The Portable Thomas Jefferson (Portable Library) [Paperback]

Thomas Jefferson (Author), Merrill D. Peterson (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Portable Library | Publication Date: October 27, 1977

Includes A Summary View of the Rights of British America and Notes on the State of Virginia complete; seventy-nine letters; "Response to the Citizens of Albemarle," 1790; "Opinion on the Constitutionality of a National Bank," 1791; and many other writings.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (October 27, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140150803
• ISBN-13: 978-0140150803
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( J ) > Jefferson, Thomas
  • #85 in Books > History > Americas > United States > Revolution & Founding

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Words Of The Sage Of Montecello, June 1, 2004

By 

James Gallen (St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Portable Thomas Jefferson (Portable Library) (Paperback)

"The Portable Jefferson" consists of a vast collection of Jefferson's works. It provides us with valuable insights into his mind and his world.

The longest entry is "Notes on the State of Virginia". It provides a multifaceted assessment of the Virginia known by Jefferson. Politics, the economy, topography, populations, flora and fauna are all included in this report. I read with particular interest the reports on areas of French settlement in what is now Illinois, areas in which my ancestors were living but to which Jefferson had never traveled and about which he had to have learned from the reports of others. Many insights into the Virginia of his day are very interesting.

Jefferson's July, 1774 tome on "A Summary View Of The Rights of British America" give a preview of America's grievances on the eve of the Revolution.

The next segment consists of Jefferson's public papers and addresses. Some are well known, such as the Declaration of Independence, while others are obscure, but often no less interesting.

The last segment of the book consists of many private letters written to a host of correspondents. Some of these are rather mundane matters of personal interest, while others are occasions for expositions of political views and comments on the news of the day. I found particularly interesting his comments on developments in France during its Revolution.

I have long had an interest in Jefferson. This book enables the reader to see him in new and deeper lights. His thought, the breath of his interests and his genius shine on the pages of his book. This is a book to read and then keep handy for reference.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good book, August 2, 2010

By 

Brian J. Duke - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Portable Thomas Jefferson (Portable Library) (Paperback)

Neat book. has a lot of the pertinent documents that Jefferson wrote and correspondences he had with people in his time. I wish there were some more biographical information in it, but it's a great source for primary material.