"Most Blessed of the Patriarchs"

Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination

3 May 2016

Description

A ground-breaking historical work that explicates Thomas Jefferson’s vision of himself, the American Revolution, Christianity, slavery and race.

Thomas Jefferson is still presented today as an enigmatic figure, despite being written about more than any other Founding Father. Lauded as the most articulate voice of American freedom, even as he held people in bondage, Jefferson is variably described as a hypocrite, an atheist and a simple-minded proponent of limited government. Now, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and leading Jefferson scholar team up to present an absorbing and revealing character study that finally clarifies the philosophy of Jefferson. The authors explore what they call the “empire” of Jefferson’s imagination—his expansive state of mind born of the intellectual influences and life experiences that led him into public life as a modern avatar of the enlightenment, who often likened himself to an ancient figure—“the most blessed of the patriarchs”.

Also By: Annette Gordon-Reed View all by author...

  • On Juneteenth

    Annette Gordon-Reed

    Hardback, 2021

    The mesmerising story of Juneteenth’s integral importance to American history—told by a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian.
  • On Juneteenth

    Annette Gordon-Reed

    E Book, 2021

    The mesmerising story of Juneteenth’s integral importance to American history—told by a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian.
  • Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History

    Fawn M. Brodie, Annette Gordon-Reed

    Paperback, 2010

    A seminal biography of Thomas Jefferson and a fascinating exploration of his relationship with Sally Hemings.
  • The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family

    Annette Gordon-Reed

    Paperback, 2009

    Winner of the Pulitzer Prize
    Winner of the National Book Award
    New York Times Bestseller
    #1 on Esquire's List of the 50 Best Biographies of All Time

    "[A] commanding and important book." —Jill...
  • The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family

    Annette Gordon-Reed

    E Book, 2009

    Winner of the Pulitzer Prize
    Winner of the National Book Award
    New York Times Bestseller
    #1 on Esquire's List of the 50 Best Biographies of All Time

    "[A] commanding and important book." —Jill...

Hardback

9780871404428

170 x 244 mm • 400 pages

£21.99

Add to Basket

Ebook

9781631490781

Powered by Glassboxx

£13.99

Add to Basket