Customer Reviews

Jefferson the Virginian - Volume I (Jefferson and His Time)

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Malone, once called "the greatest Jeffersonian of them all", originally conceived this biography in four volumes. By the time he published the last book in 1982, at age 89, it had grown to six volumes. It remains the standard life of Jefferson, an indelible and important portrait of a great man, flaws and all, by a great scholar.

JEFFERSON THE VIRGINIAN begins things with Jefferson's birth into a family of much distinction. His father Peter was a noted surveyor and a man of inordinate physical strength who nevertheless died fairly young (in his fifties). The book covers Jefferon's education at William and Mary (at a time when formal education was not a widespread thing, even among the gentry), his law practice, his beginning the construction of Monticello (which would preoccupy him right up until the time of his death), his terms in the Virginia House of Burgesses (one of which was served after his governorship), his writing of the Declaration of Independence (his initial version, a scathing indictment of King George, had to be toned down by his compatriots), and his controversial governorship (in which he sustained much of the blame for the British army's inroads into the Old Dominion state). It ends with his appointment as an American ambassador to France.

Obviously this is no primer on Jefferson. Malone spares no detail. His prose is fastidious, elegant, and easy to read, although you may find yourself putting the book down from time to time to absorb what you have just read. Overall, Jefferson emerges here as a man naturally scholarly and reclusive, content to build his home, pursue his studies, and tend to his family, who is pushed into action by the obligations of his caste and by his own fervent patriotism.

Malone has been criticised for writing a virtual hagiography of Jefferson, ignoring the "darker" aspects of the man's personality. In other words, unlike Fawn Brodie, Malone did not reduce his subject to some psychological cripple and sex deviate. The charges are balderdash. Malone DOES recognize Jefferson's flaws (e.g., his lack of a sense of humor and his sometimes indecision in taking action). He simply refuses to turn Jefferson into a whipping boy for his own ideological preoccupations.

This is as complete a contemporary biography as we will probably ever get of this great man.

VERY detailed account of Jefferson during the his life in Virginia. Although it had in depth description of the political structure, the people, and Jefferson's involvement in the politics of the United States and Virginia, it did not include a very detailed account of his personal life as is best depicted through letters. Surprisingly, despite Jefferson's extensive correspondence during the 41 years that the book covers, this correspondence was not used sufficiently to shed further light on Jefferson's personal life and intimate thoughts. Additionally, Dumas Malone did not focus enough on one of Thomas Jefferson's greatest contribution - the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.

What can be said about this monument to Jefferson scholarship? I am sure that somewhere in universities around the United States there are "scholar squirrels who want to put down this invaluable resource in Jefferson studies. It is always the way that mice attempt to gnaw at lions. This is not a perfect work (and my remarks refer to all of the books in the series as a whole), there are somethings, namely Sally Hemmings references which are wrong and will not sit well with American 21st century mores. There is the issue of slavery which was handled much differently 50 years ago than it is now.
Jefferson is not worthy of our interest because of Sally Hemmings and because he kept slaves. Jefferson is great because of the Declaration of Independence and his fight for the rights of man. While it may have been hypocritical to preach liberty and keep slaves, it is doubtful that slavery ever would have been abolished if Jefferson had never gained the prominence that he did. This book and the others that follow show why we should continue to honor the public man even though his private side may have been wanting.

Jefferson: The Virginian by Dumas Malone is a masterful work on Thomas Jefferson's early years, from birth to being appointed as an ambassador to France.

This work is one of the first comprehensive biographies of Jefferson's life. This is the first of six in the complete set. Malone is a distinguished historian so you will read about Jefferson's ancestry, along with Jefferson's youth, education, legal career, his marriage, the construction of Monticello. Not that was enough for one man's life, but we see the writing of the Declaration of Independence and Jefferson's work on the "Notes on Virginia."

We get an insight as to how Jefferson conducted his highly successful legislative career and his governorship. But what we do NOT see is the soul of Jefferson... the man, the human being. We get facts and more facts about a very complex individual and a monumental man. But the richness of the breath of life is left out.

Nonetheless, the book is a very scholarly work, one of the first to complete a comphensive work on a mulitfarious man. I enjoyed reading this volume for its historical importance and significance. This volume lays the ground work on which all of the other volumes set.

This work being well documented is a good start into reading about the life and times of Thomas Jefferson. One fact the comes through loud and clear... Jefferson is a Virginian foremost and always... there is no mistaking that fact.

The dedication of one man (Malone) to the life of another (Jefferson) speaks volumes (at least 6, to be precise) as to the character of both men. This collection is a thoroughly crafted summary of an astonishing and complex man. While it fails (by not attempting) to shed light on the enigma of Jefferson's soul, it thoroughly illuminates Jefferson's path from cradle to grave. While arguably hagiographic, its completeness provides the reason why this should be the stepping-off point of any aspiring Jefferson scholar. I am not sure which amazes me more: That one man can write over 3000 pages on another and only scratch the surface of the other's existence or that one man can write over 3000 pages on another.

This wonderful piece of biographical scholarship, profiles the life of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was one of America's most prolific statesmen and a talented jack-of-all-trades... an architect, naturalist, jurist, political theorist and a Virginian. This book offers an insightful profile of the developments shaping Thomas Jefferson's character and Old Whig political ideas. Dumas follows Jefferson from his youth in Albemarle County to his collegiate legal studies under the his mentor, George Wythe. It intuitively chronciles Jefferson's career just following the Constitutional Convention.

