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  • Thomas Jefferson: A Life

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Thomas Jefferson: A Life

4.0 out of 5 stars (267)

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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 reasoning, motives, and works of this sage, philosopher, politician, and romantic. Exploring both Jefferson’s interior and public struggles, Randall sheds important light on Jefferson’s thoughts on slavery and his relationship with the slave Sally Hemmings, as well as Revolutionary and diplomatic intrigues.

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Editorial Reviews

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A biography of Thomas Jefferson, who despite his legendary intelligence and political savvy, could be ruthless, not to mention lawless, in his efforts to preserve his causes. Jefferson operated on two levels, as his opposition to slavery as a slaveowner attests. But as Willard Sterne Randall argues, this duality is what made him so effective. Whether Jefferson's 1784 draft of Virginia's constitution "prefigured the founding documents of republics in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, as well as the Confederate States of America," as Randall claims, is questionable, but his impact on international trade, diplomatic discussions and the success of the state of Virginia cannot be disputed.

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Mr. Randall's biography does not do justice to its subject. -- The New York Times Book Review, Peter S. Onuf

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0060976179
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial Modern Classics
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 4, 2014
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ First Thus
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 736 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780060976170
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060976170
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 1.18 x 8 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #1,884,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars (267)

About the author

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Willard Sterne Randall
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After a successful seventeen-year career as a feature writer for the Philadelphia Bulletin, magazine writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, investigative journalist for Philadelphia Magazine and stringer for Time-Life News Service, Willard Sterne Randall pursued advanced studies in history at Princeton University. Biographer of Benjamin and William Franklin, of Benedict Arnold, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Ethan Allen, he has co-authored collections of biographies and e-books with his wife, Nancy Nahra. His most recent book is Unshackling America: How the War of 1812 Truly Ended the American Revolution, a history of the Revolutionary era. As a journalist, Randall won the National Magazine Award for Public Service from Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, the Standard Gravure Award, the Hillman Prize, the Loeb Award and the John Hancock Prize. His Benedict Arnold biography received four national awards and was a New York Times Notable Book. Publishers Weekly chose his biography of Jefferson as one of the ten best biographies of 1993. He received the Award of Merit of the American Revolution Round Table. He taught American history at John Cabot University in Rome, the University of Vermont and Champlain College, where he is Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus. He is a frequent contributor to MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, which awarded him the 2019 Thomas Fleming Prize for Outstanding Military History Writing. He lives, writes, teaches, lectures and likes to swim in Burlington, Vermont.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
267 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find this biography of Thomas Jefferson to be an important read about an amazing man, with a deeply-researched approach that provides many details. The writing style is wonderful, and customers consider it insightful, with one review noting how it helps readers understand Jefferson's contributions. The readability receives mixed feedback, with some finding it exceptionally readable while others find it difficult to read. The book contains numerous typos and is verbose.
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35 customers mention content, 32 positive, 3 negative
Customers find the content of the book engaging and well-written, describing it as an important read about an amazing man, with one customer noting it provides insight into our forefathers.
Very good book. People don't realize what he did for our country. Enlightening.Read more
Very well written. Binding was of high quality. Good book!Read more
I have this book both on KENDALL and Hardcover. It is a good and informative read, written by an author who seems to be a Thomas Jefferson fan....Read more
...everything about Jefferson there was nothing really new but it was a good read....Read more
34 customers mention informative, 28 positive, 6 negative
Customers find the biography informative and well-researched, providing many details about Thomas Jefferson's life and being considered a true history buff read.
Found it informative and interesting.Can see who influenced his basic belief about Jesus and the bible. Very educated man for any age of history.Read more
Very thorough....maybe a bit tooo thorough!Read more
The information in the book is good. There's extensive coverage of Jefferson's youth and time in France....Read more
Very well written.I enjoyed the detailed history of Founding Father LRead more
14 customers mention writing style, 12 positive, 2 negative
Customers appreciate the writing style of the book.
Very well written.I enjoyed the detailed history of Founding Father LRead more
...I kept on and finished because the book is so well written and I found the subject so interesting and important....Read more
This is a very interesting and well written book that helps the reader to more fully understand the contributions of a few great men in leading the...Read more
This book brings Jefferson to life. Beautifully written, it imbues history with the personal realism that clarifies who he was, what he believed...Read more
8 customers mention insightful, 8 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book insightful, with one customer noting how it helps readers understand Jefferson's contributions, while another describes him as an inspired and inspiring man.
A most interesting and insightful book packed full of his many philosophies, habits and vision....Read more
Very good book. People don't realize what he did for our country. Enlightening.Read more
...I enjoyed the book. It has much insight into the man and the president. He turned his back on things he didn't wish to deal with ,as many of us do....Read more
...very interesting and well written book that helps the reader to more fully understand the contributions of a few great men in leading the struggle...Read more
9 customers mention readability, 3 positive, 6 negative
Customers have mixed opinions about the book's readability, with some finding it exceptionally readable while others describe it as difficult and very slow to read.
Very interesting but a slow readRead more
...The book was easy to read.Read more
very slow reading but the history is interestingRead more
I would give it five stars but is a bit difficult to read as the author uses old English a great deal of the time.Read more
10 customers mention typos, 0 positive, 10 negative
Customers criticize the book's numerous typos and verbose writing style, with one customer noting that there is at least one error in every paragraph.
Too verbose. Has a lot of typos also.Read more
It is interesting to read about our forefathers but this book was too wordy. I lost interest and still had many pages to go.Read more
Thomas Jefferson is the perfect subject but the typos are incredible. I have to give it one star, maybe the publisher will read this....Read more
...story and I'm sure the author wrote it well, but in the Kindle version the many typos (like more than one per page) are a distraction to reading....Read more
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