About this title: This compelling new biography of Jefferson is set amid the historical drama of the new nation's struggle for independence. The author presents a portrait of a formative figure and a turbulent era in history.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Acceptable. Former Library book. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harpercollins
Date Published: 2005-06-01
ISBN-13:9780060598969ISBN:0060598964
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780060598969. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Eminent Lives
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780060598969ISBN:0060598964
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Description: Very Good. Former Library book. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: PERENNIAL
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780060837068ISBN:0060837063
Description: This compelling new biography of Jefferson is set amid the historical drama of the new nation's struggle for independence. The author presents a portrait of a formative figure and a turbulent era in history. read more
Edition: First
Binding: hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins, New York
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780060598969ISBN:0060598964
Description: Very good(-) in very good(-) jacket. 12mo, 1/2 maroon cloth, d.w. and cloth lightly soiled. (New York): HarperCollins, (2005). NOT the large-print edition. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Eminent Lives, New York
Date Published: May 31, 2005
ISBN-13:9780060598969ISBN:0060598964
Description: Fine in Fine jacket. 7.3 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches. First Edition. 2nd Printing. Hardbound with dust jacket. Pages are clean, no markings from previous owners. Boards are clean and square. Binding is tight. Text block is clean. DJ is clean, bright and unmarked and un price clipped. Gift quality. read more
Edition: Large Print
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Thorndike Press, Waterville, Maine
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780786280803ISBN:0786280808
Description: New. New book in perfectly new condition. Tight binding. No remainder marks. No shelf wear. No scuffing. Book ships wrapped in paper and bubblewrap & insured to ensure it arrives to you as described. Free gift wrap available upon request. read more
"Anything written by Christopher Hitchens, at the very least, will be very interesting to read. At his best, he's enlightening. This book falls somewhere in between. I've read quite a few bios on Thomas Jefferson and this should be read alongside any other as Hitchens creates an interesting narrative of Jefferson, the entire man, and not omitting the "sex bits" as many historians do. It feels like hearing Jefferson scholar deliver an oral narrative of his life. Kind of like Burgess's "Shakespeare"."
"As a stylist, Christopher Hitchens is one of my favorites. His prose should be studied by all contrarians and literary warmongers as a blueprint for how to write engaging nonfiction. While he occasionally dips into thesaurus words for minimal effect, his gift with the English language is self apparent. This brief volume about the life and times of America's cornerstone author, Thomas Jefferson, serves its function as a quick and accessible bio. If you want Tolkien-like precision about the man, I'd try something a little thicker. Hitchens sticks to the major points. He doesn't attempt to shirk any insight, but this would hardly pass as an exhaustive account (see also the invisible references section).
The book's strength is its brevity and simple format. The high points of Jefferson's remarkable career will be arrived at quickly and often. There is, however, a slight problem for those of us who aren't steeped in the politics and secondary events of the 1776 generation. It would be nice to approach this work armed with a basic knowledge of political factions and other key figures of the time (e.g. all the stuff you forgot from high school history class). Even still, not much is overly obscure, but a little background wouldn't hurt.
As I expected, the seeds of Hitchens' more commonly cited atheism are germinating whenever the topic shifts to Jefferson's deism or dislike for most any form of hypocritical organized religion. The polemicist in him is mostly dormant for the purposes of a biography, but one can hardly blame him for taking his shots when the opportunity presents itself. The only downside to this--along with the empty references page--is that it alerts the reader's mind to possible bias, and thereby skepticism. I wouldn't attempt to take Hitchens to task on these points, but I am prompted to read further to see what someone else might have to say about Jefferson's mild agnosticism. On a brighter note, the passion Jefferson had for the enlightenment, science, literature and secular wisdom is captured beautifully by Hitchens, who shares these passions himself. With all the glowing sentiment, you'd almost think science answered every philosophical quandary we find ourselves in.
Almost.
Final count? High three. Could have been a four but I didn't walk away from this book with the sense that I'd just acquired a full understanding of Jefferson or the world he inhabited. Maybe that's asking too much from a slim bio that doesn't top two hundred pages, but all the same, it lowers the zeal level of my recommendation. By all means give Hitchens a shot. If nothing else you'll treat yourself to some fine prose, as well as a concise introduction to the author of the American Experiment."
"Christopher Hitchens has authored a well written, literate, and even witty biography of Thomas Jefferson. This work is a part of the "Eminent Lives" series, published by HarperCollins. Early on, the book is described as a part of a series: "Pairing great subjects with writers known for their strong sensibilities and sharp, lively points of view, the Eminent Lives are ideal introductions designed to appeal to the general reader, the student, and the scholar. As to the latter, the scholar, I am not so sure. As to other audiences, surely this is the case.
Hitchens outlines the arc of Jefferson's full life from his family's origins to his death on the same day, July 4th, as John Adams' death. In 188 pages, Hitchens jams as much detail as he can on his subject, an elusive person (or, as Joseph Ellis refers to Jefferson in his book, "The American Sphinx"). Some of the troublesome aspects of Jefferson's life are portrayed in a reasonable manner--his tortured stand on slavery and the African as a person, his relationship with Sally Hemmings, his vaulting ambition that he tried to convince others (and maybe himself) was not actually there.
His eminent role at the Continental Congress, where he was the front person for the committee drafting the Declaration of Independence, to his unhappy term as Governor of Virginia, to his role as Ambassador in France, to his service in George Washington's Cabinet (and his rivalry with Alexander Hamilton), his prickly relationship as Vice President to John Adams as President (their friendship had come apart because of their political differences), his splendid first term as president, his less successful second term, and his remaining years as a citizen (during which time, he and Adams renewed their friendship in a series of letters).
It's a fair enough biography in its consideration of Jefferson. It does provide the nuanced view on Jefferson that, I think, is needed. My one concern? It is so brief that those who really want to know more about Jefferson will not be fully satisfied (which is why I do not think that scholars will find this a great resource). If you want a fuller picture, one might consider Ellis' biography, "American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson.""
"In this brief biography of Thomas Jefferson, Christopher Hitchens describes how Thomas Jefferson shaped (or authored) America. From the writing of the Declaration of Independance to his involvement in the Louisana purchase and the educating of Lewis and Clark for their formidable journey west Hitches leaves no major detail out. Due to it's briefness, at 188 pages, there are plenty of details that are left out. We don't get much talk of Jefferson's youth nor much of his personal life. I didn't miss the details while reading this book because it clearly wan't Hitchen's plan to tell us everything of Jefferson. Hitchen's suceeds in showing us the impact that Jefferson had on the formation of American and it's transition from a country of colonial origin to a modern country able to operate widely."
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
rating
