Customer Reviews

Mr. Jefferson's University

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Garry Wills has a reputation as a worthy historian who has an ability to write in a very succinct and pithy style. This book maintains and promotes that reputation further.

As a Virginia resident who has studied and read a great deal by Jefferson and about Jefferson, I have been aware of his founding role in the establishment of the University of Virginia but I did not fully appreciate the remarkable energy and creativity he brought to the task at a time when most men are retired and in their dotage. Jefferson accomplished as a septa/octogenarian one of his most prized accomplishments.

The book itself moves very straightforwardly through a detailed architectural study of the school's original buildings and then ties a narrative in to explain how it was accomplished while also giving a great deal of anecdotal history. Of particular interest to this reviewer was the personal stories of the original professors and the stories of the early student body and how well Jefferson's prescribed social order worked initially (not very well.)

The strength of the books brevity is also it's weakness however. The launching of the books detail in architectural detail is more information than the typical historical reader is going to be equipped to digest unless they are already intimately familiar with the school itself. This is something Wills almost seems to assume. The following narratives more than make up for this deficiency in my opinion but sadly, I suspect, many will have given up before reaching that element. That initial section on architecture may be safely scanned for the reader not as interested in such minute stylistic detail.

An enjoyable read once that initial speed bump is overcome.

A worthwhile read for anyone interested in the University or Jefferson.

Bart Breen

Garry Wills ends this sparse history of Thomas Jefferson's effort to build the University of Virginia with Jefferson's own epitaph, which mentions his authorship of the Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom--along with being the "Father of the University of Virginia." I assume Mr. Wills meant this as a flourish: to show that despite his status as a founding father, emissary to France, geographical steward of most of the continental United States (via the Louisiana Purchase) during his watch as third president, and dozens of other accomplishments, Jefferson counted what Wills describes in this book among his proudest feats. This emphasis struck me as odd since Wills hardly describes Jefferson's overall effort as heroic--and often highlights unsavory personal details to drive this point home.

Wills explains the brilliance of Jefferson's designs well enough, though his Prologue ("Jefferson as Artist") remains frustratingly general. This is no great demerit; greater technical detail would arguably hamper his story and the sweeping descriptions of this "academical village" made me want to visit it as soon as I can. Though he falls short of saying so explicitly, Wills clearly implies one has to *see* Jefferson's work to fully appreciate his genius.

While keeping architectural details limited, Wills more than compensates describing the nearly insurmountable personal and political obstacles in getting the fledgling university built and staffed. I certainly came away recognizing the wonder that anything gets built is not a modern phenomenon; even Jefferson--whose reputation was almost beyond reproach--found himself in endless skirmishes to find funding, lobby reluctant congressmen, find supplies, recruit professors, and fend off competition from the few existing schools. And here the founding father halo certainly disappears; Wills shows Jefferson manipulating friends, swapping favors, bad-mouthing, back-stabbing, and doing whatever was necessary to realize his obsession. ("Jefferson did not flinch as sacrificing a friend's peace and content, and possibly his life, if it stood in the way of completing his great work.")

Wills' emphasis on Jefferson's personal life buttresses his obvious belief in what might be termed "the genius syndrome": that a visionary artist must be tormented by some very ugly personal demons and his obsessive drive brings them out in full flower. The author peppers his story with details of Jefferson's bank account, medical condition, societal clueless-ness, and unswerving devotion to "the Southern way of life." Though some of these personal details might be arguably relevant to work with the new university (in a very new country), I failed to see how, for example, a prostate condition was applicable.

Mr. Wills is a distinguished historian--and his style here is nothing if not elegant--but I ultimately found his book lacking in purpose. Is his intent to honor Jefferson's Herculean effort--warts and all? To put the greatness of the university's design in historical context? To show the improbability of getting the school built--especially at that time--at all? 'Mr. Jefferson's University' seems strangely disinterested in any one of these questions in detail and is far too short to cover all of them. To be fair Wills makes passing attempts at some of these themes but none are developed to any reasonable degree.

So Wills ends his story with a broke, deaf, deluded old man and his pride at having brought a university to his beloved Virginia. But of what was Jefferson proud? We never get a straight answer. Other men lobbied the politicians, hired the workers and recruited the professors; Benjamin Latrobe ("the best architect on the continent") even made non-trivial contributions to the design. Perhaps we're to draw our own conclusions from the detailed brilliance of Jefferson's architectural work--for providing enough of that the book is somewhat redeemed--and from the resulting testament that still proudly stands in Charlottesville.

