Jefferson and Monticello: The Biography of a Builder

by Jack McLaughlin

Book Overview

This book, a National Book Award nominee in 1988, is the life of Thomas Jefferson as seen through the prism of his love affair with Monticello. For over half a century, it was his consuming passion,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805014632
• Release Date: October 1990
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
• Length: 496 Pages
• Weight: 1.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.1" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Read and then Visit Monticello

Reading this book before a recent visit to Monticello tremendously enhanced the experience. The book provides so much detail on the design and construction of this beautiful home that you almost feel as if you have been there. A wonderful combination of biography and architectural writing. Highly recommended.

A well written account of the complex man that was Jefferson

This is a very informative and well written account about the 3rd President of the United States, the immortal Thomas Jefferson. This biography about the man and his passion for architecture are written down in easy to follow text that is difficult to accomplish about the complex man. The planning of Monticello and the labor of building and re-building are fascinating to think of, especially in the timeframe of which it was built. Jefferson was a true genious in his inventions and insight of how he wanted Monticello to work and function. People seem to forget that Jefferson was a gifted man of many talents, and in my opinion, one of his greatest gifts was architecture. In architecture of Monticello and the University of Virginia, Jefferson gives an insight to the man himself. Simple yet very complex. Jefferson enjoyed simplicity on the surface, but peel away the layers of the man, you found a very complex and intellectual person. The way Monticello was built and rebuilt due to Jefferson changing tastes and ideas says alot about the mans personal life himself. The only disturbing thing about Monticello was the human cost of labor that was used in it being built. The African-American slaves was the backbone of building to Jefferson's whim. This must of took a heavy toll of labor and lives, due to the magnificence of Monticello. This by the man who wrote that "all men are created equal". An interesting point to ponder. Overall, this is an excellent read and highly recommended to any history enthusiasts and enthusiasts of early American architecture.

Great combo of Biography and Social History

This is much more than a discussion of Jefferson and his home. Interwoven throughout the narrative are threads of colonial life. Slavery, Jefferson's personal relationships, the lower class white aristsans of Monticello are all discussed in detail. This makes the book a good biography, and a great social history.

Good Insight into Jefferson!

This book was easy to read and understand. It went into a lot of detail about Thomas Jefferson and his passion with building Monticello. I found it to be very interesting and a book that should be read by all Jefferson enthusiasts.

Great insight into a portion of this unique man

Having just toured Monticello, I was intrigued to learn more about the man that conceived and built this home and the many clever mechanisms within it. The book more than fulfilled my hopes of giving substancial insight into Jefferson's mindset and rationale for the many changes he made to it. If you like learning how and why unique structures like this come to be, you'll love this book. It was as satisfying as a similar book, The Builders Behind The Castles by Taylor Coffman which covers a similar reflection on the building and constant changes to Hearst's San Simeon.