ook offers insights into Jefferson's psychology as well as historical data. Risjord does well by his chapter headings, as they divide Jefferson's life into "Vice President" and "President" etc. And so they provide easy access.The bibliography is excellent, allowing for follow up on several of the texts to do more reading on, for example, the Louisiana Purchase. The illustrations are adequate: there might have been more of them, concentrating on Jefferson's political associates (Hamilton, Burr, and et al.).The author is relatively objective. Biographies of Jefferson since this 1994 edition have concentrated more on the darker side of Jefferson's life, such as the affair he had with his slave, but Risjord keeps primarily to the main facts of the third president's life.If Risjord has a bias, it is that the earlier leaders of the U.S. showed more moral character than those today. This, however, is hard to see as a direct bias, as many of those who helped form the country in 1776 clearly had a great deal of character. In terms of his general intelligibility, Risjord is very readable.Risjord accuracy with the facts that he presents seems quite good. As has been mentioned, he doesn't deal with some of the more controversial aspects of Jefferson's life.In terms of my criticism, the book seems to be very valid. In referring to several other accounts of Jefferson's life, it appears that Risjord got all of the main facts correct. He did a commendable job of explaining Jefferson's election, with the Congressional dynamic between Hamilton and Burr.Risjord has accomplished what he set out to do, which was to present Jefferson as a person that readers could relate to as a politician, husband, father, as well as a man of higher learning. The author has made a contribution to the field of American history.This book is worth reading because it frames Thomas Jefferson within the context of his times. To explore this book is to experience the gro...
