A chronicle of Thomas Jefferson's passion for reading and building his library.

Among the Second Series of The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, this volume has the most detailed coverage of his day-to-day life. These disciplined records of personal expenditures, and of various other daily observations, furnish valuable information about prices and availability of commodities of the period and provide abundant evidence of Jefferson's devotion to a systematic way of living and of his insatiable curiosity. Originally published in 1997. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

This work is a new edition of Thomas Jefferson's literary commonplace book, a notebook of his literary and philosophical reading. Unlike the only previous edition, published in 1928, it contains full annotation, pertinent information on the authors and works commonplaced, and a rationale for dating the entries. Thus it is now possible to show that most of the four hundred seven passages were entered when Jefferson was a young man, between the ages of fifteen and thirty. As such, they reflect the range of his literary interests from his school days to about the time of his marriage and involvement in politics. As one of the few surviving documents from Jefferson's early years, this notebook assumes special importance as a source of insight into the least known period of his life. In the introduction the editor presents reasons for thinking that the commonplace book was more to Jefferson than a literary sampler and was in some respects a deeply personal notebook with direct connections to the emotional events and preoccupations of his formative years. In addition to the text and annotation, the book contains a register of authors and an illustrated essay on Jefferson's handwriting that provides the rationale for assigning approximate dates to the entries of the commonplace book. Originally published in 1989. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Painstaking Reconstruction of Jefferson's Library Catalogue Sold to the Library of Congress in 1815 to replace volumes burned by the British during their occupation of Washington, Jefferson's library, comprising 6,700, volumes was one of the finest in the United States. The taxonomically arranged catalogue that accompanied these books was a remarkable work, one that offered great insight into the broad and systematic nature of Jefferson's mind. Unfortunately, it was lost. Using Jefferson's notes and the first edition of the Library of Congress catalogue, Gilreath and Wilson recreated Jefferson's original compilation. It contains an extensive collection of legal books arranged under the general heading "Philosophy." Beginning with the broad designations of "Ethics," "Moral Philosophy," "Law of Nature and Nations" and "Religion" Jefferson proceeds to such topics as "Common Law," "Maritime Law and "Foreign Law." It is valuable both for its insights into Jefferson's legal mind and as a guide to the titles one would want to include in a first-class American law library of the period. James Gilreath was an American history specialist at the Library of Congress rare book and special collections division. Douglas L. Wilson is George A. Lawrence Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus; Co-director, Lincoln Studies Center, Knox College Galesburg, Illinois. CONTENTS Foreword Introduction Selected Reading List Editorial Note Catalogue I. Memory 1. Antient History 2. Modern History. Foreign 3. Modern History. British 4. Modern History. American 5. History-Ecclesiastical 6. Natural Philosophy 7. Agriculture 8. Chemistry 9. Surgery 10. Medicine 11. Animals. Anatomy 12. Animals. Zoology 13. Botany 14. Mineralogy 15. Occupations of Man. Technical Arts II. Philosophy 16. Ethics Moral Philosophy Law of Nature and Nations 17. Religion 18. Jurisprudence. Equity 19. Jurisprudence. Common Law 20. Jurisprudence. Law-Merchant 21. Jurisprudence. Law-Maritime 22. Jurisprudence. Law- Ecclesiastical 23. Jurisprudence. Foreign Law 24. Politics 25. Mathematics. Pure. Arithematic 26. Mathematics. Pure. Geometry 27. Physico-Mathematics. Mechanics, Statics, Dynamics, Pneumatics, Phonics, Optics 28. Astronomy 29. Geography III. Fine Arts 30. Architecture 31. Gardening, Painting, Sculpture 32. Music 33. Poetry. Epic 34. Romance, Tales-Fables 35. Pastorals, Odes, Elegies 36. Didactic 37. Tragedy 38. Comedy 39. Dialogue-Epistolary 40. Logic, Rhetoric, Orations 41. Criticism. Theory 42. Criticism. Bibliography 43. Criticism. Languages 44. Polygraphical Appendix Some pages from the printed catalogue of 1815

Presents a biography of the third president of the United States, focusing on his childhood, his writing of the Declaration of Independence, and remembering him today.

Tour Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia, from Monticello to the Blue Ridge Mountains and beyond, with a guide that “mixes historical background with how-tos” (Daily Press). Few prominent Americans are as associated with a place as Thomas Jefferson is with Virginia. The heart of “Jefferson Country” is his house and plantation at Monticello, but Jefferson traveled the breadth of his home state, from his time at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg to the new state capital at Richmond and his retreat and plantation at Poplar Forest, near Lynchburg. While spending time in the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Jefferson was inspired to write his only book, Notes on the State of Virginia. Jefferson’s life story, and his many endeavors as a scholar and statesman, are illustrated in this guide to the state he held dear. “This book mixes historical background with the how-tos of visiting the places Jefferson spent time, including the Wren Building at the College of William and Mary, which he attended, and the George Wythe house, where he studied law in Williamsburg.” —Daily Press