Thomas Jefferson is ammong the most important and controversial of American polctical thinkers：his influence （libertarian，edmocratic，participatory，and agrarian - republican） is still felt today. A prolific writer，Jefferson left 18，000letters，Note on the State of Virginia， an Autobiography， and numerous other papers.Joyce Appleby and Terence Ball have selected the most important of these for presentation in the Cambridhe Texts series：Jefferson’s views on topics such as revolution，self - govermment，the role of women，and African - Americans and Native Americans emerge to give a fascinating insight into a man who owned slaves， yet advocated the abolitoion of slavery. The texts are supported by a concise introduction， suggestions for further reading and short biographies of key figures，all proving invaluable assistance to the student encountering the breadth and richness of Jefferson’s thought for the first time. JOYCE Appleby is Professor of History at UCLA，and a former President of the American Historical Association.TERENCE BALL is Professor of Political Science at Arizona State University，and has Previously edited the works of James Mill for the Cambridge Texts series.