Thomas Jefferson: The Built Legacy of Our Third President |
Buy Thomas Jefferson: The Built Legacy of Our Third President here, one of 750 Thomas Jefferson books offered for sale at discount prices here in the history books section at R bookshop. There are currently 71944 history books in our history books section, and over 1,000,000 books listed in our book store. We greatly appreciate your patronage at R bookshop and look forward to offering you a large selection of great books at discount prices now and in the future. Thank you for shopping at R Bookshop!
|
You Are Here: Home > History Books > Thomas Jefferson > Item 39
 |
Thomas Jefferson: The Built Legacy of Our Third President
|
by Hugh Howard
Sales Rank: 354653
|
List Price: $40.00
$30.40
At Amazon
on 6-16-2008.
|
|
|
|
Features
Cover Type: Hard Cover with 204 pages
Published by: Rizzoli International Publications August 23, 2003
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0847825469
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0847825462
Book Dimensions:
10.3 x 10.2 x 0.8 inches
Weighs: 2.6 pounds
Product Review
Thomas Jefferson, Architect: The Built Legacy of Our Third President, with text by Hugh Howard and photographs by Roger Straus III, shows that the third U.S. President not only shaped democracy but also made the classical style of architecture an American architecture. Today, more than any other style, the columns and rotundas of classical Greece and Rome suggest "U.S. government building." Jefferson was a Renaissance Man--inventor, politician, philosopher, scientist, doctor--but the dwellings and civic temples he designed are the only tangible legacy of his most Americans actually see every day. Arguably the crown jewel of Jefferson's architectural oeuvre, his Monticello mansion in Virginia receives a worthy 33 pages, with plenty of interior and exterior photographs. The Virginia Capitol also gets a chapter, as does his other home, Poplar Forest, along with other private dwellings Jefferson designed. Also in focus are public buildings such as the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, with its Rotunda at the head of a great lawn flanked by the copious colonnades-a design familiar now in campuses nationwide. Throughout the book, Howard guides us through the halls, sitting rooms, and grounds with writing that is knowledgeable but not overly technical. Straus' photographs show off the estates and edifices in peaceable, natural light, illustrating some interiors as they would have been lit in Jefferson's day (i.e., by the sun). If not for Jefferson's vision, the book implies, our nation would look quite different today. -Eric Reyes
Product Description
Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was also its first great architect. The Jeffersonian Classical style has been so influential that, along with Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson, Jefferson is one of the three most recognized architects in American history. Although never formally trained as an architect, Jefferson intensively studied the architecture of Paris when he resided there as minister to France and read extensively on classical architecture, particularly Palladio's Four Books on Architecture, all of which gave him a firm footing in the classical tradition.
Monticello, his own home, was constantly redesigned by Jefferson during his life time, and he referred to it as his essay in architecture. The University of Virginia, which he founded and conceived the architecture for, is perhaps the greatest campus of any American university and certainly one of this country's greatest public spaces anywhere. Both of these are well served by the gorgeous panoramic photographs in this volume, which show them in the landscape they are situated in, an integral part of Jefferson's design. Less well known, but included here, is the balance of Jefferson's work as an architect: the Virginia State Capitol and over a dozen private homes which still stand today. Illustrated with splendid color photography by the same author-photographer team that created Rizzoli's Wright for Wright, this is the first volume to combine all the extant work of Jefferson.
Reader Reviews
I live in Virginia, and have relative easy access to many of Jefferson's architectural accomplishments. I've enjoyed many, many good books about the man and his brilliance with buildings. Both of these things said, Mr. Howard's thoughtful, engaging text coupled with the truly breathtaking photography by Mr. Straus make this work a must-have treasure for anyone with more than a passing interest in Jefferson the architect. I cannot convey in words how Mr. Straus's skill with his many cameras give the viewer such a sense of immediacy about the buildings shown in this work. I've been on the grounds of several of Mr. Jefferson's buildings shown in this book - and photographer Straus's pictures truly give the viewer a sense of simply standing there on the grounds, seeing it all, "live and in person". As for the writing, it is all too common that sometimes a grand picture book has terribly dry and uninviting writing. Not so with this book. The writer has a highly engaging style that is yet not too obvious in its inviting charm, and, well, had me up reading the text this morning around 3. Three a.m. The writing is that good - and could stand alone even without those incredible pictures. The book also does a beautiful brief salute to the remarkable Fiske Kimball, who published a book in the early 1900s by the same name. The work was a landmark compilation of Jefferson's architectural drawings. Those readers familiar with Kimball's life accomplishments will appreciate the fresh photographs of his private home Shack Mountain and its many grace notes to Jefferson's influence. I had one small disappointment with the book but it is more puzzling than a showstopper: the pictures of "Bremo" , a property here in Virginia reputed to be more Jefferson than Jefferson himself in architectural style, just shows pictures from a historical archive. I wish Mr. Straus could have gained access to the property to show us all Bremo today as he does so remarkably with the other buildings. The other small regret is that I did not buy my copy of this marvelous book from Amazon. I paid full price at a local Roanoke bookshop - no regrets in supporting an excellent local business but the book's full price at first glance is steep. But you will quickly notice the book's very fine paper, binding and those other finishing touches that are hallmarks of truly beautiful books. A treasure of a book. Especially if you love Jefferson's touch with architecture.
Comment | |
(Report this)
Back To Top
|
Thomas Jefferson: The Built Legacy of Our Third President
Available from Amazon
Price: $30.40
Updated on 6-16-2008.
|
NOTICE: All prices, availability, and specifications
are subject to verification by their respective retailers.
| We offer Thomas Jefferson: The Built Legacy of Our Third President and other related Thomas Jefferson Books here at Rbookshop.com. To view more books about Thomas Jefferson please use the previous and next buttons near the top of this page.
|
|
Search for books at
