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In Pursuit of Jefferson: Traveling through Europe with the Most Perplexing Founding Father
A debut that combines historical nonfiction with travel books, for fans of Bill Bryson and Rinker Buck, In Pursuit of Jefferson is the story of an American on a journey through Europe, following the epic trail of Thomas Jefferson.
A controversial founding father. A man ready for a change. And a completely unique trip through Europe.
In 1784, Thomas Jefferson was a broken man. Reeling from the loss of his wife and humiliated from a political scandal during the Revolutionary war, he needed to remake himself. And to do that, he traveled. Traipsing through Europe, Jefferson saw and learned as much as he could, ultimately bringing his knowledge home to a young America. There, he would rise to power and shape a nation.
More than two hundred years later, Derek Baxter, a devotee of American history, stumbles on an obscure travel guide written by Jefferson―Hints for Americans Traveling Through Europe―as he's going through his own personal crisis. Who better to offer advice than a founding father himself? Using Hints as his roadmap, Baxter embarks on a new journey, following Jefferson through six countries and countless lessons. But what Baxter learns isn't always what Jefferson had in mind, and as he comes to understand Jefferson better, he doesn't always like what he finds.
In Pursuit of Jefferson is at once the story of a lifechanging trip through Europe, an unflinching look at a founding father, and a moving personal journey. With rich historical detail, a sense of humor, and boundless heart Baxter explores how we can be better moving forward only by first looking back.
A controversial founding father. A man ready for a change. And a completely unique trip through Europe.
In 1784, Thomas Jefferson was a broken man. Reeling from the loss of his wife and humiliated from a political scandal during the Revolutionary war, he needed to remake himself. And to do that, he traveled. Traipsing through Europe, Jefferson saw and learned as much as he could, ultimately bringing his knowledge home to a young America. There, he would rise to power and shape a nation.
More than two hundred years later, Derek Baxter, a devotee of American history, stumbles on an obscure travel guide written by Jefferson―Hints for Americans Traveling Through Europe―as he's going through his own personal crisis. Who better to offer advice than a founding father himself? Using Hints as his roadmap, Baxter embarks on a new journey, following Jefferson through six countries and countless lessons. But what Baxter learns isn't always what Jefferson had in mind, and as he comes to understand Jefferson better, he doesn't always like what he finds.
In Pursuit of Jefferson is at once the story of a lifechanging trip through Europe, an unflinching look at a founding father, and a moving personal journey. With rich historical detail, a sense of humor, and boundless heart Baxter explores how we can be better moving forward only by first looking back.
505 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2022
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September 17, 2022
Derek Baxter and his family spent 8 years tracing the steps of Thomas Jefferson through the US and Europe. Baxter frequently quotes “Hints to Americans Traveling in Europe” applying Jefferson’s observations to both continents. He shows you how the trip challenged and changed his views on the third US President.
While the trips are heavy on farms, gardens, vineyards and 19th century buildings, there are active visits such as Baxter and his wife Liana running in a marathon in France where runners can sip wine at wineries, some visited by Jefferson. With his father he paddles down Virginia’s Rivanna River which Jefferson made navigable for canoes by rock removal. There are picnics and formal dinners on the Jefferson trail, and period food at Monticello. There is a visit to the University of Virginia, Baxter’s alma mater, designed by Jefferson, which he sees with new eyes after the 8 year trip.
One of Jefferson’s goals in “Hints” is to advise the new nation on best practices in agriculture (crops, soil, seeds and more) and architecture (proportions, columns, adding modest decoration). Baxter meets current farmers and vintners, all are aware of Jefferson’s visits and they discuss agriculture now and then. At the University of Virginia he talks with Richard Guy Wilson, an authority of Jefferson's influence on American architecture.
Jefferson sketches buildings showing Roman influence which he deems appropriate for a fledgling democracy. Baxter notes Jefferson’s influence in public buildings and grand residences that incorporated domes and columns. Like Europe’s homage to the past, Jefferson acquired busts of his “heroes” (writers and scientists) for his home at Monticello. The Baxters visit gardens noting how Jefferson’s views differed from the formality of the British gardens and the excess of Versailles.
Jefferson lives high. On p. 186 there is a chart “Selected Expenses” of 1785. This does not include the many bottles of wine he imports. He is constantly in debt.
The inspiration for this trip was Baxter’s admiration for Jefferson. Along the way, as he learns more about Jefferson as a slave owner. It is not hard to connect the dots between Jefferson’s lavish life style and how it is only possible through the enslavement of others. Baxter notes how Jefferson carefully screened this in his time. At home there was the placement of the kitchen, the slave quarters, the nail factory and to the world it was not a topic discussed or mentioned. He was not present for the birth of any of Sally Hemings's 6 children; but he as at Monticello 9 months before each of their birth dates. The rose colored glasses fall.
Baxter is eloquent in describing how he grew in understanding and what slavery meant not only for the enslaved, but for the generations that followed. He relates this to his own family and their ability to afford trips like this one. Baxter writes of his children observing Monticello and their thoughts on seeing the slave housing, the working conditions and Sally Hemings’s bedroom. (For a good account of Monticello tours, see: How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America)
His research shows incidents in the lives of real people where Jefferson ignored or assisted in the overwork, cruelty and overt exploitation of others having no options. He was not a kindly slave master.
