Jon Meachamreceived the Pulitzer Prize for his 2008 biography of Andrew Jackson,American Lion. He is also the author of theNew York TimesbestsellersThomas Jefferson- The Art of Power, American Gospel,andFranklin and Winston. Meacham, who teaches at Vanderbilt University and at The University of the South, is a fellow of the Society of American Historians. He lives in Nashville and in Sewanee with his wife and children.
“[Meacham] captures who Jefferson was, not just as a statesman but
as a man. . . . By the end of the book . . . the reader is likely
to feel as if he is losing a dear friend.”—The Christian Science
Monitor
“[Jon] Meacham wisely has chosen to look at Jefferson through a
political lens, assessing how he balanced his ideals with
pragmatism while also bending others to his will. . . . nuanced and
persuasive.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Even though I know quite a lot about Jefferson, I was repeatedly
surprised by the fresh information Meacham brings to his work.
Surely there is not a signifcant detail out there, in any pertinent
archive, that he has missed.”—The Washington Post
“This terrific book allows us to see the political genius of Thomas
Jefferson better than we have ever seen it before. In these
endlessly fascinating pages, Jefferson emerges with such vitality
that it seems as if he might still be alive today.”—Doris Kearns
Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals
“Absorbing . . . Jefferson emerges in the book not merely as a
lofty thinker but as the ultimate political operator, a master
pragmatist who got things done in times nearly as fractious as our
own.” —Chicago Tribune “[Jefferson’s] life is a riveting story of
our nation’s founding— an improbable turn of events that seems only
in retrospect inevitable. Few are better suited to the telling than
Jon Meacham. . . . captivating.”—The Seattle Times
“Fascinating and insightful … Many books have been written about
Jefferson’s life, but few have created such a vivid portrait …
Meacham immerses the reader in that period of history to explain
Jefferson’s behavior during an era when the nation was as
contradictory as he was … extraordinary … essential.”—The
Associated Press
“[Meacham] does an excellent job getting inside Jefferson's head
and his world … Meacham presents Jefferson's life in a textured
narrative that weaves together Jefferson's well-traveled
career.”—USA Today
“A big, grand, absorbing exploration of not just Jefferson and his
role in history but also Jefferson the man, humanized as never
before. [Grade:] A-.”—Entertainment Weekly
“Impeccably researched and footnoted … a model of clarity and
explanation.”—Bloomberg
“Absorbing . . . Jefferson emerges in the book not merely as a
lofty thinker but as the ultimate political operator, a master
pragmatist who got things done in times nearly as fractious as our
own.”—Chicago Tribune
“[Meacham] brings to bear his focused and sensitive
scholarship, rich prose style … The Jefferson that emerges from
these astute, dramatic pages is a figure worthy of continued study
and appreciation … [a] very impressive book.”—Booklist (Starred
Review)
“An outstanding biography that reveals an overlooked steeliness at
Jefferson’s core that accounts for so much of his political
success.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Jon Meacham understands Thomas Jefferson. With thorough and
up-to-date research, elegant writing, deep insight, and an open
mind, he brings Jefferson, the most talented politician of his
generation—and one of the most talented in our nation’s
history—into full view. It is no small task to capture so capacious
a life in one volume. Meacham has succeeded, giving us a rich
presentation of our third president’s life and times. This is an
extraordinary work.”—Annette Gordon-Reed, author of The Hemingses
of Monticello
“Jon Meacham resolves the bundle of contradictions that was Thomas
Jefferson by probing his love of progress and thirst for power.
Here was a man endlessly, artfully intent on making the world
something it had not been before. A thrilling and affecting
portrait of our first philosopher-politician.”—Stacy Schiff, author
of Cleopatra: A Life
"A true triumph. In addition to being a brilliant biography, this
book is a guide to the use of power. Jon Meacham shows how
Jefferson's deft ability to compromise and improvise made him a
transformational leader. We think of Jefferson as the embodiment of
noble ideals, as he was, but Meacham shows that he was a practical
politician more than a moral theorist. The result is a fascinating
look at how Jefferson wielded his driving desire for power and
control."—Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs
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