Introduction: Jefferson seen and unseen

Part I: Personal growth. "Savage enough" : his ruptured childhood

"Sukey at Smith" : sexual secrets of a young lawyer

"Till harmony rouse ev'ry gentle passion" : mountain paradise

Part II: Passionate years. "Thrown into a reverie" : from romance to revolution

"Every fibre of that passion" : a declaration and an adieu

"Gazing like a lover at his mistress" : French women

"An abuse of strength" : Condorcet's challenge, Maria's maid

Part III: Political hazards. "Open mouthed against me" : an age of contempt

"The late political paroxysm" : fever, delirium, and calumny

"The campaign of slander is opening" : Adams vs. Jefferson vs. Burr

"Bloody teeth & fangs" : sentimental rage, presidential power

"I feel no passion, I take no part" : second term schisms

Part IV: Imperiled legacy. "Suspicions & certainties, rumors & realities" : exorcising Washington's ghost

Appendix A: Jefferson-Wayles-Hemings family tree

Appendix B: A note on sources, and sources of inspiration.