Jefferson who promoted citizen science, ignored the work of Benjamin Banneker, one of the most noted scientists of his time because of his race. Jefferson wrote against interracial marriage, while being in a sexual relationship with a woman he owned.
The luster of George Washington fades a bit in Nathaniel Philbrick's Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy when you learn of how Washington tracked down an escaped woman and other incidents; however, the extent of his hypocrisy pales before Jefferson whom the record shows to be more a exploitative overlord while writing that “All men are created equal”.
I am glad to be living in an age when, after 250+ years of virtual silence, the truth about the role of slavery (and native American removal) in American history is finally being mainstreamed.
While the trips are heavy on farms, gardens, vineyards and 19th century buildings, there are active visits such as Baxter and his wife Liana running in a marathon in France where runners can sip wine at wineries, some visited by Jefferson. With his father he paddles down Virginia’s Rivanna River which Jefferson made navigable for canoes by rock removal. There are picnics and formal dinners on the Jefferson trail, and period food at Monticello. There is a visit to the University of Virginia, Baxter’s alma mater, designed by Jefferson, which he sees with new eyes after the 8 year trip.
One of Jefferson’s goals in “Hints” is to advise the new nation on best practices in agriculture (crops, soil, seeds and more) and architecture (proportions, columns, adding modest decoration). Baxter meets current farmers and vintners, all are aware of Jefferson’s visits and they discuss agriculture now and then. At the University of Virginia he talks with Richard Guy Wilson, an authority of Jefferson's influence on American architecture.
Jefferson sketches buildings showing Roman influence which he deems appropriate for a fledgling democracy. Baxter notes Jefferson’s influence in public buildings and grand residences that incorporated domes and columns. Like Europe’s homage to the past, Jefferson acquired busts of his “heroes” (writers and scientists) for his home at Monticello. The Baxters visit gardens noting how Jefferson’s views differed from the formality of the British gardens and the excess of Versailles.
Jefferson lives high. On p. 186 there is a chart “Selected Expenses” of 1785. This does not include the many bottles of wine he imports. He is constantly in debt.
The inspiration for this trip was Baxter’s admiration for Jefferson. Along the way, as he learns more about Jefferson as a slave owner. It is not hard to connect the dots between Jefferson’s lavish life style and how it is only possible through the enslavement of others. Baxter notes how Jefferson carefully screened this in his time. At home there was the placement of the kitchen, the slave quarters, the nail factory and to the world it was not a topic discussed or mentioned. He was not present for the birth of any of Sally Hemings's 6 children; but he as at Monticello 9 months before each of their birth dates. The rose colored glasses fall.
Baxter is eloquent in describing how he grew in understanding and what slavery meant not only for the enslaved, but for the generations that followed. He relates this to his own family and their ability to afford trips like this one. Baxter writes of his children observing Monticello and their thoughts on seeing the slave housing, the working conditions and Sally Hemings’s bedroom. (For a good account of Monticello tours, see: How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America)
His research shows incidents in the lives of real people where Jefferson ignored or assisted in the overwork, cruelty and overt exploitation of others having no options. He was not a kindly slave master.
Jefferson who promoted citizen science, ignored the work of Benjamin Banneker, one of the most noted scientists of his time because of his race. Jefferson wrote against interracial marriage, while being in a sexual relationship with a woman he owned.
The luster of George Washington fades a bit in Nathaniel Philbrick's Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy when you learn of how Washington tracked down an escaped woman and other incidents; however, the extent of his hypocrisy pales before Jefferson whom the record shows to be more a exploitative overlord while writing that “All men are created equal”.
I am glad to be living in an age when, after 250+ years of virtual silence, the truth about the role of slavery (and native American removal) in American history is finally being mainstreamed.
February 12, 2022
I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.
In Pursuit of Jefferson is a travelogue through both the late 1700s and the modern age, with an increasingly deep personal journey along the way. Derek Baxter grew up in Virginia with an adoration of Thomas Jefferson. That continued into adulthood. Sure, he knew about Sally Hemings, but Jefferson did so many other things! He was a genius, a polymath, a Founding Father! He also wrote what is now a rather obscure advice book called Hints for Americans Traveling Through Europe. Baxter hit upon the idea of traveling where Jefferson traveled, chronicling how things changed and stayed the same.
That alone makes for an intriguing read, but I really appreciated the narrative the most when it reached the halfway point and the author realized he couldn't try to ignore that Jefferson wrote that all men are created equal, yet owned and sold slaves--that he owned his own children. Baxter does a deep dive into how Jefferson, largely absent from Monticello for 40 years as he traveled and worked elsewhere, started out as a young idealist well-aware of the corruptive influence of slave ownership, who became the very thing he warned about. Jefferson lived luxuriously while abroad and reached a point where his slaves were his financial stability. The details around that--from the nailery shop to his escaped slaves to what the Hemings family horrifically endured in France and in Virginia--is enlightening and disturbing.
What begins as a kind of worshipful exploration of Jefferson becomes a profound effort to understand the man and his frustrating contradictions. Along the way, you get to read a lot about wine in France, Jefferson's rigorous scientific hobby and how it provides a perspective on climate change, why we should all be proud of the grand North American moose, and more. The story gains even more because Baxter's family with two young kids essentially grows up within their dad's obsession. Seeing how they learn and mature through their experiences truly shows the benefits of education through travel, uncomfortable as it may be at times.
This truly is a stand-out nonfiction title for the year. What I learned from this read will linger with me for a long time.
