Customer Reviews

The Republic of Letters: The Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and James Madison

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I bought this set back in 1995 before I had a computer or know what the Internet was all about. That's my rationalization for spending $150 for three volumes. If you're looking for a nice looking attractively bound set with a slip-case to impress your visitors this set is fine for you; if you're interested in content, and you know a little bit even about Jefferson and Madison, you can find much of this material on the Internet free of charge.

The three volumes containing over 2000 pages are handsomely bound, sewn signatures, and readable type. Each section of letters is accompanied by 10 to 14 pages of introduction. If I were to compare this set with the letters between Jefferson and Adams this collection word fall far short. Probably it's only real value is the letters of Madison which are more difficult to locate than the works of Jefferson. Since I consider Jefferson to be overrated I must admit my reason for buying this set was an interest in Madison. And perhaps this colors my own evaluation of the set and readers should take this into account.

What are the benefits of this set the volumes? The letters are presented in periods of activity and each period is introduced rather well. It offers a convenient way of comparing the thoughts of these two individuals on any single topic that is covered. The major problem as I see it is the limitation of topics. They seem to have been cherry picked for popular consumption. I can see an important use for this set in a library where history 101 students can find resources for a term paper. I believe the serious scholar of American history will be disappointed in this.