The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams [Paperback]

 

 

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Have you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall and to be able to share in the thoughts and happenings of important places and people? Well, if your desires in that regard include the office of the Presidency of the United States and the early days following the American Revolution, that is exactly what this book provides.

As was typical of statesmen of that day, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams maintained a lengthy personal and professional correspondance the subjects of which were both mundane and highly intellectual. This book takes that correspondance, chronologically arranges it and then groups it according the characteristics of the time and the themes of their correspondance. As an additional bonus, John's wife Abigail Adams is included as well.

My attraction to this volume was to seek clarity and focus on several questions that are quite relevant to today. What was meant and intended by the concept of Separation of Church and State and what was the philisophic and religious thinking of there two important figures? There's no shortage of resources out there to tell you what these men thought, the context of their society and usually as an added bonus how these matters in one way or another support the agenda or perspective of the one putting the source together.

At some point however, if you really want to grapple with these issues or just understand the times and importance of these two men, there is no substitute for simply reading and allowing them to speak for themselves.

The added benefit of reading it through in its entirity is that you are not subjected to the judgement of another as to what is significant, what isn't and you aren't relying upon snippets and quotes that may or may not be in context and may or may not be representative of all that either man had to say upon a certain matter.

Certainly, this is just a small cross-section of all that these two men wrote and by itself there is much more that should be added. However, more than any other correspondance preserved from that day that these men engaged in, this was an exchange between men who considered the other his equal and for whom, with exceptions in time periods that are noted, mutual respect and a desire to explain themselves to one another motivated a candor and depth of intimacy that is difficult to find in other sectors.

Certainly, any student of American History needs this resource as a reference and as such it affords a ready means to add information and topically flip through the pages to see what each man had to say on a particular subject.

Every such student though, in my opinion, owes it to themselves, at least once, to just sit down and read the entire volume. Do this, and you'll have a handle upon the style of communication of the day, a feeling for many of the issues of the day and how they were viewed by the participants who did not have the advantage of knowing at the time how something would resolve. Idiosyncrasies in language and social custom will become more self-evident and the chances of being mislead by a quote isolated from its context will diminish considerably.

In short, for anyone who loves History, this is an experience not to be missed.

The footnotes and introductory passages to the different sections in my opinion do a remarkably good job of providing the reader with just enough context and outside information so that the letters themselves make sense and are not misunderstood. The reader is not told what to think about the letters per se, but rather equipped to make a better informed evaluation and come to their own conclusions. Those elements make the book valuable as well.

5 stars if ever there was a book worthy of 5 stars; again, this IS history.

Bart Breen

The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams edited by Lester J. Cappon is a remarkable book containing letter correspondence of the time when the United States was being formed and for fifty more years.

It is very interesting to read their letters to find out what really was on their minds concerning issues of the day. Americana at its best is what you come away with after reading these letters. The letters are in chronological order and are placed in order of response to the letter sent. Thomas Jefferson was a very prolific letter writer and the subjects the he discussed with John Adams vary greatly, but that is what made these letters very interesting. Also, the depth and the detail of the letters is remarkable.

Abigail Adams for a woman of her time was well versed and her letters to both Jefferson and her husband showed character, wit, and resolve. She was well aware of what was going on around her and you could tell by her letters that she loved her husband while he was away in the duty of his country.

This collection of letters is a real treasure, if you read or study the American Revolution, you have to own this book. This makes an excellent reference volume to fall back on when you get to the footnotes and want a more detailed reference, you can with these letters readily at hand.

I would recommend this volume for your home library.

There is no substitute for the real thing... As successful as McCullough, Ellis, Wood, or any author may be at recreating and judging their lives and times, you cannot know them better than by reading their words. While I don't recommend this as an introduction of any of the three characters (Feminists be warned! Abigail is barely a feminist and gets short treatment since she wrote far fewer letters to Jefferson than John), it offers a leap in understanding for anyone who has a rudimentary background in the period.

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5.0 out of 5 stars All passion spent, but wisdom remains...
When Jefferson and the Adamses retired from public life, the result was the basis for this wonderful little book. Read more

Published on Aug 12 2002 by M. A Newman

5.0 out of 5 stars A consumate reference

This is an absolutely invaluable volume; the complete correspondence of two of our most important and able minds whose untiring efforts did much to shape our new nation... Read more

Published on Aug 10 2002 by Joseph H Pierre

5.0 out of 5 stars Awsome...
Purchased the book at Monticello during a visit to the east coast. For the rest of my vacation I couldn't put it down. Read more

Published on July 4 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Worthy of Plutarch
The Adams-Jefferson Letters could be our modern Plutarch. Thomas Jefferson carried on a lifelong correspondence with John and Abigail Adams, and the collected letters show three... Read more

Published on Jan 9 2002 by Douglas Harper

5.0 out of 5 stars The Adams Jefferson Letters
This is one of the best books I have ever read. I have been looking for it for a few years, and finally decided to try the internet and voila! Read more

Published on Nov 29 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Research Tool
I agree with the reviewer who wrote the book about West Point who said this book is a service to researchers. Why it's a magnificent research tool. Read more

Published on Nov 4 2001 by R.S.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Adams-Jefferson Letters
I found this book to be profounding moving. It provides a rare glimpse into the hearts, minds and souls of two of the greatest statesmen America has ever produced. Read more

Published on Sep 8 2001 by Thomas Zampino

5.0 out of 5 stars In their own words
Based the number of books published and to be published about Jeffereson and Adams -- a new biography of Adams by David McCullough comes out next month -- it seems we don't tire... Read more

Published on Mar 26 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent memoir of the founding fathers
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, friends-foes and back to being friends in the later part of their interesting lives wrote a series of letters to each other from Monticello, VA to... Read more

Published on Feb 19 2001 by historyone

5.0 out of 5 stars Two of Americas greatest minds in their own words
What a joy it is to read the correspondence between two of America's greatest founding fathers. Through this collection of letters we begin to get into the minds of men who... Read more

Published on Jan 2 2001 by Karl Dettmer

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