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Overview
During the lifetime of Thomas Jefferson, through its days of vandalism and neglect, and to its final restoration, Monticello, the historic home of Jefferson, has lured thousands of visitors.Synopsis
Many visitors over the generations have recorded their impressions of Monticello and its creator. These writings, especialy those from Jefferson's lifetime, preserve important details about him and the house and grounds that might otherwise have been lost. In Visitors to Monticello, Merrill D. Peterson provides a collegtion of thirty-five of these writings dating from 1780 to 1984.
Library Journal
This unique anthology brings together 35 accounts written between 1780 and 1984 by visitors to Thomas Jefferson's historic home. Collectively, the selections add up to a history of Monticello, from its conception and construction, to its neglect and near-loss, to its 20th-century restoration. Contributors include the French Chevalier de Chastellux (1782), the British diplomat Augustus John Foster (1807), Richard Rush (1816), Daniel Webster (1824), the historian Benson J. Lossing (1853), the architect Fiske Kimball (1924), and The New Yorker' s ``Our Man Stanley'' (1958). Normally we study Jefferson to learn about his house; here we view the house across time to learn Jefferson's philosophy, interests, and values. A welcome addition to Jeffersonian literature.-- Harry W. Fritz, Univ. of Montana, Missoula