Well timed to coincide with Ken Burns's documentary (on which the author served as a consultant), this new biography doesn't aim to displace the many massive tomes about America's third president that already weigh down bookshelves. Instead, as suggested by the subtitle--"The Character of Thomas Jefferson"--Ellis searches for the "living, breathing person" underneath the icon and tries to elucidate his actual beliefs. Jefferson's most ardent admirers may find this perspective too critical, but Ellis's portrait of a complex, sometimes devious man who both sought and abhorred power has the ring of truth.

At different times Thomas Jefferson has been claimed by Southern secessionists and Northern abolitionists, New Deal liberals and neoconservatives Now historian Joseph J. Ellis restores our most elusive national icon to human dimensions with insight, sympathy, and superb style, shrewdly sifting the facts from the legends and the rumors. From the drafting of the Declaration of Independence to his retirement in Monticello, Ellis unravels the contradictions of his character, giving us the slaveholding libertarian, the enemy of government power who exercised it audaciously as president; and the visionary who remained blind to his own inconsistencies. A marvel of scholarship and a delight to read, American Sphinx is a book whose appeal transcends history buffs and biography fans and provides an essential gloss on the Jeffersonian legacy.

American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson, though one of the most famous and beloved of the founding fathers, remanis a mystery to most of us. He is largely revered for his authoring of the Declaration of Independence; but his authorship of that most famous document does little to reveal the character and mind of Thomas Jefferson.

American Sphinx accomplishes this very well; revealing the seemingly contradictory nature of the man who, with every aspect of his existence, and action, had an idea of what American should become and through these actions sought to steer America in that direction.

Much is written about his relationship with Sally Hemings in contemporary , popular literature and that is touched upon in this book, as is the contradiction observed when Jefferson sought to end slavery though he was "enslaved" to the institution of slavery himself, much like the rest of the south at the time. Ellis doesn't dwell on the Hemings issue and I thought that appropriate.

I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 because I thought it was a dry read at times. It is still an extremely informative read and I feel I know Thomas Jefferson much better now having read it.

The very meaning of the title of Joseph Ellis' book "American Sphinx" literally means American Enigma. Yes indeed Thomas Jefferson was a mysterious person.
As pointed out by Michiko Kakutani in her New York Times book review "Jefferson became accustomed to constructing worlds of great imaginative appeal that inevitably collided with the more mundane realities." For instance Mr. Jefferson abhorred slavery, but he indeed remained a slaveholder throughout his life. His take on people of African descent was that their mental aptitude was inferior to whites comes into conflict with his romantic attachment to Sally Hemings a slave on his estate at Monticello.
Mr. Jefferson comes from the founding Fathers who believed in States rights and less Federal government. It does seem as confusing that as President he was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase, a rather Federalist move if I do say so myself.
Mr. Ellis' prose explains all these contradictions and in the end do we really know who Thomas Jefferson really was? In effect Ellis has shown us the very first true American Politician. Jefferson bends with the breeze. He can agree with a position on States rights in one context and go out and make the largest purchase of land in American history in another context.
While George Washington became our first Soldier Statesman and John Adams was our first American intellectual President, Thomas Jefferson really was our first Political President. In many respects he doesn't appear as he really is. Who is this man? Come to think of it does anybody really know Franklin D. Roosevelt? Franklin was the ultimate politician.
Hence Jefferson remains an enigma. Ellis has used his superb knowledge of this time of American history to explain the political and personal mind of Thomas Jefferson. Excellent read! Yes, Michiko Kakutani yours was a good review of a good book.

This book is a wonderful insight into the character of one our most esteemed "founding fathers." But Ellis presents him in a light that we seldom see him in. History is a strange thing, especially popular history. Unlike other areas of scholarship, every American has his/her own interpretation of who the so-called founders were. Ellis seeks to crack the halos and clip the wings to portray Jefferson for who he really was- or at least what all the available evidence best suggests.

Absolute claptrap from a morally bankrupt excuse of a human being who cannot find his niche in his pathetic underachieving life. He resorts to "tabloid" history, finding it makes up for his inability to do real research or be able to critically evaluate it. His personal ability to read into the heart and motivations of the founding fathers is ridiculous.
Save your money and buy a real book by a real historian. The more read you are on one of his "targets", the more you will find his writing vacant. He must have worked for the enquirer.

This book is quite pleasing, it is well argued and well written. If you like "juicy" biographies full of details and trivia you will be disappointed, nonetheless, it still has a wealth of biographical data that makes the book interesting and instructive. The main focus of the book is on Jefferson's achievements and legacy. The man (Jefferson) was an intellectual colossus and was never short on peculiar and original ideas; he remains an icon for all Americans that are wary of big government and all Americans that defend the sovereignty of the individual. I am glad I picked up this book as my starter on Jefferson.