Thomas Jefferson: Passionate Pilgrim

Overview

Eagerly awaited by readers of Alf Mapp's best-selling Thomas Jefferson: A Strange Case of Mistaken Identity, this final volume follows Jefferson from his inauguration as President in 1801 to his death at the age of 83 on July 4, 1826. It embraces the eight years as Chief Executive in which he doubled the size of the United States by his daring Louisiana Purchase, sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on one of the world's greatest expeditions of exploration, and challenged the formidable Chief Justice John ...
See more details below
Paperback (New Edition)
$19.95
BN.com price

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (Paperback)
  • All (4) from $14.59   
  • New (3) from $14.59   
  • Used (1) from $96.70   
Sending request ...

Overview

Eagerly awaited by readers of Alf Mapp's best-selling Thomas Jefferson: A Strange Case of Mistaken Identity, this final volume follows Jefferson from his inauguration as President in 1801 to his death at the age of 83 on July 4, 1826. It embraces the eight years as Chief Executive in which he doubled the size of the United States by his daring Louisiana Purchase, sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on one of the world's greatest expeditions of exploration, and challenged the formidable Chief Justice John Marshall with a major program of judicial reform. It proves the falseness of the stereotype that Jefferson ignored national defense and tried to keep the Navy weak. The book shows him late in life, with ideas that have relevance today, planning a system of public education and founding the University of Virginia, and it reveals, better than any other biography to date, the intimate details of the lonely private battle he fought during his last tortured, but ultimately triumphant, decade.

In Thomas Jefferson: Passionate Pilgrim, Jefferson the human being, passionate in his loves and hates, is never lost in a revealing portrait of the public figure. Witnessing Jefferson's actions in private life as well as in the arena of history, the reader learns why this founding father was abhorred by some but adored by many more.

The book not only is enlightening about Jefferson's personality, character, and career, but also enables us to view America and Europe in the first quarter of the nineteenth century through the eyes of the one person best qualified to see them in all phases. His wide acquaintance on both sides of the Atlantic, his richly varied interests, and his life as both scholar and social animal, gave him a unique perspective.

Almost as interesting as Jefferson himself are the many other characters ho enliven the narrative. In addition to such accustomed players in his life drama as Madison, Monroe, and Marshall, there is the President's troublesome cousin, John Randolph, majority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives at age twenty-eight, who sometimes entered the chamber in foxhunting togs, followed by a pack of hounds, and gestured with a riding crop as he addressed his colleagues. And there is Margaret Bayard Smith, who boasted that the master of monticello had admitted her to his "sanctum sanctorum" where "any other feet but his own seldom intrude." There was Vice President Aaron Burr, of the hypnotic eyes, who almost founded an empire in the American West. And who could forget Napoleon, completely nude, conducting a conference vital to the fate of both Jefferson and the United States?

Read either separately or in conjunction with Mapp's earlier volume on Jefferson, this book offers an illuminating and absorbing view of the person whom columnist George Will describes as the "Man of the Millennium."

Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

Jack McLaughlin
A fine sequel to the first volume, written with clarity and style . . . the conclusion of a most ambitious Jefferson biography.
Virginius Dabney
Alf Mapp's second volume on Thomas Jefferson is even better than his first. This picture of Jefferson's life, character, and achievements from the time of his presidency until his death is brilliantly revealing and sharply etched. The catholicity of his genius and his astonishing accomplishments despite waning strength, physical ills and impending financial disaster are masterfully described.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780742564404
  • Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
  • Publication date: 12/18/2008
  • Edition description: New Edition
  • Pages: 464
  • Sales rank: 1,294,146
  • Product dimensions: 6.70 (w) x 9.00 (h) x 1.10 (d)

Meet the Author

Alf J. Mapp, Jr. is Eminent Scholar Emeritus at Old Dominion University and an internationally recognized scholar on Thomas Jefferson. His numerous publications include Faiths of Our Fathers: What America's Founding Fathers Really Believed, The Virginia Experiment, and Thomas Jefferson: America's Paradoxical Patriot.
Read More Show Less

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Great Experiment Chapter 2: A Reasonable Revolutionist Chapter 3: The Battle Is Joined Chapter 4: Lonely Labor and Public Scandal Chapter 5: Wonderful Year Chapter 6: Private Loss and Public Triumph Chapter 7: "Descent into the Maelstrom"
Chapter 8: Buccaneers and Rebels Chapter 9: The "Little Emperor" and the Blind Giants Chapter 10: Through the Storm Chapter 11: Measure of a President Chapter 12: Shadows on the Mountain Chapter 13: "Diffusion of Knowledge"
Chapter 14: War and Friendship Chapter 15: "Of Cabbages and Kings"
Chapter 16: No Royal Road Chapter 17: "A Race Between Education and Catastrophe"
Chapter 18: Broad Vistas Chapter 19: Captain, Drummer, and Flagbearer Chapter 20: Imperiled Triumph Chapter 21: The Last Fourth Chapter 22: Who Is He?
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

    If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
    Why is this product inappropriate?
    Comments (optional)