In Pursuit of Jefferson is a travelogue through both the late 1700s and the modern age, with an increasingly deep personal journey along the way. Derek Baxter grew up in Virginia with an adoration of Thomas Jefferson. That continued into adulthood. Sure, he knew about Sally Hemings, but Jefferson did so many other things! He was a genius, a polymath, a Founding Father! He also wrote what is now a rather obscure advice book called Hints for Americans Traveling Through Europe. Baxter hit upon the idea of traveling where Jefferson traveled, chronicling how things changed and stayed the same.
That alone makes for an intriguing read, but I really appreciated the narrative the most when it reached the halfway point and the author realized he couldn't try to ignore that Jefferson wrote that all men are created equal, yet owned and sold slaves--that he owned his own children. Baxter does a deep dive into how Jefferson, largely absent from Monticello for 40 years as he traveled and worked elsewhere, started out as a young idealist well-aware of the corruptive influence of slave ownership, who became the very thing he warned about. Jefferson lived luxuriously while abroad and reached a point where his slaves were his financial stability. The details around that--from the nailery shop to his escaped slaves to what the Hemings family horrifically endured in France and in Virginia--is enlightening and disturbing.
What begins as a kind of worshipful exploration of Jefferson becomes a profound effort to understand the man and his frustrating contradictions. Along the way, you get to read a lot about wine in France, Jefferson's rigorous scientific hobby and how it provides a perspective on climate change, why we should all be proud of the grand North American moose, and more. The story gains even more because Baxter's family with two young kids essentially grows up within their dad's obsession. Seeing how they learn and mature through their experiences truly shows the benefits of education through travel, uncomfortable as it may be at times.
This truly is a stand-out nonfiction title for the year. What I learned from this read will linger with me for a long time.
June 10, 2022
⭐⭐⭐ -- Love the cover of this one!
Part travelogue, part historical, part memoir, In Pursuit of Jefferson by Derek Baxter was an entertaining dive into Thomas Jefferson's life and travels through the eyes of this author. I appreciated the author didn't shy away from the slavery aspect of Jefferson's life. That said, I found it a little on the slow side. It could have done with a tighter edit.
**ARC Via NetGalley**
Part travelogue, part historical, part memoir, In Pursuit of Jefferson by Derek Baxter was an entertaining dive into Thomas Jefferson's life and travels through the eyes of this author. I appreciated the author didn't shy away from the slavery aspect of Jefferson's life. That said, I found it a little on the slow side. It could have done with a tighter edit.
**ARC Via NetGalley**
May 26, 2022
Thanks to mom for sending me a book that wasn't even on my radar! This is SOOOO something we would have done growing up and I enjoyed the read that covered the gamut from fun hijinks to deep thoughts to painful reckonings with history that people don't like to talk about.
June 17, 2022
Just okay. It's part memoir, part travelogue, with various Jefferson anecdotes and facts mixed in. I'd say 1/2 the book talked about the author's travels, 1/4 talked about the author learning more about Jefferson's attitudes towards slavery, and 1/4 actually described Jefferson's "Hints to Americans Traveling through Europe" (which prompted the author's journey).
Given Jefferson's role as a founding father, I thought more of the book would deal with politics and what he may have learned in Europe and applied to a nascent America, but it was really heavily focused on the arts. Baxter himself describes his time in Europe mainly through the meals they ate or the wine tastings they had. All in all, I really wanted to like it (especially as a fellow UVA alum!), but think it needed more substance. I commend the author for writing it, though! And on his journey to discovery.
Given Jefferson's role as a founding father, I thought more of the book would deal with politics and what he may have learned in Europe and applied to a nascent America, but it was really heavily focused on the arts. Baxter himself describes his time in Europe mainly through the meals they ate or the wine tastings they had. All in all, I really wanted to like it (especially as a fellow UVA alum!), but think it needed more substance. I commend the author for writing it, though! And on his journey to discovery.
February 28, 2022
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The concept of the books sounded, to me, very original and exciting. Mr. Baxter has read Jefferson’s Hints for Americans Traveling Through Europe and decided to follow his footsteps. I have read several books about Thomas Jefferson, and shamefully admit that the title didn’t sound familiar.
The author, his wife, and two children took a series of vacations, following Jefferson’s 1788 book through England, France, Germany, Holland, and Italy. These weren’t just sightseeing tours, the family visited vineyards, farms, as well many towns. Attempting to observer what the Founding Father saw, or experienced, whether it be architecture or “new” technology. On the way they learned about local cuisine, cheesemaking, and, of course, wines.
About half way through, the tone turned a bit somber. The Virginia native realized that Jefferson was a slave owner, and a hypocrite when it comes to that and other aspects as well. The American Founding Fathers, however, were well aware of their hypocrisy, and wrote about it often. It was either selective amnesia, or just a subject Virginia schools chose to gloss over.
Or simply, the old adage of “you don’t want to meet your heroes” turned out to be true.
To Mr. Baxter’s credit, he dives into the subject. He does not shy away from it and does his best to learn more about slavery, as well as Jefferson’s role in it. At first, I found the subject out of context for the book. However, trying to make sense of it, if possible, by a native Virginian was certainly an interesting read.
If I had to describe In Pursuit of Jefferson by Derek Baxter in one word, it would be “honest”. Mr. Baxter writes in a chatty tone, warm, and often corny – but it works.
