Thomas Jefferson

This ground-breaking biography has been acclaimed as a landmark work on Thomas Jefferson's early and mature years. Mapp follows Jefferson from his birth in 1743 through the American Revolution and up until his inauguration as President of the United States in 1801. Along the way we rediscover Jefferson the student at William and Mary, the Virginia politician, and the foreign diplomat. In these pages, Mapp sheds new light on Jefferson's career and private life. The portrait is rich and full of a living complexity that defies the simple sketches often offered by those who would either canonize or demonize this reluctant founding father.

Chapter 1 Foreword Chapter 2 I. The Paradoxical Patriot. Chapter 3 II. The World Beckons. Chapter 4 III. "Seminary of Sedition." Chapter 5 IV. Reverberations of a Soft Voice. Chapter 6 V. Fire on the Hill, Snow on the Mountain. Chapter 7 VI. Year of Decision. Chapter 8 VII. Self-Evident Truths in a Virginia Accent. Chapter 9 VIII. "With a Single Eye. . ." Chapter 10 IX. Horseback Governor. Chapter 11 X. "Divine Discontent." Chapter 12 XI. Retreat from the World. Chapter 13 XII. Return to the Fray. Chapter 14 XIII. Paris and Life. Chapter 15 XIV. Head, Heart, and Glands. Chapter 16 XV. Struggle of Titans. Chapter 17 XVI. "The Only Vice." Chapter 18 XVII. "The Child is the Father of the Man." Part 19 Select Critical Bibliography.