Author Archives: Derek Maxfield

Maurizio Valsania, Jefferson’s Body: A Corporeal Biography University of Virginia Press, 2017. 265 pages, endnotes, bibliography, index.   After reading about Thomas Jefferson for over thirty years, I was beginning to wonder if anything new could be said about the … Continue reading →

  Poor John Adams. I think it would be fair to say that John Adams spent the last 25 years of his life feeling sorry for himself.  He was a grumpy and vain old man searching for the respect he … Continue reading →

Although Jefferson was famous for his Virginia hospitality, sometimes the unending stream of visitors – especially after he retired from the presidency – just overwhelmed him and he needed to escape and have some peace.  At such times, Jefferson retreated … Continue reading →

Arguably the most fascinating friendship in early America was between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.  Partners in declaring independence, the pair would become like brothers while on assignment in Europe.  But the strain of political discord and partisan strife would … Continue reading →