The concept of the books sounded, to me, very original and exciting. Mr. Baxter has read Jefferson’s Hints for Americans Traveling Through Europe and decided to follow his footsteps. I have read several books about Thomas Jefferson, and shamefully admit that the title didn’t sound familiar.
The author, his wife, and two children took a series of vacations, following Jefferson’s 1788 book through England, France, Germany, Holland, and Italy. These weren’t just sightseeing tours, the family visited vineyards, farms, as well many towns. Attempting to observer what the Founding Father saw, or experienced, whether it be architecture or “new” technology. On the way they learned about local cuisine, cheesemaking, and, of course, wines.
About half way through, the tone turned a bit somber. The Virginia native realized that Jefferson was a slave owner, and a hypocrite when it comes to that and other aspects as well. The American Founding Fathers, however, were well aware of their hypocrisy, and wrote about it often. It was either selective amnesia, or just a subject Virginia schools chose to gloss over.
Or simply, the old adage of “you don’t want to meet your heroes” turned out to be true.
To Mr. Baxter’s credit, he dives into the subject. He does not shy away from it and does his best to learn more about slavery, as well as Jefferson’s role in it. At first, I found the subject out of context for the book. However, trying to make sense of it, if possible, by a native Virginian was certainly an interesting read.
If I had to describe In Pursuit of Jefferson by Derek Baxter in one word, it would be “honest”. Mr. Baxter writes in a chatty tone, warm, and often corny – but it works.
July 20, 2022
This wasn't the book I was led to expect. I was hoping to find a book of someone following Jefferson's footsteps in Europe, in the same order, and discussing what he saw and comparing with what one sees today. This is not that book.
Says that Jefferson sought out the site of a battle with the Goths. Actually, Jefferson was looking for the battle of the Teutoburg Wald, which was not against the Goths, but a whole different set of Germans.
Says that Jefferson's European trip taught him, in the field of architecture, to think for himself, and stop slavishly following Palladio and books. But the author does not seem to realize that years later Jefferson would submit a plan for the first White House that James Hoban, the eventual winning architect, would consider too much a slavish copy of what gone before.
The caption on p. 197 claims the associated image is of an ad that Jefferson placed to try to recapture a slave, but if one actually reads it, the ad is by and about completely different people.
Too little of this book is about Jefferson, too much about other stuff like the doings of the author's family, which really don't bear much intrinsic interest.
Says that Jefferson sought out the site of a battle with the Goths. Actually, Jefferson was looking for the battle of the Teutoburg Wald, which was not against the Goths, but a whole different set of Germans.
Says that Jefferson's European trip taught him, in the field of architecture, to think for himself, and stop slavishly following Palladio and books. But the author does not seem to realize that years later Jefferson would submit a plan for the first White House that James Hoban, the eventual winning architect, would consider too much a slavish copy of what gone before.
The caption on p. 197 claims the associated image is of an ad that Jefferson placed to try to recapture a slave, but if one actually reads it, the ad is by and about completely different people.
Too little of this book is about Jefferson, too much about other stuff like the doings of the author's family, which really don't bear much intrinsic interest.
April 26, 2023
I loved the idea for this book, part history and part travelogue, but the problem was that there wasn’t enough history. It was actually more of a memoir than anything else, which was okay, just a bit slow and not completely what I was expecting. Not bad at all, just not necessarily for me. 2.5 stars
May 5, 2022
Wanted more about Jefferson and less about wine and the author.
March 22, 2023
Each chapter starts with a different "hint " of Jefferson's and each slogs on, soon enough.
Another dnf.
Another dnf.
June 20, 2022
A genre-bending book that is both travel memoir and historical reckoning — the author, over the course of about a decade, re-creates some of Jefferson's travels through Europe. In the process, he comes to grips with Jefferson's slaveholding and complicated legacy . . . the travel stuff was, surprisingly, more engaging. The personal reckoning was less interesting to me just because there's been a lot of that content in the last few years.
For a unique spin on the travel memoir genre, it's worth reading. It's pretty in line with Mark Adams' last couple books (which were great).
For a unique spin on the travel memoir genre, it's worth reading. It's pretty in line with Mark Adams' last couple books (which were great).
May 29, 2022
[Imported automatically from my blog. Some formatting there may not have translated here.]
Back in 2009, I watched Julie & Julia, a movie about a 30-something New Yorker (Julie) working through all 500+ recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Its parallel narratives involved Julia's days learning her craft in France with Julie's sometimes amusing efforts. Amy Adams as Julie, Meryl Streep as Julia, and it's not the worst chick flick your wife will ever drag you to see.
I was reminded of that more than once reading this book. It could well have been titled Derek & Tom. The author, Derek Baxter, a Jefferson fan from his youth, got an idea to get to know his idol better by following his travels, mostly in Europe. He's mainly inspired by Jefferson's brief Hints to Americans Travelling in Europe, with its subsection "Objects of Attention for an American". TJ suggested paying detailed attention to topics that might be useful to transfer to the young nation: agriculture, mechanical arts, gardens, architecture, politics.
But not everything. TJ's amusing aside on painting and statuary: "Too expensive for the state of wealth among us. It would be useless therefore and preposterous for us to endeavor to make ourselves connoisseurs in those arts. They are worth seeing, but not studying." And the "courts" (haunts of the nobility):
To be seen as you would see the tower of London or Menagerie of Versailles with their Lions, tygers, hyaenas and other beasts of prey, standing in the same relation to their fellows. A slight acquaintance with them will suffice to shew you that, under the most imposing exterior, they are the weakest and worst part of mankind. Their manners, could you ape them, would not make you beloved in your own country, nor would they improve it could you introduce them there to the exclusion of that honest simplicity now prevailing in America, and worthy of being cherished.
