6 h 26 minAudiobook11 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 26 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Before the presidency, there are books, student pranks, and the rivalries of a small colonial capital.
In The Youth of Jefferson, John Esten Cooke takes you to Williamsburg before the American Revolution. Thomas Jefferson is a student at the College of William and Mary: serious, curious, and fond of books, but warm and sociable too. Around him, college life meets the manners of Virginia society.
Student tricks test the patience of teachers, while courtship and rivalry draw young men into contests for favor and honor. Beyond the college stand taverns, the governor's circle, and the burgesses. This historical romance brings them into a lively portrait of a small town where youthful high spirits meet social expectations.
What you’ll discover
- Jefferson as a student Meet Cooke's young hero, whose love of books sits alongside a warm, sociable nature.
- A lively colonial capital Explore Williamsburg through its college, taverns, and the circles of Virginia's gentry.
- Mischief beyond the classroom Enjoy student tricks and arguments that put the patience of teachers to the test.
- Courtship and competing hopes Follow young men as romance and rivalry turn favor and honor into personal stakes.
- Manners that reveal character Watch youthful high spirits meet the customs and expectations of colonial Virginia society.
Who will love it
Readers who like witty banter, costume romance and early American history will enjoy this. It suits anyone curious about the young Thomas Jefferson, or who loves a tale of love notes, masquerades and college pranks.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Two rivals meet in Williamsburg
- Belle-bouche and the heiress Philippa
- A Governor, a card game, and a lesson
- Jacques and a bad run of luck
- A new student and a duel that never happens
- Hiding in a closet from the Doctor
- Roseland, jealousy and a borrowed pair of gloves
- What the story is really about
- How the story is told
Who’s who
- Sir AsinusA red-haired student and wit who hides from the proctors, talks of liberty, and loves jokes, cards and pretty girls.
- JacquesA sighing, richly dressed dandy who courts Belle-bouche with poetry about shepherds and is always interrupted before he can propose.
- Belle-boucheA seventeen-year-old beauty at Shadynook who is kind to children and keeps both suitors guessing.
- PhilippaA bold young heiress who longs to be loved for herself and hides her feelings behind sharp jokes.
- Ernest MowbrayA poor, serious law student who supports his sister and cannot forget the heiress who seemed to scorn him.
- Charles HofflandA new student, slight and merry, who befriends Mowbray, refuses to show his lodgings, and keeps a secret.
- Lucy MowbrayErnest's cheerful sister, whose laugh is catching and whose smiles make Jack Denis hopeful and jealous.
- Jack DenisAn honest, quick-tempered young man who loves Lucy and takes every joke at its word.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 6 h 26 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 11 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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The Youth of Jefferson
by John Esten Cooke · 1854
A red-haired student hides from his proctors in 1764 while a sighing dandy chases the same girl.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
The Youth of Jefferson is a light historical novel by John Esten Cooke, a Virginia writer who died in 1886. It follows a group of college students in Williamsburg in the spring of 1764, among them a red-haired rebel who is a young version of Thomas Jefferson.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Two rivals meet in Williamsburg
The story opens on a May morning in 1764. A young man in lace and velvet rides up to a small house in Williamsburg and finds the door barred against him. The man inside is a cheerful student, nicknamed Sir Asinus, who has been hiding from the proctors of the College of William and Mary. He thought the visitor was an officer coming to seize him.
The visitor is his friend Jacques, a languid dandy who sighs at every turn. Sir Asinus took his nickname from a Latin song about an ass, and Jacques has a nickname of his own. Both are courting a young lady they call Belle-bouche, which means pretty mouth, a pun on her name. Each teases the other about it.
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What is The Youth of Jefferson about?
It follows a group of Williamsburg college students in 1764, among them a young rebel based on Thomas Jefferson. Courtships, a duel scare, a ball and a May Day festival fill its pages, all told with humor.
Who is Sir Asinus in the book?
Sir Asinus is the nickname of Tom, a red-haired student who is hiding from the proctors. He is witty, loves Latin puns and cards, speaks up for liberty, and stands in for the young Thomas Jefferson.
Is The Youth of Jefferson a true story?
It is a novel, but it uses real people and places, including Governor Fauquier, Williamsburg and the Raleigh Tavern. Cooke borrowed names and jokes from Jefferson's early letters and quotes some of them at the end.
The author
John Esten Cooke
1830–1886 · American novelist
John Esten Cooke (1830–1886) was an American novelist born in Winchester, Virginia. He lived in Virginia and served in the Confederate army during the American Civil War. He wrote novels, biographies, and histories, including The Virginia Comedians (1854) and Surry of Eagle’s Nest (1866). He died in Virginia in 1886.
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