This study is a wonderful compilation of the life and writings of Thomas Jefferson. The introduction by Koch and Peden of Jefferson's long and fruitful life is rich and complete. Jefferson's greatness shines forth in the pages of this volume. His Anas, Autobiography, Essay of the Anglo Saxon language, Notes on Virginia, And his numerous public papers and letters show the reader the depth of this great man. Koch and Peden clearly admire Jefferon which is a welcome respite from the sad and anti-intellectual deconstructionist philosophy of modern historians. No PC here. For a student of Jefferson, or someone attempting to familiarize themselves with his ideals, this is a great buy!

We added this book to our library when I was doing research for a doctoral project on Racism. In one volume, is Jefferson's autobiography, travel journals, essays, biographies of other historical figures, notes and correspondence. It is a wealth of material into a foundation stone personality of our American identity.

Lately Jefferson has drawn fire because of his position on slavery and his philandering activities as a plantation owner. Still, within this volume you can observe the full story historical context provides.

In my favorite passage in connection with the slavery issue he writes,

"And can the liberties of a nation be though secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of thepeople that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever; that considering numbers,nature and natural means only, a revolution of the wheel of fortune, an exchange of situation is among possible events; that it may become probably by supernatural interference! The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in such a contest." (Notes on Virginia, Query XVIII; p. 278 Modern Library Edition)

I think every family should have a copy of this volume in their library. It is enlightening, powerful and life changing material.

Most people think the Civil War ended at Appomattox with Lee's surrender to Grant. Actually, the fighting carried on for a couple more months and included many events, including General Joseph Johnson's surrender, Lincoln's assassination, the flight of Jefferson Davis, a steamboat tragedy on the Mississippi River, the final land battle in Texas (ironically, a Confederate victory), the escape through Florida of several Confederate political leaders including John Breckinridge and the continued plundering of Union merchant shipping by a Confederte raider well into the fall of 1865. Burke Davis chronicles all of this as well as Jefferson Davis's post Civil War life as an unreconstructed rebel. It is a fascinating read for those interested in the Civil War.

This is a terrific book by Burke Davis. This book follows Jefferson Davis and his cabinet during the last days of the Civil War using first-hand accounts, newspaper articles, memoirs, and other never-before-published materials.. The books follows Davis, his cabinet, Lee, the Confederate treasury, Davis' family and others. Even though there are many people, Burke Davis writes in a way that is easy to follow and enjoyable to read. This book also looks at Davis' imprisonment and the post-war years of Davis, Lee, and the others above mentioned. It also attempts to answer the question of what happened to the Confederate treasury. This is a great book about a little-written about part of the Civil War.

I saw this book at Monticello and wish I had bought it. The drawings are crisp and fairly detailed. I would recommend it highly.

I purchased this book at Monticello, and any lover of architecture will enjoy this beautifully conceived work. The paper and print are gorgeous (reminiscent of Tufte's The Visual Display of Quantitative Information) - everyone I've shown it to can't stop looking at it. As a non-architect, at times I wished they had better defined some architectural terms, but overall the text is also quite good. If you enjoy aesthetically pleasing books, this beats almost every art book I've ever seen.

Theodore Crackel's " Mr Jefferson's Army" is an excellent study of Thomas Jefferson's reform of the US military. Jefferson " republicanized" the military by downsizing and making it more efficient. He removed hostile Federalist officers who were adverse to republican principles. Jefferson is often critisized by people who like a standing military and bureaucracy. Jefferson saw both as hostile to liberty and the Republic. Crackel details how Jefferson remodeled the military by creating military academies such as West Point, and the Army Corp of Engineers. Jefferson saw the military no different than other aspects of society- to be republicanized. Overall a great read.

This is an excellent military history book showing how a Republican Predsident stood down a chiefly Federlist Army. When Thomas Jefferson was elected President of the United States after John Adams the army needed political and social reform.

There was a need for a military academy to produce trained officers for all branches of the service. This is when the establishment of West Point came into being. Jefferson and his Secretary of War, Henry Dearborn went to work whipping the army into shape, a respectable force of 9000 men.

Prior to the Jefferson Administration the army consisted of patronage to the Federlist Party... no doubt from the influence of Alexander Hamilton and George Washington. Now, the task at hand, was to reform this military establishment. West Point was to become the training academy for the otherwise poorly prepared sons of the Republican faithful.

What once was paradoxical, Jefferson long viewed antithetical to a standing army, would create a military school. Jefferson is the man of paradox personified. Reading this book we see Jefferson come to terms with his army. Only later in James Madison's administration who became indifferent an inadequate to its maintainance undid much of what Jefferson and Dearborn created.

This is an excellent book with solid research and well documented. We get an idea of what it was like in a day at West Point early on after its inception.

This is an excellent work of military history of the United States.

Dr.DeGregorio traces marvelous historical parallel between President Thomas Jefferson and Bill Clinton while also illustrating from clinical case studies ("diagnostic existential interviews"). What shines through is a love for his patients and subjects and the desire to allow them to discover the oppportunity for happiness. DeGregorio's analysis of the Clinton-Lewinsky matter sheds a new light on some of the unconcious or partially conscious motivations that led to the affair. Some readers might find this hard accept or understand. Occasionally the author's leaps from psychoanlytic insight to interpretations may seem unclear to some readers. All in all a fascinating, thought-provoking read that helps make a fair case of how psychoanlysis can offer deeper insights into our existential situations and thus,eventually, the potential for deeper contentment -- perhaps even happiness -- to emerge.