There are a lot of great anecdotes in this book. I especially liked Jefferson's efforts to rebut a snooty European who maintained that American animal species were degenerate compared to their European counterparts. TJ wangled the shipment of the corpse of a seven-foot New Hampshire moose across the pond. (It did not travel well.)
And the thing Baxter and his wife notice about Versailles? It smells like pee.
Baxter found a lot to like about Jefferson. It is difficult to comprehend TJ's breadth and depth of interests today; in comparison, our modern politicians seem to know little more than how to get elected via bullshit.
But there's also one big item to despise, unfortunately. Slavery, of course. Baxter's discoveries in this area dishearten him, and also this reader. Despite his glowing words about inalienable rights in the Declaration, TJ's post-revolution behavior was mostly self-interested. His lavish lifestyle in Virginia required a raft of involuntary servants, and he made no effort to free them, or to plan for their eventual freedom.
And, of course, Sally Hemmings.
Baxter is seemingly mild progressive, and semi-woke. His efforts to drag in modern issues occasional induce eye-rolling. His discussion of climate change (relevant due to TJ's interest in meteorology) clocks in at approximately 0.73 Thunbergs on the alarmist scale. A few pages are expended in describing his White Guilt and White Privilege. (In keeping with trendy usage, he capitalizes "White" and "Black" throughout.) And this is really bad:
Jessup White lives in Richmond, following a career as a broadcast journalist. No matter what her family achieves, though, she's left with a constant worry about their safety. White violence can affect any African American, across all genders, ages, and occupations. "My son went to MIT. But he's six feet tall with broad shoulders. He's a big strong Black man. I know what can happen to him," she says, referencing the never-ending police killing of African Americans.To put it mildly, this is divorced from statistical reality. Ms. White's son may have things to worry about, but cop violence (bad as it can be) is pretty far down the list.
May 24, 2022
4.5 stars. I am not one to usually read travelogues or memoirs, but I was very intrigued with the premise of literally and metaphorically walking in the footsteps of one of America’s most fascinating and controversial founders and presidents. Thomas Jefferson is ripe for deconstruction and analysis, and what Derek Baxter does here is chronicle the life and personal interests of Jefferson during his years in Europe. This was an area of knowledge about Jefferson which I will admit knew relatively little about, so was delighted reading this and learning so much about Jefferson and his travels. Baxter wisely intermingles Jefferson’s travels with that of his own, adding a lively and humorous presence to French vineyards and English gardens. However, Baxter arguably does his best work in bluntly and critically addressing Jefferson’s most glaring fault; his involvement in slavery. This issue stays with Jefferson and influences his life, decisions, and paradoxical beliefs even when on a different continent. Baxter is able to address this difficult subject with sophistication and honesty not often found in writings about the early presidents. When finishing this book, one will still find Jefferson a fascinating leader, but also an inscrutable one, only adding to his reputation as the “American Sphinx.” And in the end, one will also come close to shedding a tear about Baxter’s years long quest to better understand the Virginian in Europe through wine, architecture, and even moose. In Pursuit of Jefferson: Traveling Through Europe with the Most Perplexing Founding Father excellently offers a full, if also another perplexing portrait at the Renaissance Man president, captured deftly by the light yet sophisticated prose of Baxter.
February 28, 2022
Thank you to the author, Sourcebooks and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the premise of this book, following in the footsteps of a well-known historical figure and contrasting the written record to the present day, including what stood the test of time - and what didn't. However, I do have to say at the outset that I have never fully understood why people from the United States put Thomas Jefferson on such a pedestal. He certainly was not short of faults, but these tend to be glossed over in any narrative of Jefferson's life. I found this book going in the same direction, until mid-way through the author confronts the hypocrisy and casual racism, elitism and misogyny inherent in Jefferson's life. The author struggles to reconcile his previous veneration with what he is now realizing about Jefferson, and I found this well worth reading. Overall, an interesting read, although it did ramble quite a bit, with a very slow pace.
I loved the premise of this book, following in the footsteps of a well-known historical figure and contrasting the written record to the present day, including what stood the test of time - and what didn't. However, I do have to say at the outset that I have never fully understood why people from the United States put Thomas Jefferson on such a pedestal. He certainly was not short of faults, but these tend to be glossed over in any narrative of Jefferson's life. I found this book going in the same direction, until mid-way through the author confronts the hypocrisy and casual racism, elitism and misogyny inherent in Jefferson's life. The author struggles to reconcile his previous veneration with what he is now realizing about Jefferson, and I found this well worth reading. Overall, an interesting read, although it did ramble quite a bit, with a very slow pace.
April 14, 2022
This book belongs on the best seller lists! It was a fun read, both entertaining and informing. A wonderful story about the author’s 8 year adventure following the trail of Thomas Jefferson’s travels in Europe in the 1790s. Derek Baxter’s adventure reveals the undeniable contradictions of our founding fathers on social issues that reverberate to this day.
I loved this book.
I loved this book.
