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  • Published: 1 November 2012
  • ISBN: 9781400067664
  • Imprint: Random House US Group
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 800
  • RRP: $79.99

Thomas Jefferson

The Art Of Power



Jon Meacham brings to life the complete man, from birth to his last days--through the Revolutionary War and his years as President. We see the Founding Father who steered the states to nationhood, wrote the Declaration of Independence, and, as a master politician President, doubled the size of America through the Louisiana Purchase. With a powerful narrrative, Meacham guides us through the life and extraordinary times of a man often admired but, before now, never truly understood in all his complexity.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer Jon Meacham, “a big, grand, absorbing exploration of not just Jefferson and his role in history but also Jefferson the man, humanized as never before” (Entertainment Weekly)

“Probably the best single-volume biography of Jefferson ever written.”—Gordon S. Wood

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, The Seattle Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, BookPage
 
This magnificent biography brings vividly to life an extraordinary man and his remarkable times, giving us Thomas Jefferson the man, the politician, and the president. A Founder whose understanding of power and of human nature enabled him to move men and marshal ideas, to learn from his mistakes and to prevail, Jefferson was passionate about many things—women, his family, science, architecture, gardening, Monticello, Paris, and more. He strove, despite fierce opposition, to realize his vision: the creation, survival, and success of popular government in America. 
 
Drawing on archives in the United States, England, and France, as well as unpublished transcripts of Jefferson presidential papers, Jon Meacham shows us the personal Jefferson, a man of appetite, sensuality, and passion. He also presents Jefferson as the most successful political leader of the early republic, and perhaps in all American history, a leader who found the means to endure and to win. His story resonates today not least because he led his nation through ferocious partisanship amid economic change and external threats. Jefferson also embodies an eternal drama, the struggle of the leadership of a nation to achieve greatness in a difficult and confounding world.

  • Published: 1 November 2012
  • ISBN: 9781400067664
  • Imprint: Random House US Group
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 800
  • RRP: $79.99

About the author

Jon Meacham

JON MEACHAM is the author of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House, which won the Pulitzer Prize and the author of the New York Times bestsellers Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship and American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation. He is also most recently the editor of American Homer: Reflections on Shelby Foote and His Classic The Civil War. He lives in New York City with his wife and children.

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Praise for Thomas Jefferson

  • "A true triumph ... Meacham shows that Jefferson was a practical politician more than a moral theorist ... a fascinating look at how Jefferson wielded his driving desire for power and control." --Walter Isaacson
  • "This is probably the best single-volume biography of Jefferson ever written; it is certainly the most readable." --Gordon Wood