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WHICH IS THE BEST BOOK ABOUT JEFFERSON?
>In your opinion.....what is the best book out there to learn about >Thomas Jefferson' beliefs on politics, government, life, etc.? >Basically, what's the best book about him, period? I believe that finding a single book on Thomas Jefferson that will provide the "best" coverage of everything is not possible. In putting together my main website, "Thomas Jefferson on Politics & Government," I have become well acquainted with his thought on politics and government. I have also become of the opinion that when you read a book by a modern author "about" the thought of someone like Thomas Jefferson, you are more likely to get the ideas, biases, and viewpoints of the author, than you will those of Thomas Jefferson. For that reason, I would recommend for the study of his political thought, my own website, which includes every statement of principle by Jefferson that I could discover in his writings. It is book-length, although not available in printed form. For his life, the 6-volume work of Dumas Malone, "Jefferson and his Time," is considered by all as the most thorough and best, though it is not an exciting read. The recent book by Willard Sterne Randall, "Thomas Jefferson: A Life," is well-recommended and has the advantage of being complete in one volume. Both of these books may be purchased from Amazon.com by going to the following webpage: How to Purchase a Biography of Thomas Jefferson The biography that I have put up on the web, B. L. Rayner's Life of Thomas Jefferson, is an exciting read, and is faithful, in spirit, to Jefferson's republican principles, but it is not really the most thorough or the best. It is located at: Rayner's Life of Thomas Jefferson If you want a single work, and you really want to know Jefferson's ideas on government -- which is the most important part of Jefferson's thought -- I strongly recommend "Thomas Jefferson on Politics & Government." The best, easily available source for a selection of the writings of Thomas Jefferson in their original form is: Thomas Jefferson Writings. Compiled by Merrill D. Peterson New York: The Library of America, 1984. It should be available in any good library. To purchase the Writings of Thomas Jefferson at a 30% discount, click on the following: Jefferson's Writings from Amazon.com This link is offered in association with Amazon.com