In the nearly two centuries since the first building's completion in Thomas Jefferson's academical village, programs and facilities at the University of Virginia have been continually expanded and updated. This second edition of Susan Tyler Hitchcock's The University of Virginia: A Pictorial History, first published in 1999 and updated in 2003, traces Mr. Jefferson's favorite project through an appropriately rich pageant of images and text. The book's main chapters, arranged chronologically, follow the rise of the university from its founding to the accomplishments of John T. Casteen III's presidency and the appointment of Teresa A. Sullivan as the university's eighth, and first female, president.

In this second edition, Casteen's legacy is considered, including AccessUVa, the university's groundbreaking full-need financial aid program; initiatives to position the University of Virginia as a global leader; and major expansion of the physical facilities, including the Arts Precinct, the South Lawn Project, John Paul Jones Arena, the Harrison Institute and Small Special Collections Library, and groundbreaking for the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center. The final chapter includes an essay on the historic preservation of the Academical Village and looks forward with new president Teresa A. Sullivan as Mr. Jefferson's university sits poised on the eve of its bicentennial celebration. Highlights include interviews with John T. Casteen III and Teresa A. Sullivan.