Product Details
Thomas Jefferson: Architect: The Interactive Portfolio

Thomas Jefferson: Architect: The Interactive Portfolio
By Chuck Wills

List Price: $45.00
Price: $37.35 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com

44 new or used available from $5.62

Average customer review:

Product Description

Though Thomas Jefferson is thought of first and foremost as one of America’s founding fathers, his contributions in the realm of architecture, design, and innovation were no less revolutionary. The third president created an American ideal in architecture that can be seen in numerous structures that define the landscape of his resident state of Virginia, and comprise what has come to be regarded as classic American colonial design.

Combining beautiful images, informative, accessible text, and removable memorabilia, this book celebrates the design of Jefferson’s four most notable structures: the University of Virginia, his Monticello home, the Poplar Forest retreat, and the Virginia State Capitol.

Monticello is the only home in the United States designated as a World Heritage Site. This Charlottesville, Virginia residence is featured on the reverse side of the nickel, and brings more than 450,000 visitors to its halls each year. However, guests are only allowed viewing on the ground floor and in the cellar; Thomas Jefferson: Architect will be one of the few places to reveal the second and third floors.

Thomas Jefferson has never ceased to intrigue both the scholar and the casual history reader. New works about his life, his politics, and his writings continue to be published each year. As historical narratives dominate the nonfiction landscape, Jefferson remains a central figure in American history, and this unique volume adds a new facet to this fascinating man.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #261897 in Books
  • Published on: 2008-10-06
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • 92 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Chuck Wills is the author of numerous books on American history, including volumes in the American Albums series about the presidents, the West, and the Civil War. Most recently, he authored Destination America, a history of immigration to the United States published in 2005 as a companion volume to the PBS series of the same name, and The Illustrated History of Weaponry. He lives in New York.

Customer Reviews

Five stars are WAY too few.......5
I am not an architect like the previous reviewer; I'm a historian of Mr. Jefferson. This is one of the most wonderful works you shall ever see...I have no idea how many years Mr. Wills spent on it, but the results are worth the effort. Fabulous pictures, reproductions of priceless charts, letters, and drawings, all lovingly, and perfectly, rendered. A true work of art in the finest sense of that term.

Thomas Jefferson would, of course, still be important had he never made a drawing, or designed anything. He was a statesman, attorney, philosopher, natural scientist, and probably had enough training to qualify as a physician; he functioned as such for his neighbors. BUT, he would also be important as an architect if that were all he was. His "fans", like me, know that. We spend years studying him, and NONE of us has him "figured out". Others need to know. I have read dozens of books about him, and never cease to marvel.

This is a "coffee table" book, but don't waste your money, or insult Mr. Wills, just to set it on a table. Buy it from Amazon...I paid the John Marshall House $50 for mine; oh well, they need the money worse. Buy it, read it, study it. Absorb beauty and perfection. Be amazed. Be grateful that one so great walked among us. Twenty stars, at least.

Excellent 5
I have not only been a fan of Thomas Jefferson' architecture for a long time, I have also spent years writing and researching his work. As an architect myself, may I say that this book is long overdue and a treasure of wonderful photographs. But most importantly are the stunning reproductions of Jefferson's original hand-drawn architectural drawings that are included within the book. It is also very low priced for the intricate arrangement of pockets and overlays within the book. Overall an excellent work.