Join Amazon Prime and ship Two-Day for free and Overnight for $3.99. Already a member? Sign in.

Quantity:

More Buying Choices

23 used & new from $12.99

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

Tell the Publisher! I�d like to read this book on Kindle Don�t have a Kindle? Get yours here.

An Evening with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson: Dinner, Wine, and Conversation (Hardcover)

by James M. Gabler (Author) "I'm sure that if I told my fianc�e, my friends, or my academic colleagues about my incredible experience of having dinner last evening with Benjamin..." (more)
Key Phrases: tavern bills, modern wines, United States, John Adams, Haut Brion (more...)

4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

List Price:	$29.95
Price:	$21.86 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save:	$8.09 (27%)

In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Only 2 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Wednesday, July 15? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

10 new from $14.94 12 used from $12.99 1 collectible from $75.00

Frequently Bought Together

Price For All Three: $66.71

Show availability and shipping details

This item: An Evening with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson: Dinner, Wine, and Conversation by James M. Gabler
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Thomas Jefferson on Wine by John Hailman
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
Passions : The Wines and Travels of Thomas Jefferson by James M. Gabler
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Passions : The Wines and Travels of Thomas Jefferson

by James M. Gabler

4.7 out of 5 stars (7) $19.77

Dinner at Mr. Jefferson's: Three Men, Five Great Wines, and the Evening That Changed America

by Charles A. Cerami

3.2 out of 5 stars (5) $10.85

The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine

by Benjamin Wallace

3.9 out of 5 stars (53) $10.17

Wine and Philosophy: A Symposium on Thinking and Drinking

by Fritz Allhoff

4.8 out of 5 stars (4) $14.93

Dining at Monticello: In Good Taste and Abundance

by Damon Lee Fowler

5.0 out of 5 stars (2) $23.10

› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Review
"This is a marvelously enlightening book for both historians and wine enthusiasts." Wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. -- Back cover of book.

"This is a marvelously enlightening book for both historians and wine enthusiasts." Wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. --Back cover of book.

Gabler captures the friendship between Franklin and Jefferson and more ... Walter Isaacson, author of "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life." -- Back cover of book.

Gabler captures the friendship between Franklin and Jefferson and more ... Walter Isaacson, author of "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life." --Back cover of book.

James Gabler has constructed a brilliant roman a clef around the lives and travels of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. -- Robert M. Parker, Jr. on back cover of the book

The friendship between Franklin and Jefferson is a delectable part of America's founding and Gabler captures that and more ... -- Walter Isaacson, author of

Product Description
Through a dream sequence, you (the reader) go back in time to 18th century Paris where you meet Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. In the comfort of Jefferson's residence on the Champs-Elysees, you sit down with these two great Americans, and in response to your questions, they tell in their own words the most interesting stories of their lives. There are extensive citations of authority to support all of their comments.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

Hardcover: 334 pages
Publisher: Bacchus Press (January 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0961352566
ISBN-13: 978-0961352561
Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.9 x 1.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #365,295 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories: (What's this?)
#77 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( F ) > Franklin, Benjamin
#81 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( J ) > Jefferson, Thomas

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
I'm sure that if I told my fianc�e, my friends, or my academic colleagues about my incredible experience of having dinner last evening with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson at Mr. Jefferson's residence in Paris, they would say I dreamed it. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
tavern bills, modern wines

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, John Adams, Haut Brion, New York, General Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Madame Helv�tius, George Washington, John Paul Jones, Benjamin Franklin, Great Britain, Lord Howe, Silas Deane, Bonhomme Richard, Madame Brillon, Bois de Boulogne, Arthur Lee, Captain Jones, Ch�teau Margaux, Clos de Vougeot, Craven Street, New Jersey, Gouverneur Morris, Privy Council, Abigail Adams

New!
Concordance | Text Stats

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 81 books:

Jefferson the Virginian - Volume I (Jefferson and His Time, Vol 1) by Dumas Malone on 7 pages
Benjamin Franklin by Carl Van Doren on 5 pages
John Adams by David McCullough on 5 pages
Notes on the State of Virginia (Penguin Classics) by Thomas Jefferson on 4 pages
The Papers of Thomas Jefferson by Thomas Jefferson in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)