I also recommend The Constitutional Thought of Thomas Jefferson by David Meyer and Mr. Jefferson by Albert Jay Nock.

Mr. Malone's description of Mr. Jefferson is detailed and encompassing. It is well organized and brings the reader in touch with this American Icon and his times. The only failing of this work and its subsequent volumes is that we really only see the best of Mr. Jefferson. His failures, faults and weakeness are dealt with as if they were unimportant or at least only a minor footnote in development of this man. Only in his last volume does Mr. Malone start to deal with the more complex parts of Mr. Jefferson's life. Regardless of this shortcoming this work should be required reading by all students of American History.

Malone's biography of Jefferson is one of the greatest works of historical scholarship ever written. It is an absolute must for every serious student of Jefffeson or the times he lived in. At times Malone's personal preferences and opinions creep into the narrative. This can be seen most clearly during his discussion of Jefferson's draft of the Kentucky Resolutions. Due to his clear Unionist slant, it seems almost as if he is apologizing for Jefferson's ardent state's rights sentiments. Nevertheless, every important issue and event in Jefferson's long life is dealth with ably and with ample documentation, leaving the reader to decide what he or she feels. It is amazing that one man devoted the last four decades of his life to writing this work. All I can say is that it was a noble enterprise, and that the world is in his debt.

I am currently attempting to read a biography of every President. For Washington and Adams, I settled for one volume biographies, the latter which was fortunate enough to be the Pulitzer Prize winning effort of David McCullough. After researching the available biographies for Thomas Jefferson I decided to plunge into the six volume work of Dumas Malone, partly because I did not find a one volume effort which I felt adequately delved into all the aspects of Mr. Jefferson's life in which I was interested, but mostly because as a University of Virginia alumni and admitted Jefferson admirer I wanted to read the most comprehensive and definitive biography available.

Thankfully, I have not been disappointed. (Note: This critique refers only to the first volume, Jefferson The Virginian. I will review each volume separately as I complete it.) The book is surprisingly readable and written in a very straightforward and engaging prose. Surprisingly, this first volume, if anything, is less detailed than I would have wished, especially regarding Jefferson's early life. As Mr. Malone recounts, Jefferson's home at Shadwell burned in 1770 and many documents that would have shed more light on Jefferson's early life were lost.

The other notable quality of this work is, though ultimately encompassing more than 3000 pages of text, each chapter has a narrow and well organized focus limited to 10-20 pages. This allows for quick reads of short chapters, which makes the reading of this large work more manageable and also aids in better retention of information.

There is not much I can criticize of Mr. Malone's work, at least as it pertains to this volume. Obviously Mr. Malone is a Jefferson admirer, and that should be taken into account by the reader, although I can find no example where this is so pronounced as to circumvent a fair presentation of his exhaustive research, leaving the reader to ultimately decide for themselves. It should also be noted that this book was published in 1948, so obviously some scholarship since then may be missing (notably the children he fathered with his slave, Sally Hemings, which would not pertain to this volume in any event). Finally, it should be noted that Mr. Malone assumes a working knowledge of Revolutionary history. For example, the text mentions important events such as the Stamp Act, Townshend duties, and various battles, but makes no attempt to expound upon them in detail beyond what is required for the purpose of the biography.

In summary, I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in a thorough study of the life of Thomas Jefferson. While a vast and comprehensive work, it is so well written and organized as to be easily accessible to all.

This offers the best of what academics can do: it is utterly rigorous with every assertion footnoted, makes an effort to cover everything of import, and is beautifully written in the flowing if elliptical style of the time (1948). This covers the first 41 years of a truly remarkable life of privilege and achievement: his extraordinary scholarship, his early law career and entry into politics as a super-talented legislator, his authorship of the Declaration of Independence, and his controversial governorship during the Revolutionary War (having poorly prepared, he fled). These events are covered very well, as are his overt positions on political and religious freedom, the economy (he liked yeoman farmers more than manufacturers and disliked aristocratic privilege), and human rights.

However, for the most part, the book is a bit of a slog as a reading experience. There are so many details that much of it is of interest only to professional historians, not for lay readers like myself. Though it never gets bogged down in academic trivia, it is often difficult to discern the broader outlines of what was going on. Thus, the reader needs to be at a fairly advanced level of historical knowledge: the basics of the French Indian War and even the Revol. War are rarely mentioned, indeed, the context of Jefferson's accomplishments and career are lost in the details.

In addition, the author appears unaware or unwilling to wrestle with the controversies and hypocrises that are evident today, such as his opposition to slavery while keeping his slave mistress, Sally Hemings, and the rest of his slaves (they formed his "capital" afterall). Indeed, I never really felt that the author got below the surface to the essence of the man, though much early documentation was lost in a fire. Indeed, I often think that the author was naive, accepting at face value that Jefferson's political persona (of disinterest in power, of a promoter of democracy and freedom, etc.) - he was brilliantly manipulative to the point of genius in my opinion - reflected his true beliefs. As such, the book prefers to cover what is "objective" and documentable, only rarely going beyond the conventional wisdom for interpretations of historical precedent that would be relevant to today.

Recommended with these caveats.