Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)

Quite possibly the best book of history I've ever read - the American Revolution, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, shopping lists, child care instructions, treaty negotiations, rumination on religion, book reviews, art criticism, and too many more subjects to list. The complete correspondence between three of the founders (Abigail Adam's letters to and from Jefferson are included) constitutes in my humble opinion the best of history in the raw, the very stuff that still weaves it's way through our world two hundred years later. I cannot recommend this highly enough.… (mere)

If you want to understand what the classical deism of the American revolution means, read this book.If you want to understand why we have a a first amendment specifying separation of church and state, read this book. Jefferson was a complex character, but was, above all else, an independent and fearless thinker. To quote JFK's remarks at a dinner for Nobel laureates at the White House in 1962: "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."
Five stars. No doubts.… (mere)