September 17, 2022
This work would be a worthy companion piece and prequel to My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson. Baxter has some of the same intimate knowledge of Jefferson and his place in US history and Virginia hagiography as does Johnson, not from working at Monticello but from attending "Mr. Jefferson's University" and worshipping him as "the brainy Founder" (11). Taking as his guidebook an obscure 1788 letter Jefferson wrote to a couple of young Southern aristocrats making their first Grand Tour of Europe, Baxter sets off with his wife and two young children to walk in his idol's footsteps all over Europe.
Though this literal travel -- off and on for eight years -- is the spine of the book, the real heart of the story is the evolution of Baxter's attitude toward his subject. While crediting Jefferson as a master architect, gardener, inventor, scientist, diplomat, and author, by the end of the saga Baxter is able to highlight Jefferson's blind spots, inadequacies, and contradictions. He notes two important areas where Jefferson was unwilling or unable to change his mind.
One was his unflagging support for the French Revolution as it flamed into the violent Reign of Terror. His "dismissal of the urban laboring poor was a blind spot," Baxter admits; the Minister to France did not understand "their thirst for revenge, susceptibility to rumors, or desire to defend their [cause] at all costs" (265), in a passage that seems intended at least in part for Jefferson's descendants within the current Democratic party who fail to comprehend America's rural whites today.
In the book's central section Baxter confronts Jefferson's more abhorrent legacy, to those enslaved people whose labor allowed his achievements. Jefferson owned over 600 people during his lifetime (240); 130 were sold at his death (234), with only ten allowed to leave freely (212). So much for "created equal" and "inalienable rights."
Baxter makes a winning rookie travel guide for this journey - sometimes embarrassingly honest in his reactions to Jefferson's achievements and failures. He wears lightly his abundant research, highlights his family's admirable toleration of their father's quixotic quest, and invites anyone who longs to travel to get off the couch. He also encourages us to undertake the painful work of radically revising our patriotic hero-worship without rejecting everything in our national inheritance.
Though this literal travel -- off and on for eight years -- is the spine of the book, the real heart of the story is the evolution of Baxter's attitude toward his subject. While crediting Jefferson as a master architect, gardener, inventor, scientist, diplomat, and author, by the end of the saga Baxter is able to highlight Jefferson's blind spots, inadequacies, and contradictions. He notes two important areas where Jefferson was unwilling or unable to change his mind.
One was his unflagging support for the French Revolution as it flamed into the violent Reign of Terror. His "dismissal of the urban laboring poor was a blind spot," Baxter admits; the Minister to France did not understand "their thirst for revenge, susceptibility to rumors, or desire to defend their [cause] at all costs" (265), in a passage that seems intended at least in part for Jefferson's descendants within the current Democratic party who fail to comprehend America's rural whites today.
In the book's central section Baxter confronts Jefferson's more abhorrent legacy, to those enslaved people whose labor allowed his achievements. Jefferson owned over 600 people during his lifetime (240); 130 were sold at his death (234), with only ten allowed to leave freely (212). So much for "created equal" and "inalienable rights."
Baxter makes a winning rookie travel guide for this journey - sometimes embarrassingly honest in his reactions to Jefferson's achievements and failures. He wears lightly his abundant research, highlights his family's admirable toleration of their father's quixotic quest, and invites anyone who longs to travel to get off the couch. He also encourages us to undertake the painful work of radically revising our patriotic hero-worship without rejecting everything in our national inheritance.
October 6, 2022
How to categorize this unique and unforgettable book? It’s history and travelogue but way more than either—it’s a memoir of a man grappling with midlife change of his own as well as an evolving understanding of a founding father he’d long admired. And it takes the reader on a vivid journey with his family as they follow travel tips Jefferson wrote more than two centuries ago, hitting locales ranging from Italian farms to French wineries to English gardens. Most impressive of all, Baxter weaves all of this disparate material together into a coherent narrative, always asking what his experiences and Jefferson’s complex and contradictory legacy mean not only for his own life but for major issues facing America and the world. He takes us to seaside wineries facing the devastation of climate change while seeking insight from one of America’s first climatologists, Thomas Jefferson. He watches the Yellow Jacket protestors take to the streets of Paris demanding economic fairness and puts us alongside Jefferson in nearly the same spot as our ambassador to France, with the Pen of the American Revolution excitedly encouraging the stirrings of a movement for liberty he hoped would echo ours and spread across Europe. And Baxter asks us to join him in reckoning with the legacy of slavery on both sides of the Atlantic, from a notorious one-time slave market in France to the long-overdue Memorial to Enslaved Workers at the University of Virginia. Baxter renders the hypocrisy of the slaveholding author of American liberty with brutal honesty and puts that hypocrisy in the context of the pain it still causes today, including bloodshed at the hands of white supremacists in his beloved Charlottesville and the national outcry for justice in the Black Lives Matter protests.
All in all, Baxter paints a rich and full picture of Jefferson’s vast accomplishments and undeniable sins and the many ways both echo today. An incredibly well-crafted accomplishment, to tie so many elements together with a smooth and compelling narrative flow, and with insights that will long linger with all readers
All in all, Baxter paints a rich and full picture of Jefferson’s vast accomplishments and undeniable sins and the many ways both echo today. An incredibly well-crafted accomplishment, to tie so many elements together with a smooth and compelling narrative flow, and with insights that will long linger with all readers
June 29, 2022
I loved this stunning debut that blends travelogue and history with wit and heart. I was immediately hooked by the intriguing premise: The author, Derek Baxter, finds an obscure travel guide to Europe written by Thomas Jefferson and takes a journey to follow his advice centuries later.