See all 81 books this book cites

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	59% buy the item featured on this page: An Evening with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson: Dinner, Wine, and Conversation 4.5 out of 5 stars (6) $21.86
	16% buy Thomas Jefferson on Wine 4.3 out of 5 stars (6) $25.08
	11% buy Passions : The Wines and Travels of Thomas Jefferson 4.7 out of 5 stars (7) $19.77
	10% buy Dinner at Mr. Jefferson's: Three Men, Five Great Wines, and the Evening That Changed America 3.2 out of 5 stars (5) $10.85

Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

benjamin franklin(1)

founding fathers(1)

france(1)

historical dimensions and perspectives(1)

nonfiction(1)

thomas jefferson(1)

trips and journeys(1)

Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search

No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Reviews

6 Reviews

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.5 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Moving Feast, January 26, 2006

By	William R. Franklin "Illuminatus" (Timonium, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Published just in time to celebrate Benjamin Franklin's 300th birthday, James Gabler has produced a cleverly crafted and engrossing story of an imaginary encounter with Dr. Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Journeying back in time through the vehicle of a vivid dream, the tale's narrator enjoys a sumptuous dinner in the company of Franklin and Jefferson in the latter's Paris residence as they discuss gastronomy, travel, politics and their public and private lives. Often the conversation is so intimate and reactions so plausible that the reader has the delicious feeling of eavesdropping on a very private affair.

The work's fictional aspects do not obscure Mr. Gabler's careful research into the life and times of our founding fathers. The long dinner conversation, with detailed exploration of topics ranging from the history of wine ch�teaux to affairs of state, is most educational. As the three men savour oysters with Meursault, pasta with Montrachet, roast beef with Haut Brion and Margaux, and pastry with Yquem, Franklin and Jefferson reflect on their adventures and promote their opinions in keeping with historical fact. Even when the conversation is at it's most speculative, such as reactions to the events surrounding 9/11, their responses are informative. Jefferson cites his own experience with Islamic terrorists in the guise of pirates from the Muslim Barbary states who were such a threat to early American shipping. Even the events at Abu Ghraib find an analogy in the documented poor treatment of British and German prisoners taken in the battle of Saratoga.

This is also a physically very attractive work with a beautiful dust cover and front plate and exquisite monochrome illustrations that contribute to its charm.

Enlightening and entertaining, this new book from Mr. Gabler will delight anyone interested in food and wine, history, politics, travel or just a good read. Heartily recommended.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As worthy of contemplation as a well-aged Bordeaux, January 28, 2006

By	Robin Garr "Robin Garr - WineLoversPage.com" (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

From "The 30 Second Wine Advisor" on WineLoversPage.com, Jan. 27, 2006:
James M. Gabler's An Evening with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson: Dinner, Wine, and Conversation, is as much about history as it is food and wine. Gabler, a Jefferson scholar and wine lover who wrote the memorable 1989 wine-history book Jefferson and Wine, is back on familiar ground with the new volume, which came out just in time to celebrate Franklin's 300th birthday on Jan. 17.

In contrast with Gabler's readable but scholarly approach in Jefferson and Wine, this one starts from a premise that's a bit more light-hearted: The narrator, a college history professor, falls into a deep sleep and, in a dream, is whisked back to 18th century Paris, where he enjoys a leisurely dinner with Jefferson and Franklin (both of whom really were resident in Paris at the time, around 1784).

Prompted by questions by their visitor from modern America, Franklin and Jefferson both comment on issues of their time - and of our time - in their own words, actual quotes taken from their writings. Adding a dimension of food-and-wine interest, the narrative also goes into considerable detail about what's on the table and in the revelers' wine glasses, again drawing extensively on Jefferson's and Franklin's own words.

This can lead to some engaging juxtapositions, as when Jefferson sips 1783 vintage Champagne from the monks at Hautvillers while likening the modern Patriot Act to "the Alien and Sedition acts that the Federalist Congress passed and President John Adams signed in 1798."

