Thomas Jefferson designed his own tombstone, describing himself simply as "Author of the Declaration of Independence and of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia." It is in this simple epitaph that R.B. Bernstein finds the key to this enigmatic Founder--not as a great political figure, but as leader of "a revolution of ideas that would make the world over again." In Thomas Jefferson, Bernstein offers the definitive short biography of this revered American--the first concise life in six decades. Bernstein deftly synthesizes the massive scholarship on his subject into a swift, insightful, evenhanded account. Here are all of Jefferson's triumphs, contradictions, and failings, from his luxurious (and debt-burdened) life as a Virginia gentleman to his passionate belief in democracy, from his tortured defense of slavery to his relationship with Sally Hemings. Jefferson was indeed multifaceted--an architect, inventor, writer, diplomat, propagandist, planter, party leader--and Bernstein explores all these roles even as he illuminates Jefferson's central place in the American enlightenment, that "revolution of ideas" that did so much to create the nation we know today. Together with the less well-remembered points in Jefferson's thinking--the nature of the Union, his vision of who was entitled to citizenship, his dread of debt (both personal and national)--they form the heart of this lively biography. In this marvel of compression and comprehension, we see Jefferson more clearly than in the massive studies of earlier generations. More important, we see, in Jefferson's visionary ideas, the birth of the nation's grand sense of purpose.
| ISBN | 0195181301 | | Pages | 272 | | ISBN13 | 9780195181302
(What's this?) | | Volumes | 1 | | Publisher | Oxford University Press Inc | | Weight (grammes) | 242 | | Imprint | Oxford University Press Inc | | Published in | New York | | Format | Paperback | | Height (mm) | 202 | | Publication date | 29 Sep 2005 | | Width (mm) | 135 | | Library of Congress | E332.B47 2 | | Spine width (mm) | 15 | | DEWEY | 973.46092 | | Academic level | Professional / Scholarly | | DEWEY edition | DC22 | |
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"The best short biography of Jefferson ever written...highly recommended for those who want a brief and historically reliable account of this incredibly complicated character.... Authoritative, judicious, clearly written and remarkably complete."--Gordon S. Wood, The New York Times Book Review
"Bernstein...in his marvelous little book gives us an objective account of what made President Jefferson the looming figure he is and why he occupies a central place in our history. Mr. Bernstein's work is so complete, yet concise, that I'm tempted to call it 'the pocket Jefferson.' But that would not do. The notion of Mr. Jefferson--or of Mr. Bernstein's research--being pocket-sized is misleading. The book may be trim enough to fit inside a very large pocket, but it will fill your heart and mind."--Hon. Albert Rosenblatt, New York Court of Appeals, New York Law Journal
"Bernstein's Jefferson is a brilliant success. There is nothing like it in the literature."--Peter Onuf, Thomas
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