Thomas Jefferson spent the last decade of his long and remarkable life designing and building the University of Virginia. In this book Wills does not reach the profound insights found in his longer works on the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address, nor does he try to. Instead he describes the aging Jefferson's artistic vision and his determination to found a seat of higher learning -an academic village in central Virginia- to compete with Harvard and Princeton and the other northern schools. Jefferson was challenged, notes Wills, by religious disputes in Virginia, financial limitations from the state legislature, and petty jealousies among the state's small elite. Relying on guidance from various architects and planners, Jefferson laid out the grounds and designed the buildings while fighting continuous political battles over funding and staff.

This little book can be read in an afternoon, but it provides wonderful detail to the academic and architectural legacy of Thomas Jefferson. The only failing is the shortage of illustrations -photos and architectural sketches. If a dozen more photos of the site were included, it would be a perfect book for Jefferson fans.

This book provides a detailed and in-depth look at Thomas Jefferson's University of Virginia.

The Prologue provides an overview of the architecture of the Academical Village, including the Pavilions, the Lawn and the Range, and Serpentine Walls, etc.

Chapter One chronicles the extraordinary efforts that Jefferson had put in to create the University. He had to fight every step of the way for funding, for site selection, and for recruiting faculties that he wanted, not what the Virginian Assembly had in mind at the time.

Chapter Two looks at how he had envisioned his University to be; how the architecture tied in with his vision of a school as a counter-weight to the establishments in the north (Yale/Harvard) and the Old World.

Chapter Three drew parallels between Jefferson's plantation Monticello and the Academical Village.

Chapter Four details one of the most talented architects, Latrobe's contribution to the architecture of the University, and subsequent and controversial remodelings of the Rotunda by Stanford White.

Chapter Five discusses the first faculties and students. Recruiting the faculties had been difficult since the University was so new and luring talents from the north was almost impossible. In addition, Jefferson's vision of having an institute for southern plantation owners resulted in a violent culture in the University in the first years.

The Epilogue looks at the University after Jefferson, how it grew and kept up its promise.

This is an excellent book about UVa. As an alumni, I am embarrassed to say that before reading this book, I had not paid enough attention to the Lawn. For example, I always thought that all the Pavilions were identical. I was not aware of the educational values of the serpentine walls. I heard of Stanford White's redesigning of the Rotunda, but until this book I've never seen a picture of it. And above all, I could not have imagined how much difficulties Jefferson had encountered, and how proud he was at achieving this impossible dream. I would highly recommend this book to UVA students and alumni, and all who's visiting Charlottesville. I am so proud of being a UVa grad!

Although a slim volume, Gary Wills has packed this book full with information about this period in Jefferson's life that most other biographers - and I've read 22 - missed. Starting a university from scratch is just about more than one man, even Jefferson, could handle. He had to design the buidings, the dorms and rooms for the students and professors, and then hire the professors from all over the world, then make sure it ran properly even down to the rowdiness of the students. And all of this in the decade prior to his death, while he was in his 70's. That the university continues today in his spirit is a strong testament to his original thinking, his designs, and his vision for the future. This is a short book that can easily be read in one sitting, and well worth it.

This book is about the founding of The University of Virginia. If you are interested in learning about Jefferson, Garry Wills fills in a lot of the gaps with "Mr. Jefferson's University". Much of Jefferson's philosophies on education are behind his academic and architectural intentions for his University of Virginia. This is a "must read" for anyone interested in Jefferson. I think another "must read" is Norman Thomas Remick's "Mr. Jefferson's Academy, The Real Story Behind West Point" (1998), a book now known as "West Point: Character Leadership Education....Developed From The Readings And Writings Of Thomas Jefferson" (2002), available right here on Amazon.com. Though many know that Mr. Jefferson's University (The University of Virginia) was our third President's favorite, high-profile educational project, no one knew (until Mr. Remick's groundbreaking research) that Mr. Jefferson's Academy (West Point) was our third President's best-kept-secret, low-profile educational project. In my opinion, you should read both books.

This is one of Garry Wills's best books -- an engaging, thoughtful, energetic study of how Thomas Jefferson set out to found the University of Virginia, and devoted himself to imagining his ideal "academical village" and realizing that ideal from layout to architectural design to choosing the faculty to drafting the curriculum to picking the textbooks, overcoming nearly every obstacle in his path. In this book, Wills sees Jefferson plain, and his portrait is admirably balanced between admiration for his virtues and rueful acknowledgment of his faults. My only complaints are that Wills uses his usual idiosyncratic way of citing sources, and that he puts in a bit too much detail on the University's architecture for anyone not well-versed in the subject. Otherwise I would have awarded this book five stars.

-- R. B. Bernstein, Adjunct Professor of Law, New York Law School