The Road to Monticello swims against the tide of much of contemporary Jefferson scholarship. While scholars of the last few decades, inspired by the apparent hypocrisy of the author of the Declaration of Independence, have focussed on Jefferson's slaveholding and the meaning of his relationship with one particular slave, Sally Hemings, Kevin J. Hayes chooses to concentrate on Jefferson's intellect. As he reminds us, “The story of his life is a story of a man whose profound commitment to the public welfare compelled him to a life of leadership yet who always longed for an ideal world where he could enjoy the life of the mind” (14). Hayes presents an intellectual biography of Jefferson, tracing the life of his mind from childhood to old age. In so doing he skilfully illuminates well-known aspects of Jefferson's life, such as the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, while shedding light on dimensions which have suffered from relative neglect owing to an apparent dearth of evidence. The result is a major contribution to the literature which tells us much that is new about Jefferson, while also providing an insight into the exchange of ideas in early America and throughout the Atlantic world during the eighteenth century.

As an example of Hayes's methodology, and the value of this book, consider his treatment of Jefferson's early life. Jefferson's home and most of his papers were destroyed in a fire in 1770. As a consequence, historians have known relatively little about his childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. (By contrast extensive, day-by-day records of Jefferson's life exist for the post-1770 period.) Hayes, through painstaking research in the few surviving records (such as Jefferson's literary commonplace book), as well as hitherto neglected sources (including the records of the printing shop where the young Jefferson bought his books and stationery), recovers the Virginian's intellectual development. While some of his findings are, by their nature, speculative, Hayes draws on his expertise as specialist in eighteenth-century literature to sketch a convincing portrait of Jefferson's intellect. It is an insightful and original study that informs on diverse aspects of eighteenth-century intellectual life. He carries his analysis throughout Jefferson's long life. Owing to his emphasis on Jefferson's mind we do not get a complete picture of Jefferson, however. In his famous “head and heart” letter addressed to Maria Cosway in 1786 (which Hayes ably analyses), Jefferson demonstrated that his mind competed with his heart. The emotional Jefferson, the Jefferson whose heart contended with his head for dominance, is absent from this portrait of Jefferson's mind. The Road to Monticello is not intended as a study of Jefferson's heart, however. As a study of Jefferson's mind it makes a substantial contribution to the literature.

Why another book on Thomas Jefferson? It is the question that all Jefferson scholars must address, either implicitly or explicitly, in their work. A search for “Thomas Jefferson” on Google books yields 23,962 titles. Surely, the sceptical reader might ask, is there any need to continue the inexorable advance to 24,000 and beyond? This fine book by Kevin J. Hayes provides an eloquent answer to the sceptics. It demonstrates that there are still new insights to be gained from the study of Jefferson and his time.