The Lost World of Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson's fame and continued popularity does not depend upon the marvelous personal example he set, as does George Washington's, or upon the remarkable leadership qualities he displayed during the darkest national hours, like Abraham Lincoln's. Instead, he is revered for presenting a unique world-view. Daniel J. Boorstin provides a rich intellectual history of Jefferson's personal and political philosophy: "My purpose has been to get inside the Jeffersonian world of ideas--to see the relation among their conceptions of God, nature, equality, toleration, education, and government.... In a word, I have been more concerned to recapture the Jeffersonian world of ideas than to perform an autopsy on it." Although this particular book is a bit more academic than others by the same author, Boorstin capably explains why Jefferson's voice still resonates long after his passing. --John J. Miller