I am going to Virginia; Jefferson wrote late in 1793. "I am then to be liberated from the hated occupations of politics; and to remain in the bosom of my family; my farm; and my books." Although Jefferson's liberation from public life was to prove temporary; in 1794 he did enjoy an extended interlude from political service. He set himself to applying the results of a lifetime of studying and eperimenting with agricultural theories on his own farms. The letters; notes; and drawings that Jefferson left to posterity record his contributions to scientific agriculture.The heart of these records is the Farm Book; a journal of plantation management that Jefferson maintained from 1774 until just before his death in 1826. The Farm Book; reproduced here in facsimile; is a wide-ranging depiction of the agricultural and industrial activities on Jefferson's plantations; primarily Monticello and Poplar Forest. In Thomas Jefferson's Farm Book; the late Edwin Morris Betts; professor of biology at the University of Virginia; embellishes this agricultural journal with illuminating commentary and relevant extracts selected from Jefferson's correspondence and other memorandum books. Organized topically; the annotations and extracts paint a uniquely complete portrait of plantation life and activity.Jefferson's records reveal an experimental farm; implementing such innovations as horizontal plowing; a crop-rotation plan; and Jefferson's own revolutionary moldboard plow. In addition; the Farm Book is a window to slave life; containing Jefferson's notes regarding the rations his overseer distributed; the daily tasks required by particular slaves; and the number of yards he purchased for slaves' clothing. The book also portrays the industries pursued by enslaved and free workmen; including th Mulberry Row nailery; joinery; blacksmith's shop; and spinning and weaving house.
#1408070 in Books 1993-03-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 5.50 x .70 x 8.40l; .78 #File Name: 1874774013272 pages
Review
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. well written and thoughtfulBy N. WI liked this book. It addresses in a thoughtful manner many of the problems which we see in our people.11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. an explanation of what separates usBy Michael LewynIn this book; Sacks (the Chief Rabbi of Great Britian] focuses on how Orthodox Jews should relate to Reform Judaism (and to a lesser extent; other liberal Jewish movements; Sacks focuses on Reform because it is the oldest non-Orthodox denomination; and because it differs more sharply from Orthodoxy than does Conservative or Reconstructionist Judaism).Sacks sketches out three options: exclusivism (that is; treating non-Orthodox Jews as if they were Christians); pluralism (treating other Jewish movements as equally valid); and what he calls "inclusivism"- treating rival Jewish movements as partially but not completely valid.Sacks endorses the latter; middle; course; asserting that pluralism is impractical because Reform (and to a lesser extent; other Jewish denominations) reject the binding character of traditional Jewish law; and thus create unbridgeable gaps between Orthodoxy and its rivals.Sacks also explains the differences among Orthodox Jews; focusing on the concept of "aggadic pluralism." Sacks explains that even though Orthodox Jews may abide by the same day-to-day religious law (or halacha) there is no uniform Orthodox position on matters outside halacha - for example; what the stories in Genesis mean; or the theological implications (if any) of the Holocaust. I thought his discussion of this issue was valuable for both non-Orthodox and Orthodox Jews (both of whom occasionally mistake the position of one or two rabbis or intellectuals with the "Orthodox position").I think this book is an excellent guide to the differences among Jews; and would recommend it to anyone mystified by 20th-century Judaism.
