A remarkable feature of Jefferson's writing is his frequent and inventive use of nautical metaphors, mainly varieties of ship-of-state and ocean-of-life. Organized in two parts, an essay and an anthology, Ship of State gathers and examines, for the first time, approximately 100 of these metaphors. Charles Miller shows how the metaphors confirm Jefferson's stature as a stylist and enrich our interpretation of his thoughts on politics and ethics,...