Thomas Jefferson

by Willard Sterne Randall

Book Overview

Combining firsthand scholarship and material drawn from the Jefferson Papers, Willard Sterne Randall calls on his skills as an investigative journalist to challenge long-held assumptions about the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805015779
• ISBN13: 9780805015775
• Release Date: August 1993
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
• Length: 736 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.1" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Best Comprehensive Volume of Jefferson...EVER!

This is the most accurate and best single volume on the life of Thomas Jefferson ever written. This volume could take the place of probably 3 or 4 separate books about Jefferson. Such a bargain for a bibliophile on a budget! I give this book 6 out of 5 stars!

Thomas Jefferson: A Life

Thomas Jefferson: A Life by Willard Sterne Randall is well researched, documented and written in a easily read narative. Many things can be said about Thomas Jefferson, but boring he is not.This book trys to encompass a long and rich life of one of the most prolific writer of letters of any early President of the United States. We have a very good book for the early years of Jefferson, but toward the ebbing years of his life, we are not provided with as much. But the author covers the bases well and we are not disappointed. We can feel the pain as Jefferson gets older and his health is in decline.Trying to get everything involved with Jefferson in a single-volume is quite a feat. Again this author's scholarship is evident as the narative is quite good and he gives us Jefferson in the flesh.This is an excellent book bringing out Jefferson's playful intellegence and his struggle to maintain balance of his powerful emotions.I enjoyed reading this brilliant work... I hope you do as well.

One of my favorite Jefferson books

I bought this after seeing the author on CSPAN's booknotes. It has turned out to be one of my favorite biographies. The author doesn't seem to have a viewpoint that he's trying to force on the reader. He gives a balanced account of Jefferson's actions, and seems to give good explanations of why Jefferson acted as he did. It is heavily focused on the pre-presidential years, pretty much setting up Jefferson's background, his early training, his relationship with his wife, and his early political career.

Another worthwhile study of Jefferson's life.

Randall brings Jefferson to life as we witness: a young determined scholar relentlessly studying his beloved books; a skillful statesman coming down on both sides of the slavery issue; a love sick mature man; and finally, an imperfect man who continually learned and grew.

Good Book, Great Man

The text at times can be cumbersome, as the author tries too hard to sound overly scholastic. However, he does a masterful job of presenting the life of Jefferson in an unbiased, authoritative way. All aspects of TJ's personal and public life are thoroughly explored. Required reading for any Jefferson buff