Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, if one sided.
Review: Mr. Malone's description of Mr. Jefferson is detailed and encompassing. It is well organized and brings the reader in touch with this American Icon and his times. The only failing of this work and its subsequent volumes is that we really only see the best of Mr. Jefferson. His failures, faults and weakeness are dealt with as if they were unimportant or at least only a minor footnote in development of this man. Only in his last volume does Mr. Malone start to deal with the more complex parts of Mr. Jefferson's life. Regardless of this shortcoming this work should be required reading by all students of American History.
Rating: 
Summary: Informative and interesting reading.
Review: The author enlighten's the readers with the true importance of Thomas Jefferson. This 1st volume starts just before his entrance into public life. I would rate this book and the following volumes as tops for those who are interested in a view of the Historical Jefferson.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievably Comprehensive and Still Incomplete
Review: The dedication of one man (Malone) to the life of another (Jefferson) speaks volumes (at least 6, to be precise) as to the character of both men. This collection is a thoroughly crafted summary of an astonishing and complex man. While it fails (by not attempting) to shed light on the enigma of Jefferson's soul, it thoroughly illuminates Jefferson's path from cradle to grave. While arguably hagiographic, its completeness provides the reason why this should be the stepping-off point of any aspiring Jefferson scholar. I am not sure which amazes me more: That one man can write over 3000 pages on another and only scratch the surface of the other's existence or that one man can write over 3000 pages on another.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievably Comprehensive and Still Incomplete
Review: The dedication of one man (Malone) to the life of another (Jefferson) speaks volumes (at least 6, to be precise) as to the character of both men. This collection is a thoroughly crafted summary of an astonishing and complex man. While it fails (by not attempting) to shed light on the enigma of Jefferson's soul, it thoroughly illuminates Jefferson's path from cradle to grave. While arguably hagiographic, its completeness provides the reason why this should be the stepping-off point of any aspiring Jefferson scholar. I am not sure which amazes me more: That one man can write over 3000 pages on another and only scratch the surface of the other's existence or that one man can write over 3000 pages on another.
Rating:
Summary: An insightful look at Thomas Jefferson, the Virginian...
Review: This wonderful piece of biographical scholarship, profiles the life of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was one of America's most prolific statesmen and a talented jack-of-all-trades... an architect, naturalist, jurist, political theorist and a Virginian. This book offers an insightful profile of the developments shaping Thomas Jefferson's character and Old Whig political ideas. Dumas follows Jefferson from his youth in Albemarle County to his collegiate legal studies under the his mentor, George Wythe. It intuitively chronciles Jefferson's career just following the Constitutional Convention.I also recommend The Constitutional Thought of Thomas Jefferson by David Meyer and Mr. Jefferson by Albert Jay Nock.
Rating:
Summary: Important but flawed
Review: Though his review has not been well-received, reviewer Douglas McIntyre has it about right. All those who wish to study Jefferson ought to begin with Malone yet this book compares to Parson Weems' bio of George Washington or Arthur Schlesinger's assessments of FDR and JFK as hagiography. Malone's research on his subject is exhaustive yet limited and, to a degree, abstract. Malone does not paint a vivid portrait of the society in which Jefferson lived. The reader does not get a good grasp on how it was to live in late-Colonial Virginia, a land on the cusp of revolution. In comparison, William Manchester's portrait of late-Victorian England in his massive biography of Winston Churchill is brilliantly done and is of unmeasurable assistance in understanding Churchill. Malone's writing style is a bit stilted as well.
Rating:
Summary: Important but flawed
Review: Though his review has not been well-received, reviewer Douglas McIntyre has it about right. All those who wish to study Jefferson ought to begin with Malone yet this book compares to Parson Weems' bio of George Washington or Arthur Schlesinger's assessments of FDR and JFK as hagiography. Malone's research on his subject is exhaustive yet limited and, to a degree, abstract. Malone does not paint a vivid portrait of the society in which Jefferson lived. The reader does not get a good grasp on how it was to live in late-Colonial Virginia, a land on the cusp of revolution. In comparison, William Manchester's portrait of late-Victorian England in his massive biography of Winston Churchill is brilliantly done and is of unmeasurable assistance in understanding Churchill. Malone's writing style is a bit stilted as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Detailed account
Review: VERY detailed account of Jefferson during the his life in Virginia. Although it had in depth description of the political structure, the people, and Jefferson's involvement in the politics of the United States and Virginia, it did not include a very detailed account of his personal life as is best depicted through letters. Surprisingly, despite Jefferson's extensive correspondence during the 41 years that the book covers, this correspondence was not used sufficiently to shed further light on Jefferson's personal life and intimate thoughts. Additionally, Dumas Malone did not focus enough on one of Thomas Jefferson's greatest contribution - the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.
Rating:
Summary: One of the hallmarks of American scholarship
Review: What can be said about this monument to Jefferson scholarship? I am sure that somewhere in universities around the United States there are "scholar squirrels who want to put down this invaluable resource in Jefferson studies. It is always the way that mice attempt to gnaw at lions. This is not a perfect work (and my remarks refer to all of the books in the series as a whole), there are somethings, namely Sally Hemmings references which are wrong and will not sit well with American 21st century mores. There is the issue of slavery which was handled much differently 50 years ago than it is now.
Jefferson is not worthy of our interest because of Sally Hemmings and because he kept slaves. Jefferson is great because of the Declaration of Independence and his fight for the rights of man. While it may have been hypocritical to preach liberty and keep slaves, it is doubtful that slavery ever would have been abolished if Jefferson had never gained the prominence that he did. This book and the others that follow show why we should continue to honor the public man even though his private side may have been wanting.
Rating:
Summary: One of the hallmarks of American scholarship
Review: What can be said about this monument to Jefferson scholarship? I am sure that somewhere in universities around the United States there are "scholar squirrels who want to put down this invaluable resource in Jefferson studies. It is always the way that mice attempt to gnaw at lions. This is not a perfect work (and my remarks refer to all of the books in the series as a whole), there are somethings, namely Sally Hemmings references which are wrong and will not sit well with American 21st century mores. There is the issue of slavery which was handled much differently 50 years ago than it is now.
Jefferson is not worthy of our interest because of Sally Hemmings and because he kept slaves. Jefferson is great because of the Declaration of Independence and his fight for the rights of man. While it may have been hypocritical to preach liberty and keep slaves, it is doubtful that slavery ever would have been abolished if Jefferson had never gained the prominence that he did. This book and the others that follow show why we should continue to honor the public man even though his private side may have been wanting.
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