Light and Liberty: Reflections on the Pursuit of Happiness [FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING]

Petersen, Eric S.

Verlag: The Modern Library, New York, 2004

Beschreibung

As new condition dark silver gray cloth boards with gold spine lettering contained in an as new condition non price-clipped color photographic dust jacket. Includes Preliminary Page Quote by Thomas Jefferson; Preface; Chronology; Notes; Acknowledgments; and About the Editor. "Seamlessly weaving Jefferson's wisdom and lively moral imagination into discrete and timeless meditations, this far from common 'commonplace book' brings Jefferson's thoughts alive again for a new generation of Americans." - Forrest Church, author of The American Creed and editor of The Jefferson Bible. "Were Thomas Jefferson alive to read this book, he would recognize every sentence, every elegant turn of phrase, every lofty, beautifully expressed idea. Indeed, every word in the book is his. In an astonishing feat of editing, Eric S. Petersen has culled the entirety of Thomas Jefferson's published works to fashion thirty-four original essays on themes ranging from patriotism and liberty to hope, humility, and gratitude. The result is a lucid, inspiring distillation of the wisdom of one of America's greatest political thinkers. From his personal motto - "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God" - to his resounding discourse on "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' in the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson defined the essential truth of the American spirit. In the essays that Petersen has crafted from letters, speeches, and public documents, Jefferson's unique moral philosophy and vision shine through. Among the hundreds of magnificent thoughts gathered in this volume, here are jefferson's pronouncements on Gratitude: "I have but one system of ethics for men and for nations - to be grateful, to be faithful to all engagements and under all circumstances, to be open and generous." Religion: "A concern purely between our God and our consciences." America's National Character: "It is part of the American character to consider nothing as desperate; to surmount every difficulty with resolution and contrivance." Public Debt: "We shall all consider ourselves unauthorized to saddle posterity with our debts, and morally bound to pay them ourselves." War: " I abhor war and view it as the greatest scourge of mankind." In stately measured cadences, these thirty-four essays provide timeless guidance on leading a spiritually fulfilling life. Light and Liberty is a triumphant work of supreme eloquence, as uplifting today as when Jefferson first set these immortal sentences on paper." - from the inner front and rear jacket flaps. "An extraordinary distillation of the thought and wisdom of Thomas Jefferson." - Merrill D. Peterson, professor emeritus of history, University of Virginia, author of The Jefferson Image in the American Mind. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 007503

Bibliografische Details

Titel: Light and Liberty: Reflections on the ...

Verlag: The Modern Library, New York

Erscheinungsdatum: 2004

Einband: Hardcover

Illustrator: Bordwin, Gabrielle (jacket design)

Zustand: As New

Zustand des Schutzumschlags: As New

Auflage: 1st Edition