Virginian's knowledge and mastery of the concepts of Classical architecture. This book is a must for all who admire Thomas Jefferson the architect and for all who want to know how he designed and built such beautiful buildings without any professional training as an architect.

Thomas Jefferson's Farm Book (1774-1826) edited by Edwin Morris Betts are found portions of fifty-two years of plantation management at Jefferson's estates in Albermarle, Bedford, and Campbell Counties.

There are many entries in Jefferson's "Garden Book" that are more appropriate to his "Farm Book," just as there are entries in the "Farm Book" that belong to his other memoranda books. But Jefferson was often inconsistent with the record of his jottings; probably he just placed them in the books at hand.

The "Farm Book," then, is not a farm book in the limited sense, but a plantation book embracing multitudinous activities on his several plantations, the center of interest always being either Monticello or Poplar Forest.

I found reading through this book to chronicle how Jefferson, as a plantation manager, worked to plan ahead in order to provide food and clothing for the one hundred-twenty slaves on the five thousand acre estate. Jefferson set himself to apply on his own farms the results of a lifetime of sturdy and experiment in agricultural theories. The letters and notes he left to posterity and the mechanical models he designed and made record his contributions to scientific agriculture. All of which are brough to our attention within the pages of this volume.

The narrative is free flowing and easily comprehended and it is a joy to read. As Jefferson once wrote... "I am going to Virginia. I am then to be liberated from the hated occupations of politics, and to remain in the bosom of my family, my farm, and my book." The pages are copies of the original pages of the farm book with commentary and relevant extracts from other writings follow these pages. Nevertheless, you get a feel that running a farm wasn't an easy job.

Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book (1766-1824) annotated by Edwin Morris Betts is a book for the historical gardener and those who like to read of and about Jefferson's beautiful gardens of Monticello and Poplar Forest. This book contains relevant extracts from Jefferson's other writings making for a very interesting read.

This "Garden Book contains the most varied entries of all of Jefferson's memorandum books. The book that began as a diary of the garden became a written repository for numerous interests of Jefferson. Jefferson's entries range from contracts with overseers, plans for building roads and fish ponds, and observations on the greatest flood in Albemarle, to comments on Mrs. Wyethe's wine and figures on the number of strawberries in a pint measure.

This book contains a lot of Jeffersonian minutiae
and also shows Jefferson's love for nature and a very intensely observant eye as it caught almost every passing detail.
The tone of the narrative changes as to the subject written about, but nevertheless, you can read the emotions and the intensity.

Jefferson began the "Garden Book" in 1766 and continued it until the autum of 1824, two years before his death. The lapses in it were due to the time Jefferson had spent away from Monticello. Even in the years in which he spent much of his time at Monticello, the entries are often irregular. Planting activities, successes and failure are all noted within these pages. That introducing new plants into cultivation was a passion with Jefferson, he note them throughout the "Garden Book."

Photographer Robert Lautman has taken and assembled a remarkable set of photographs depicting scenes which a visitor would see upon touring the wonder that is called Monticello. Near the beginning of this book are two architectural drawings showing the first floor room layouts. Numbers appear on these drawings and they indicate the approximate camera positions for each black and white photographic plate.This is an outstanding photo-tour of Jefferson's custom built mansion. I would have given it a 10 rating had it not been for a few little features and omissions which detracted from the work. The major distraction centered on an obviously retouched photograph showing the surrounding hills as seen from Monticello. The photographer, in an attempt to show what the view might have looked like for Jefferson, had to manipulate the photograph to remove or minimize modern distractions such as houses, roads and other man-made edifices. While the intent to recapture a lost vision is a good one the execution wanting. It would have been nice to see more than one photograph of the second floor rooms.