In Jefferson's words, he goes on to say, "One of my first decisions after becoming president was to discharge every person under punishment or persecution under the sedition law, because 'I considered that law to be a nullity, as absolute and palpable as if Congress had ordered us to fall down and worship a golden image; and that it was as much my duty to arrest its execution in every state, as it would have been to have rescued from the fiery furnace those who should have been cast into it for refusing to worship the image.'"

One assumes, as Gabler clearly does, that a latter-day Jefferson would have deep-sixed our Patriot Act with similar certitude. Then the story goes on as the dreaming professor, with a sommelier's skill, pairs a Goutte d'Or Meursault with Normandy oysters; Montrachet with a "macaroni" course sauced with olive oil, Parmigiano and anchovies; and a 1784 Haut-Brion and Margaux with boeuf a la Mode.

Their Champagne aperitif, Jefferson notes, was a still white wine resembling a modern dry white Burgundy. "Sparkling wines were little drunk in France but were alone known and drunk in foreign countries, and sold for about an eighth more."

There's nothing "dry" about the book, though. Its 264 pages of text are amply illustrated with contemporary drawings and extensively footnoted. The anachronistic dream framework might sound gimmicky, but it works. Like a well-aged Bordeaux from Jefferson's cellar, An Evening with Franklin and Jefferson is complex and interesting, worthy of contemplation but ultimately entertaining. I came away from the book enlightened and refreshed, feeling that I had learned quite a bit about Franklin and Jefferson and the 18th century world of food and wine.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dinner and Wine with Ben and Tom, January 27, 2006

By	T. Wark (Glen Ellen, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Every now and then you come across a book that you assume was written specifically for your eyes. It appeals to your past, your aspirations, your education, your occupation. That's how I felt about "An Evening with Benjamin Franklin & Thomas Jefferson: Dinner, Wine & Conversation" by James Gabler.

Many of you will be familiar with Gabler due to his last work, "Passions: The Wines & Travels of Thomas Jefferson," winner of the 1995 "Veuve Clicquot Wine Book of the Year" award. Now Gabler delivers a new work that once again has history as its focus but also spends a good deal of time focused on one of his own passions, wine.

The premise is simple: A historian is catapulted back in time via a dream and placed on the doorstep of Thomas Jefferson's home in Paris. There are no time travel mechanics, alternative histories or black holes to consider in the historian's travel back. You simply suspend disbelief because doing so gets you to the red meat of Gabler's book: The chance to talk to Jefferson and Franklin with the knowledge of what came after them.

Gabler's new book is remarkable on a number of levels. First, you have to understand that the title is an accurate reflection of the book's content. Yet, while the book is "fiction" it is also pure non-fiction all the way down to the more than 800 footnotes and the fact that much of what Franklin and Jefferson say to our historian are their own words, preserved in various letters and sources and faithfully reproduced in the appropriate conversations Gabler creates. But it is also a speculative book insofar as throughout Gabler has both Jefferson and Franklin reacting to news of what has transpired in the 200 or so years since they died. Still with me?

You really must know my own background to appreciate why this book is such a thrilling one for me. Around 1988 I decided to get a masters degree in history. I was one of those fellows who sought out a higher degree merely because I didn't get enough of college by the time I was awarded my BA. My subject was history, specifically American history. While indulging myself in a MA in History I focused more specifically on American Diplomatic History. Luckily, the University I attended offered one of the top professors in the country who specialized generally in American Diplomatic History and the Historiography of American Diplomacy.

One of the areas I spent a good deal of time studying was the diplomatic history and the foreign affairs of the Revolutionary period, that era covered in "An Evening..". At about the very same time in my life I was completely taken by wine and began to study it liberally. By the time I got my MA and realized that I didn't want a PhD, I had chosen to look into working in the wine industry.

So as you can see, Gabler's "historical fiction" with its focus on the American Revolutionary period as well as substantially on wine is something I might jump into feet first.

