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The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson & Abigail & John Adams(Packaging May Vary) Paperback – September 30, 1988

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 307 ratings

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Note : The hardcover edition does not have any jacket or picture on the front and back.

An intellectual dialogue of the highest plane achieved in America, the correspondence between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson spanned half a century and embraced government, philosophy, religion, quotidiana, and family griefs and joys. First meeting as delegates to the Continental Congress in 1775, they initiated correspondence in 1777, negotiated jointly as ministers in Europe in the 1780s, and served the early Republic--each, ultimately, in its highest office. At Jefferson's defeat of Adams for the presidency in 1800, they became estranged, and the correspondence lapses from 1801 to 1812, then is renewed until the death of both in 1826, fifty years to the day after the Declaration of Independence.

Lester J. Cappon's edition, first published in 1959 in two volumes, provides the complete correspondence between these two men and includes the correspondence between Abigail Adams and Jefferson. Many of these letters have been published in no other modern edition, nor does any other edition devote itself exclusively to the exchange between Jefferson and the Adamses. Introduction, headnotes, and footnotes inform the reader without interrupting the speakers. This reissue of
The Adams-Jefferson Letters in a one-volume unabridged edition brings to a broader audience one of the monuments of American scholarship and, to quote C. Vann Woodward, 'a major treasure of national literature.'

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“American history offers no parallel to the friendship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, spanning the first half century of the Republic. . . . The publication, in full and integrated form, of the remarkable correspondence between these two eminent men is a notable event.”―Dumas Malone, New York Times Book Review

“A major treasure of national literature.”―C. Vann Woodward,
Key Reporter

Review

“This is a correspondence that covers all topics; that embraces most of two lifetimes; that never fails of learning, wit, grace, and charm; and that reveals both of these statesmen and philosophers at their most felicitous.” ―Henry Steele Commager

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Omohundro Institute and UNC Press; Reprint Edition (September 30, 1988)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 688 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0807818070
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.6 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.12 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 307 ratings

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Thomas Jefferson
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Thomas Jefferson was an American Founding Father who was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and later served as the third President of the United States from 1801 to 1809

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4.8 out of 5 stars
307 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides insightful views into the thought of two founding fathers. They appreciate the excellent prose and complete presentation of their letters. The book is described as a good read with beautiful artwork. Readers appreciate the depth and breadth of the topics covered, as well as the footnotes providing points of reference for various events. The book offers a glimpse into friendship, betrayal, calumny, and reconciliation between these men.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

27 customers mention "Value for money"27 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's value for money. They find it insightful into how two of the Founding Fathers thought about the issues. The introduction provides historical context and a description of the correspondence. Readers describe the content as wonderful and an excellent work of great importance.

"...They covered many topics which are of interest to scholars as they have a chance to cover a wide range written both before and after their period of..." Read more

"...the modern reader would have trouble with, and it situates the letters in their historical context with 13 excellent, succinct section introductions..." Read more

"...in personality and temperament, but both were supremely consequential statesmen and political philosophers, and the country is fortunate that this..." Read more

"...introductions for each selection of letters provides an excellent historical resource; making the letters and historical context flow into a..." Read more

13 customers mention "Letter quality"13 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the quality of the letters. They find the collection of letters from the founding generation to be excellent and complete. The commentary breaks the letters into manageable chapters, providing historical context. Readers appreciate the personal and unique insights provided by the letters. Overall, the reading experience is good, with well-formed thoughts and learning being praised.

"...Cappon's commentary breaks the letters into manageable chapters...." Read more

"...This is the complete presentation of all their collective letters...." Read more

"...The simply and powerfully reprints the letters between Adams, the older more conservative thought leader for a nation, and Jefferson, the quiet..." Read more

"...They both wrote an excellent prose which has not, so far as I know been surpassed in our father-land, though Henry James had a style of his own..." Read more

6 customers mention "Readability"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and enjoyable. They say it's a good read, the wording is eloquent, and it's fundamental reading for Americans. The book can be read over and over without needing to be read in order.

"This book is excellent. So much to think about. Can be read over and over and need not be read in order." Read more

"The greatest correspondence in American history. A must read." Read more

"...The wording is eloquent and a joy to read." Read more

"Fundamental reading for every American..." Read more

3 customers mention "Art quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's art quality. They find the letters beautiful and wonderful. The book offers an exquisite presentation of world history, politics, and other topics.