I quickly became absorbed in the fascinating historical and geographical elements, which explore architecture, food production, wine (lots of wine!), gardens, and so much more. Best of all, Baxter weaves all of this captivating information into a personal narrative that makes readers feel like we’re traveling right along with him and his charming family. He’s a master of sensory descriptions of delicious food, gorgeous landscapes, quirky characters, and insightful cultural details as he brings us to France, Italy, England, The Netherlands, Virginia, and West Virginia. His voice is highly readable and warm—it feels as if sharing exciting adventures with a friend. He’s generous with his humor—I found myself laughing out loud at times—and he isn’t afraid to be self-deprecating, vulnerable, and humble.
I felt especially moved during the parts involving his family’s role in the decade-long research journey as well as his deep-dive into his emotions about Jefferson’s contradictions regarding slavery. I was impressed with the raw honesty Baxter showed in navigating his shifting opinions about his lifelong hero’s troubling actions (and inaction) in this realm. Overall, this book was an immersive, entertaining, and enlightening delight—I’ve been recommending it far and wide!
I quickly became absorbed in the fascinating historical and geographical elements, which explore architecture, food production, wine (lots of wine!), gardens, and so much more. Best of all, Baxter weaves all of this captivating information into a personal narrative that makes readers feel like we’re traveling right along with him and his charming family. He’s a master of sensory descriptions of delicious food, gorgeous landscapes, quirky characters, and insightful cultural details as he brings us to France, Italy, England, The Netherlands, Virginia, and West Virginia. His voice is highly readable and warm—it feels as if sharing exciting adventures with a friend. He’s generous with his humor—I found myself laughing out loud at times—and he isn’t afraid to be self-deprecating, vulnerable, and humble.
I felt especially moved during the parts involving his family’s role in the decade-long research journey as well as his deep-dive into his emotions about Jefferson’s contradictions regarding slavery. I was impressed with the raw honesty Baxter showed in navigating his shifting opinions about his lifelong hero’s troubling actions (and inaction) in this realm. Overall, this book was an immersive, entertaining, and enlightening delight—I’ve been recommending it far and wide!
April 7, 2022
“In Pursuit of Jefferson: traveling through Europe with the most perplexing Founding Father,” by Derek Baxter (Source, 2022). Jefferson may be perplexing, but for a good part of this book Derek Baxter is just annoying. That’s because he wraps himself and his family into the Jefferson story, beginning with an account of running a marathon in France wearing a Jefferson costume. However, ultimately this becomes an interesting story, first of Jefferson’s own European wanderings, and finally an interesting examination of the man’s internal complexity. Jefferson wrote a detailed account of his trip through Europe: “Hints to Americans Traveling in Europe.” Those early Americans were a very curious and creative bunch. Jefferson turned himself into a wine tourist, visiting vineyards throughout France and analyzing their soils, drainage, and climate (Baxter schools himself through this exploration). But when Baxter looks at Jefferson’s hypocrisy/blindness he gives the man no mercy. On the one hand, Jefferson was a peerless champion of liberty; on the other he was a major and cruel slaveowner. In fact, he could not have traveled as he did, collect books, design gardens, or found a university without the fortune derived from owning other human beings. A quick, enlightening and entertaining read.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-p...
June 21, 2022
When I got my copy of this book I was so excited to read it that I was Reading While Walking, and a passerby even said, "Eyes up!" As if it was any of his business.
Anyhow, this book was right up my alley: travelogue combined with history/bio, like Tony Horowitz's BLUE LATITUDES, which I also very much enjoyed.
I am totally over Jefferson and other Founding Fathers owning slaves, so the author getting bummed about that was the slow part of the book for me, but thankfully he decided to accept the flawed nature of all historical characters, and we could (with some virtue signaling) get back on track. I personally love all the slave history elements, having read THE HEMINGSES OF MONTICELLO and even Barbara Chase-Riboud's SALLY HEMINGS and lots of other history-of-slavery books, so I loved learning about Monticello's and UVA's incorporation of that history into their stories and exhibits.
The author did a great job exploring how Jefferson's visionary side might extend into our nutty present, on everything from fast food to climate change, and the book made me want to go on a tour of Virginia as well as seek out new sights abroad!
Great read.
Anyhow, this book was right up my alley: travelogue combined with history/bio, like Tony Horowitz's BLUE LATITUDES, which I also very much enjoyed.
I am totally over Jefferson and other Founding Fathers owning slaves, so the author getting bummed about that was the slow part of the book for me, but thankfully he decided to accept the flawed nature of all historical characters, and we could (with some virtue signaling) get back on track. I personally love all the slave history elements, having read THE HEMINGSES OF MONTICELLO and even Barbara Chase-Riboud's SALLY HEMINGS and lots of other history-of-slavery books, so I loved learning about Monticello's and UVA's incorporation of that history into their stories and exhibits.
The author did a great job exploring how Jefferson's visionary side might extend into our nutty present, on everything from fast food to climate change, and the book made me want to go on a tour of Virginia as well as seek out new sights abroad!
Great read.