That said, "An Evening..." is largely a reminiscence. It is not a critical biography. It does not cast a sharp eye on Jefferson and Franklin with the truly modern goal of deconstructing their hypocrisies or foibles. Rather, Gabler has created a portrait of Jefferson and Franklin at rest, comfortable, looking back on where they've been, what they've learned, the things they regret and the pleasures they experienced and sought out. There is nothing defensive in this work. It is a long, comfortable and deeply interesting conversation with two very worldly men of the 18th century.

Did they drink wine in the 18th century, these worldly men, these radicals, these revolutionaries?

In discussing his 1787 tour of Burgundy, Jefferson relates to our time traveling historian:

"Arriving in the ancient town of Beaune on March 8, I lodged at Chez Dion a L'Ecu de France and promptly hired Etienne Parent, a cooper and wine merchant, as a guide to the vineyards of Pommard, Volnay, Montrachet and Meursault. As I mentioned earlier, Parent and I became friends, and he became my Burgundian wine counselor. Parent took me to the vineyards of Monsieur de la Tour, and it was here that I was introduced to the most expensive dry wine of Burgundy. My tasting confirmed Parent's opinion and I ordered 125 bottles of 1782 Montrachet."

Throughout the book we are treated to descriptions of Burgundy, Bordeaux the Rhone, Champagne and other wine producing regions that our heroes encountered throughout their lives. And we are also offered tales of drinking as well as wine reviews. Describing his encounter with white Hermitage while in the village of Tain, Jefferson tells Franklin the drink was "the first wine in the world, without a single exception:

"it was not entirely dry. It was what I call silky, and when I use the term silky I do not mean sweet, but sweetish in the smallest degree only."

The liberties that Gabler takes with his subjects' minds and recollections are grounded in the historical record. Yet, Gabler's own voice is also delivered through the words of Jefferson and Franklin. Gabler is clearly an optimist and a man of principle who believes much of the wisdom that our country might posses was best expressed in the acts of revolutionaries and country-makers like Franklin and Jefferson.

One is not required to have a post-graduate degree in history to appreciate this book. There is no jargon to sift through. Yet it distills a great deal of research and scholarship in a way that can be appreciated by the average reader and particularly by the wine lover who knows the meaning of wine is found as much in the past as in the present.

Finally, if you need a 90+ point review from a famed wine critic to convinced this is the book for you, Robert Parker, Jr. said:

"An Evening with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson: Dinner, Wine, and Conversation " is a brilliant roman a clef around wine and the lives and travels of Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin. This is a marvelously enlightening book for both historians and wine enthusiasts."

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 6 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars BORRRING and disappointing
Was hoping to get something a little more historical but it turned out to be a fantasy dinner loosely based on history. I intentionally left the book on the airplane.

Published on December 29, 2006 by Blake Newman

5.0 out of 5 stars Dinner with Two 18th Century Gourmets
DINNER WITH TWO 18TH C GOURMETS
A Book Review
by Wilson G. Duprey / Gail Unzelman

Bibliographer, novelist, and wine historian James Gabler has... Read more

Published on April 13, 2006 by Gail Unzelman

5.0 out of 5 stars Extensive Knowledge of Wine and Food with the Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson
Take out a two-dollar bill and look on its back. You will see the same picture that occupies the dust cover of this informative and illuminating novel involving the early history... Read more

Published on February 15, 2006 by Phyllis B. Brotman

› See all 6 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; }

Customer Discussions

Beta (What's this?)

New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.

This product's forum (0 discussions)

	Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
	No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Topic:

First post:

Receive e-mail when new posts are made

Prompts for sign-in

[Cancel]

Guidelines

Active discussions in related forums

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
biography what is the best biography you've ever read?	401	2 hours ago
biography Judicial biographies anyone?	12	7 hours ago
biography Best Biography On A Musician?	125	23 hours ago
biography The worst biography you've ever read	28	1 day ago
biography What are some of the best biographies of women you've ever read.	47	1 day ago
biography WHAT T IS THE BEST BIOGRAPY YOU EVER READ?	208	1 day ago
thomas jefferson Name Your Fave TJ Book	4	20 days ago