Customer Reviews

Thomas Jefferson: Architect

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I live in Virginia, and have relative easy access to many of Jefferson's architectural accomplishments. I've enjoyed many, many good books about the man and his brilliance with buildings. Both of these things said, Mr. Howard's thoughtful, engaging text coupled with the truly breathtaking photography by Mr. Straus make this work a must-have treasure for anyone with more than a passing interest in Jefferson the architect. I cannot convey in words how Mr. Straus's skill with his many cameras give the viewer such a sense of immediacy about the buildings shown in this work. I've been on the grounds of several of Mr. Jefferson's buildings shown in this book - and photographer Straus's pictures truly give the viewer a sense of simply standing there on the grounds, seeing it all, "live and in person". As for the writing, it is all too common that sometimes a grand picture book has terribly dry and uninviting writing. Not so with this book. The writer has a highly engaging style that is yet not too obvious in its inviting charm, and, well, had me up reading the text this morning around 3. Three a.m. The writing is that good - and could stand alone even without those incredible pictures.
The book also does a beautiful brief salute to the remarkable Fiske Kimball, who published a book in the early 1900s by the same name. The work was a landmark compilation of Jefferson's architectural drawings. Those readers familiar with Kimball's life accomplishments will appreciate the fresh photographs of his private home Shack Mountain and its many grace notes to Jefferson's influence.
I had one small disappointment with the book but it is more puzzling than a showstopper: the pictures of "Bremo" , a property here in Virginia reputed to be more Jefferson than Jefferson himself in architectural style, just shows pictures from a historical archive. I wish Mr. Straus could have gained access to the property to show us all Bremo today as he does so remarkably with the other buildings. The other small regret is that I did not buy my copy of this marvelous book from Amazon. I paid full price at a local Roanoke bookshop - no regrets in supporting an excellent local business but the book's full price at first glance is steep. But you will quickly notice the book's very fine paper, binding and those other finishing touches that are hallmarks of truly beautiful books.
A treasure of a book. Especially if you love Jefferson's touch with architecture.

Great book with great photos. Th etext is WELL done, not just short captions surrounding the photos. I could have used a little less on UVa and more on Jefferson's influence on other builders in Va., but overall, I was well-pleased with this volume to be sure. A map might have been a good addition as well.

I am really enjoying this book - it has allowed me to share in a much more complete way my experiences travelling in Virginia alone last (US) winter, whilst my family stayed home in Australia.

As such, as well as giving me a much greater understanding of Jefferson's architecural oeuvre and the buildings that I was privileged to explore, it will also be a precious artifact of my trip.

(I also note how much easier the area would have been to explore in the golden light of autumn (fall) as the leaves were turning, rather than a mere week after "Snowmageddon" - so perhaps I'll need to go back sometime!)

Thomas Jefferson was an amazing man, granted, because of his inherited wealth and his slaves doing all the work on his plantation he had all the time in the world..to the manor born so to speak, but still, this man was special. I love Georgian architecture and Jefferson was an amazing interpreter of the style. This book really captures his work, the images are very good and the text highly informative. Eventhough, Monticello is his most famous work, its the UVA campus that I love, it's just perfect. To me that was the apex of his work. Overall, nice book on the architecture of the iconic Jefferson.