"...This book will also offer you an exquisite, almost artistic presentation of world history, politics, etc...." Read more

"These letters are beautiful! True art! I love the introductions the book has before each letter. The wording is eloquent and a joy to read." Read more

"Looks wonderful. Haven't read it yet but I look forward to it." Read more

3 customers mention "Depth"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's depth. They find it extensive and covering many topics of interest to scholars. The book is large, as are the ideas and it was a labor of love.

"...They covered many topics which are of interest to scholars as they have a chance to cover a wide range written both before and after their period of..." Read more

"...heart of the foundation of our Nation. The book is very large, as are the ideas, and it is a labor of love. I would give a five..." Read more

"...It is very extensive, and surprising in its depth." Read more

3 customers mention "Footnotes"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the footnotes. They provide points of reference for various events described in the book.

"...The footnotes add to the depth of the volume and provide points of reference for various events the men described...." Read more

"...edition is a model of good scholarship: it is thorough, it footnotes nearly everything that the modern reader would have trouble with, and it..." Read more

"...his own opinion into the text, while at the same time providing footnotes on things that might not be so clear to the reader...." Read more

3 customers mention "Romance"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the romance in the book. They find it a glimpse into friendship, betrayal, and reconciliation. Readers feel the respect and affection between the characters, as well as irritation. The book is described as a labor of love.

"...What a glimpse into the depths of friendship, betrayal, calumny, and reconciliation!..." Read more

"...The book is very large, as are the ideas, and it is a labor of love. I would give a five..." Read more

"...To feel the respect and affection , as well as irritation, of these men is astounding...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2013
    This wonderful accessory to any study of John Adams and or Thomas Jefferson is a must have volume for scholars. It is extremely rare to have an opportunity to study the correspondence between two figures who were close friends, then political opponents, and finally friends again through a renewed correspondence. For this we can heartily thank Dr. Benjamin Rush who can count this achievement among his many such during his lifetime. The only thing better than this collection would be a volume that included all of the letters present in this book as well as many others between Adams, Jefferson, and their contemporaries such as Rush. That may very well be a project worthy of an electronic database.

    The letters these two men exchanged may have been among the most personal ones they wrote short of the ones to their loved ones. Both men were among the leading intellectuals of America in their times. They covered many topics which are of interest to scholars as they have a chance to cover a wide range written both before and after their period of estrangement. For a long eleven year span from 1801 to 1812 the two exchanged no correspondence. A brief exchange between Abigail Adams, John's wife, and Jefferson in 1804 ended as Abigail felt miffed at Jefferson's replies to her letters. John added a short note that he had been unaware of the exchange until the last minute when Abigail showed him the last letter she was writing to Jefferson. The pens fell silent between them once again.

    However, Dr. Rush felt that the two men needed to renew their old friendship and he worked diligently to restore it. Both men noted Rush in their letters on this endeavor. The correspondence between these two men who are endlessly linked to one another in American history in the last 14 years of their lives is remarkable. It is also probably unparalleled in that every letter was preserved and collected into the one volume edited by Lester J. Cappon. This volume also contains the correspondence between both men and Abigail Adams which serves to expand the overall exchange. Cappon's commentary breaks the letters into manageable chapters. They are printed in the exact order they were written in which gives an outstanding continuity to the project.

    Originally published in two volumes, this complete and unabridged edition contains every letter by the three plus Cappon's commentary, his footnotes, and bibliography. The footnotes add to the depth of the volume and provide points of reference for various events the men described. However, Cappon did not critique the letters in his commentary except to provide clarity and context for the upcoming sequence. He let them do their own talking. Despite the fact that this book was first published in 1959, it is still just as worthwhile to own today as it was then. Not only that, the letters of these men and Abigail have more historical value today than they did when they were written.

    Then they were explaining themselves and their views to each other, but both understood that their correspondence would belong to posterity. This was discussed, but there was nothing the two could do about it as long as it was not done during their lifetimes which it was not. Their descendants made a few attempts at publishing some of the letters, but not until Cappon compiled this work were they all collected in one collection. The result is an amazing view into the minds of our second and third presidents who had a major impact upon that shaping of America. The fact that both were political opponents for several years only adds to the luster of these letters.

