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Hubby and I are usually inclined to agree with our dear, distinguished professor. However, I do not buy the Jefferson was an old man theory and incapable of carrying on with the nanny. After visiting Monticello, we had a different sense of Jefferson. I could certainly use with more study, however.

Speaking of Monticello, I would recommend to anyone who wants to know about American history to go there. Jefferson's vision for this new nation came from the vision he could see atop his mountain. Beautiful place. And that is an understatement.

You are right that Monticello is a wonderful place to get a sense of Jefferson. I went to VMI, only an hour's drive away, and have visited Monticello many times. It sits beautifully.

Although it is not currently the most fashionable biography, I urge you in the strongest terms to read the Dumas Malone biography of Jefferson. It was written before political correctness. As long as you understand Malone will give Jefferson the benefit of the doubt, you will get a great deal from it, as the scholarship is first-rate and Malone is remarkably fair. Every one of the more recent treatments of Jefferson I have read, from the excreable Fawn Brodie on, has had a real axe to grind, and is hence unreliable.