October 16, 2024
With its rather different approach to biography, I found this melding of Thomas Jefferson’s life with the author’s own engaging and entertaining. Derek Baxter came across a travel guide written by Jefferson in 1788 entitled Hints for Americans Traveling Through Europe. Jefferson being one of his heroes, and feeling generally dissatisfied with his own life at that time he decided to follow in Jefferson's footsteps and explore where Jefferson had explored – from wine to food, architecture to gardens and much more. Persuading his long-suffering family to accompany him, Baxter set off on his pilgrimage. The result is a cross between a travelogue and a memoir, an original concept which works wonderfully well. Baxter is nicely self-deprecating and never takes himself too seriously, although his quest is in fact a serious one, to discover more about Jefferson, flaws and all, not least his contradictory attitude to slavery. He starts off full of admiration for Jefferson but ends up with a more nuanced sense of the man and politician, and the reader learns much at the same time as the author.
March 23, 2022
This was an interesting book how he compared the journals to Thomas Jefferson and he went on this trip just like jefferson did and I think it was hint a American traveler but it was interesting how things changed in time You'll find out also how he looked at Jefferson through different parts like the gardens in England or like the wine in France Italy it was pasta and how he was trying to look at everything but it also talked about the slavery issue with them is well but I like how integrated that with it and it all started with the marathon and in France and he also bought his children along too at sometimes or his parents and it was kind of interesting how things were the same but were in modern times And how he looked at Jefferson later on in life he also went to the University of Virginia which was part ofthe part of jefferson's estate I believe
October 5, 2022
Ever pick up a book because you think it generally interests you and then find out it isn't what you thought? That's wat happened to me with this book in the best possible way. The author is an attorney for a government agency who was a big history buff. In particular, Thomas Jefferson. He was fascinated with the travels through Europe of the third President and decided to "recreate" them. The book is basically a memoir of that journey. Along the way you learn a lot about Jefferson and human nature and get lots of laughs. He involved his family, and it is endearing that over time it changed all of them in some way. This is simply a fun and interesting "history" book and, potentially, fuel for all of us to pursue our muses while there is time.
February 8, 2024
A unique look at Thomas Jefferson. Mr. Baxter has traveled through Europe and a few points in the United States following Thomas Jefferson's Hints to Americans Travelling In Europe. This is NOT a biography in the usual sense of the word. At times the work concentrates more on the Baxter family than on the Jeffersons. About halfway through the work Mr. Baxter changes from Jefferson the Hero to Jefferson the Slave Owner (and all of the negativity, abuse, and racism that is often overlooked regarding Mr. Jefferson). The tone of the work changes drastically. Mr. Baxter has presented a thorough look at Mr. Jefferson is SOME of Mr. Jefferson's events and capabilities. This is a MUST read for Every Thomas Jefferson fan.
March 23, 2022
In Pursuit of Jefferson is an entertaining and thought-provoking look at Thomas Jefferson through the eyes of author Derek Baxter and his family. Over the course of several years, the family visits the locations mentioned in Jefferson's 1788 Hints for Americans Traveling Through Europe (you can read it here: https://founders.archives.gov/documen... ). Throughout, Baxter reflects on contemporary issues as well as those of the 18th century, and attempts to come to terms with Jefferson's flaws. Suggested for fans of Tony Horwitz and Bill Bryson, and those interested in Thomas Jefferson. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
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January 3, 2022An interesting book for those interested in both travel and history. The author, intrigued by a little known tome by Jefferson offering European travel tips, decides to re-created Jefferson's travels with his family. He starts by running a long distance race involving frequent stops at wineries, dressed as Thomas Jefferson. He then revisits Jefferson's fascination in wine and his plans to introduce wine to America, along with many other adventures.
I enjoyed this book, but it rambled quite a bit. It needed more judicious editing, but for a new writer, it was a great first effort.
I enjoyed this book, but it rambled quite a bit. It needed more judicious editing, but for a new writer, it was a great first effort.
February 3, 2022
Derek Baxter is obsessed with Thomas Jefferson. He planned trips and excursions for almost a decade, based on Jefferson’s travels in Europe. One amusing highlight is the anecdotal comments made by his children, especially during the great garden escape chapter.
Baxter does dip into the pool of lecturing and pontificating in several of the chapters, which makes for tedious reading.
However, it’s a book worthy of reading, if nothing else, check out the endnotes for bibliographic branching.
Thanks to edelweiss and Sourcebooks for the advance read.
Baxter does dip into the pool of lecturing and pontificating in several of the chapters, which makes for tedious reading.
However, it’s a book worthy of reading, if nothing else, check out the endnotes for bibliographic branching.
Thanks to edelweiss and Sourcebooks for the advance read.
June 23, 2022
I found this book on my library’s new books shelf. I’m a history buff living in VA and also enjoy travel books, so this intrigued me. I enjoyed the book (I still don’t understand wine, but also not a drinker) and premise of taking Jefferson’s hints and putting together an adventure of a lifetime. The book had a profound impact on my views of Jefferson and plan to explore some of the books the author used. The author didn’t just visit the places Jefferson mentioned, but clearly researched and participated in hands on experience to fully paint the picture from Hints.
March 28, 2023
I felt uncomfortable a couple of chapters into the book when I though the author was going to ignore or gloss over Jefferson owning slaves, but then appreciated that after doing a lot of research, he worked through his disappointment in his hero and made sure to put reckoning with slavery front and center. However, I remain disturbed by the book's light-hearted, travelogue-ish vein, which is discordant with the ugly realities of Jefferson's life. Overall, would not recommend as a travelogue nor as a slice of history...not sure where I'd place this book.
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