Saving Monticello: The Levy Family's Epic Quest to Rescue the House That Jefferson Built

New York, NY: The Free Press, 2001. First edition. First printing [stated]. Trade paperback. Very good. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. [12], 303, [5] pages. Illustrations. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Signed by author on title page. Cover has slight wear and soiling. Monticello was the primary plantation of Thomas Jefferson, who, after inheriting quite a large amount of land from his father, started building Monticello when he was 26 years old. Located just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, the plantation was originally 5, 000 acres, with extensive cultivation of tobacco and mixed crops. What started as a mainly tobacco switched over to a wheat plantation later in Jefferson's life. The house, which Jefferson designed, was based on the neoclassical principles described in the books of the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. He reworked it through much of his presidency to include design elements popular in late 18th-century Europe. It contains many of his own design solutions. The house is situated on the summit of an 850-foot high peak in the Southwest Mountains south of the Rivanna Gap. The dramatic, untold story of how two generations of an American family fought to save one of our nation's greatest treasures--Thomas Jefferson's elegant mansion Monticello. From Wikipedia: "Marc Leepson (born June 20, 1945) is an American journalist, historian, and author. His books include What So Proudly We Hailed: Francis Scott Key, A Life; Lafayette: Lessons in Leadership from the Idealist General; Flag: An American Biography; and Saving Monticello. Leepson attended George Washington University where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1967 and his Master's degree in 1971. Leepson was a staff writer at Congressional Quarterly in Washington, D.C. from 1976 to 1986. He has been a full-time freelance writer since 1986. He is Senior Writer and columnist for The VVA Veteran, the magazine published by Vietnam Veterans of America. His work has appeared in many magazines and newspapers.