Want to know what sex, dreams, and sprained knees have in common? Want to understand the unconscious psychodramas that ignited when Bill's coatsleeve touched Monica's breast? If you can handle a little home truth with your voyeurism, this book should not be missed. Read it if you ever took sides in the Clinton impeachment affair that split the American psyche. Read it if you ever wondered why Thomas Jefferson had sex and children with his teenage slave. Read it if you ever were ambushed by your own passions and lived to wonder why. This book is a gift of love. Buy it, read it, pass it on.

Jefferson Floyd has captured the essence of forgiveness in this comprehensive look at the issue of past hurts. Every believer needs the grace of God when faced with the hurtful actions of others. Floyd details the development of hurt and its devestating results in a person's life. His Prayer Agenda is a masterful culmination of years of working with people and helping them gain freedom. The book is a source of information for those wishing to find inner healing and for those wishing to help others find freedom. It is a "must read" resource for the believer and a "must have" for every Pastor.

Neither Give Place is absolutely spellbinding. I keep thinking "why didn't I think of this?" It is the tool that I have been waiting for in my ministry. In this day when there are so many hurting and dysfunctional people, it is important that ministers such as myself have tools that prepare us to help these people. This book is that tool.

Professor Koch performs a valuable service in this book. She shows how Thomas Jefferson had a coherent philosophy in contrast to those who maintain that he was devoid of one. Koch relates how Jefferson studied religion, republicanism, natural rights, philology, ideology, education, philosophy, etc. She shows how Jefferson had voracious appetite for learning not just what we do, but why. He was a student of Bacon,Locke, and a later follower of De Tracy, Stewart, and Say. Koch shhows Jefferson's belief in human progress and improvability were cornerstones of Jefferson's belief system. Overall a wonderful book.

This is a scholarly and well-documented look at the contents and sources of Jefferson's beliefs in Deism, natural law, teachings of Jesus, and Stoic and Epicurean philosophy. Notable topics include: (1) Koch disputing noted Jefferson scholar Gilbert Chinard's claim that Jefferson turned from the Stoics to Epicurus by arguing that the two philosophies are not incompatible. (2) Jefferson's belief that morality lay in the motives and intentions behind actions: "how" and "why" something done is being as important as "what" is done. Koch claims this is why he turned from ancient philosophers to moral teachings of Jesus. (3) Jefferson's belief in the innate moral sense: where he acquired the belief, how he extended it by adding the pursuit of happiness, and what he thought was the best expression of the moral sense. (4) How Jefferson derived his ideas about natural rights from the moral sense theory of Lord Kames and how he applied it in political philosophy to develop ideas about political rights and majority rule. (5) Sources of Jefferson's Deism and an evaluation of whether his views were closest to the English or the French Deists.

Norrell's book gives a detailed story of the movement in Tuskegee, the home of Booker T. Washington. It clearly shows of the Macon County's progress away from the accommodationist views of Washington. For those who are not familiar with the movement outside the realms of Martin Luther King and others, Reaping the Whirlwind is a great source to fill your mind.

The struggle for civil rights was a long and argous process, and Robert Norrell's Reaping the Whirlwind, is an example of how the movement progressed, grew, and eventually was successful. In his book he traces the lines of leadership at Tuskegee Institute in Macon County, Alabama. As the novel progresses, society increasingly adapts to the ideals behind an integrated community. The struggle for equality was not won as easliy as the court battles suggested rather, true equality could never have existed due to the white exodus of the "model city." This is an excellent portrayal of the events in this small town, and this novel should be mandatory reading in any civcs or Civil Rights History class

Sanford writes a well-documented but accessible account of Jefferson's religious ideas. Other books on Jefferson's religion extract his ideas from his letters, papers, and speeches, but Sanford goes deeper, tracing the roots of Jefferson's ideas and the influence Enlightenment philosophers played in shaping his thinking. Sanford's book reveals how Jefferson's ideas about liberty, rights, and democracy sprang from his profound belief in God. Sanford's book also shows the contradictions and complexities of Jefferson's beliefs: that he loved Jesus's teachings even while doubting his divinity, that Jefferson attacked immaterialism in religion while believing in the afterlife, and that he contributed to and regularly attended churches while blasting the corruptions of the church and clergy on the Christian faith. I highly recommend this book to understand Jefferson's religious ideas, but to get historical context for the development of this ideas, I recommend as a companion book. "Sworn on the Altar of God" by Edwin Gaustad. Together the two books give a complete potrait of Jefferson's religious life.

This book is an excellent look at the deep roots of spirituality, not religion, of one of America's most important founders, Thomas Jefferson.

The book is both informative and very interesting. It's a great book to keep for future reference as well.

It points out that Jefferson, like many of America's key founders, was not a Christian, but was a Deist. That is, he believed in God based on reason and nature, not on the Bible, Torah or Koran or any other man made book.

This is a book that will stimulate your brain and cause you to expand your mind!

Robert L. Johnson