Thomas Jefferson and His Time, Volume 1

The Virginian

By: Dumas Malone

Narrated by: Anna Fields

Pulitzer Prize Winner, History, 1975

This is the first volume of distinguished historian Dumas Malone's Pulitzer Prize-winning six-volume work on the life and times of Thomas Jefferson. Based on a myriad of sources, it covers Jefferson's ancestry, youth, education, and legal career; his marriage and the building of Monticello; the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and the Notes on Virginia; his rich, fruitful legislative career; his highly controversial governorship; and his early services to the development of the West.

Founding father: listen to the rest of the titles in the Thomas Jefferson and His Time series:

Volume 2

Volume 3

Volume 4

Volume 5

Volume 6

©1948 Dumas Malone (P)1998 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"This is going to be the Jefferson...it will endure as one of the imperishable monuments of biography - and take note that I don't say 'American biography', I say biography period." (Gerald W. Johnson)

Deep and Complete

How can an audio book this long be interesting? That was the question Mr. Malone answered through deep and complete treatment of Thomas Jefferson as a Virginian, leading up to the time of the Declaration. The thoughtful background and treatment of TJ's role in the government of Virginia is fascinating. If you have a passion for learning all you can about these times in our history, I have not heard any better than Mr. Malone. On to volume 2!

Narrator a bit off-putting

Dumas Malone's classic biography is so full of detail and well-documented anecdotes about this life (and pre-life, as there is a fascinating account of Jefferson's genealogy as well) of our founding father that it seems petty to complain about the reader. But her voice is hardly above a mumble at times, and she pronounces the same words differently as she goes, so I have to voice this protest. I have listened to her read the first two volumes of this biography and I don't think I can continue through the next four with her, though the periods of Jefferson's life they cover are the most eventful and the most interesting to history. I think I will read the next volumes out of the library rather than continue with this narrator. I enjoyed the facts on early Virginia history (I live and went to school in Virginia) and the early colonists and pioneers of our state, and on Jefferson's education and love of horseback riding and his boyhood friends. I went to the University of Virginia myself and the worship of Jefferson there is still alive and well. I highly recommend Dumas Malone's masterwork but cannot recommend this narrator. I hope I'm not sexist in saying so (she's the only female narrator I've heard so far on Audible), but she needs to improve her abilities if she's to capture a following among the otherwise very talented Audible narrators.

Great book!

This work on Jefferson is fascinating and accurate. Historians don’t write classics like this anymore!

Note in response to earlier review: Jefferson wasn’t at all sympathetic to bestiality. In the original law code, he doesn’t think the crime should carry the death penalty because those who committed it were few and society would ostracize them anyway.

Predictable but Still Great

If you could sum up Thomas Jefferson and His Time, Volume 1 in three words, what would they be?

Detailed, Fascinating, Enjoyable

Any additional comments?

Although I've read many times that Malone was biased in his writing, which is very true, I still find his presentation of the facts fantastic. He loves is subject and shields him from negative commentary due to his actions concerning slavery, treatment of Indians and women. Still the amount of research that he put in the book is superb.

7 pages of notes

I have learned so much from this book. I have made notes for things to look up. I have shared information with friends.