    The one drawback is that while they did discuss many issues from 1812 until their deaths, they didn't go into much depth regarding their politics or the politics of the country during these years. Adams pried, but Jefferson resisted the temptation for the most part. On other subjects such as religion, education, and economics they wrote extensively. In fact, their views on religion can be found in these letters and may be the best statements on the subject either of them made in their lives. While they had some amount of disagreement on the subject, they both agreed that organized religion was a bane for America as a whole. Jefferson, who put together the University of Virginia, asked Adams for advice on more than one occasion which Adams of course was willing to provide.

    Adams wrote twice as many letters to Jefferson after 1812 than Jefferson wrote to him, but in their earlier correspondence Jefferson wrote more than Adams did. It should be noted that Jefferson complained about having to write so many letters to so many people, but when he did answer Adams he wrote many long letters. Adams himself was not concerned and replied that each of Jefferson's was worth four of his. Again, the letters themselves are definitely worth reading for their content and to catch a glimpse of how these two men viewed the world around them. That in itself makes this collection a timeless entry in American history.
    18 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2012
    There are only a few people who have the desire and the patience to read 600 pages of 200-year-old letters. If you are one of these people, do yourself a favor and read this book now. If you are not one of these people, try really really hard to become one of these people and read this book now. And if you can't possibly imagine ever being the kind of person who reads this kind of book, then do the rest of us a favor and don't go all over the Internet popping off about what "The Founding Fathers" believed about stuff based on something that you heard on the radio. Because it is probably a lot more complicated than that.

    Lester J. Capon's Adams-Jefferson letters were first published in two expensive, hardbound volumes in 1959. Cappon was a historian and professional archivist who worked with these documents all of his life, and his edition is a model of good scholarship: it is thorough, it footnotes nearly everything that the modern reader would have trouble with, and it situates the letters in their historical context with 13 excellent, succinct section introductions to various series of correspondence. In 1988, the University of North Carolina Press did us all a favor and published a complete, one-volume paperbound edition of the letters.

    The letters themselves trace all extant correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and both John and Abigail Adams beginning in 1777, the year after both men worked on the drafting committee for the Declaration of Independence, up until 1826, when both men died, within five hours of each other, on July 4, on the 50-year anniversary of the document in which they both pledged "[their] lives, [their] fortunes, and [their] sacred honor." From the very beginning, these letters give us a view of America's founding by two of the people who had the most to do with it. Letters between Jefferson and Abigail Adams (along with John) begin after the Jeffersons and the Adamses served together as America's minister to France in 1784.
    In 1800, Adams and Jefferson were on opposite sides of one of the most contentious presidential elections in American history. Adams, a Federalist, stood for strong military preparation, a powerful federal judiciary, and an effectively pro-British foreign policy (though it was Adams, against the wishes of his own party, who secured peace with France in 1800). Jefferson, the leader of the emerging Republican Party (no relation), stood for stronger ties with France, a weak judiciary, and the abolition of standing armies and navies. The two sides savaged each other, and each other's standard-bearers, and Jefferson and Adams stopped communicating with each other. From 1796 through 2012, all we get are a few very formal letters between the two of them around the time that Jefferson was moving into Adams' house (The White House).

    And then, in 1812, something remarkable happened. Through the agency of friends, Jefferson and Adams began corresponding again. And, over the next 13 years, they exchanged almost 60 letters about the past, the present, religion, politics, books, France, England, slavery, Native American culture, and, well, everything else. This is one of the most remarkable stories of reconciliation in our history and proof that severe political differences do not have to be an absolute bar to respect, civility, and friendship.

    There are so many people talking and writing about history these days. But history itself has never been as available and accessible as these letters make the early days of America. Instead of reading other people's books about the Founding Fathers (including mine), take the time to read what they actually had to say for themselves. Really. You won't be sorry.
    23 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Cliente Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Un gran libro
    Reviewed in Spain on July 29, 2017
    Lastima que no esté en español, pero aun así vale la pena con creces, un epistolario muy completo y bien documentado
  • Trilli86
    5.0 out of 5 stars awesome
    Reviewed in Italy on December 17, 2014
    Awesome book. I loved studying it. the quality of the paper is good, though sometimes it misses references that nevertheless can be found easily online.
  • Rob.A.Child
    5.0 out of 5 stars classy
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 21, 2013
    i bought this after watching a miniseries 'john adams' starring Paul Giamatti. My university library didn't have one. it is a bit pricy, but worth it. especially when you reach the final part.