Jefferson's Books

Jefferson's Books
Author: Douglas L. Wilson
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 1996
Genre: Book collecting
ISBN: 9781882886036

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


Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library

Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library
Author: Barb Rosenstock
Publisher: Astra Publishing House
Total Pages: 34
Release: 2020-09-08
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1635924340

Young readers of all ages will love this story about President Thomas Jefferson, who found his passion as soon as he learned to read: books, books, and more books! Before, during, and after the American Revolution, Jefferson collected thousands of books on hundreds of subjects. In fact, his massive collection eventually helped rebuild the Library of Congress—now the largest library in the world. Author Barb Rosenstock's rhythmic words and illustrator John O'Brien's whimsical illustrations capture Jefferson's zeal for the written word as well as little-known details about book collecting. An author's note, bibliography, and source notes for quotations are also included.


Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an

Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an
Author: Denise Spellberg
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 418
Release: 2014-07-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0307388395

In this original and illuminating book, Denise A. Spellberg reveals a little-known but crucial dimension of the story of American religious freedom—a drama in which Islam played a surprising role. In 1765, eleven years before composing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson bought a Qur’an. This marked only the beginning of his lifelong interest in Islam, and he would go on to acquire numerous books on Middle Eastern languages, history, and travel, taking extensive notes on Islam as it relates to English common law. Jefferson sought to understand Islam notwithstanding his personal disdain for the faith, a sentiment prevalent among his Protestant contemporaries in England and America. But unlike most of them, by 1776 Jefferson could imagine Muslims as future citizens of his new country. Based on groundbreaking research, Spellberg compellingly recounts how a handful of the Founders, Jefferson foremost among them, drew upon Enlightenment ideas about the toleration of Muslims (then deemed the ultimate outsiders in Western society) to fashion out of what had been a purely speculative debate a practical foundation for governance in America. In this way, Muslims, who were not even known to exist in the colonies, became the imaginary outer limit for an unprecedented, uniquely American religious pluralism that would also encompass the actual despised minorities of Jews and Catholics. The rancorous public dispute concerning the inclusion of Muslims, for which principle Jefferson’s political foes would vilify him to the end of his life, thus became decisive in the Founders’ ultimate judgment not to establish a Protestant nation, as they might well have done. As popular suspicions about Islam persist and the numbers of American Muslim citizenry grow into the millions, Spellberg’s revelatory understanding of this radical notion of the Founders is more urgent than ever. Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an is a timely look at the ideals that existed at our country’s creation, and their fundamental implications for our present and future.


Thomas Jefferson's Library

Thomas Jefferson's Library
Author: Thomas Jefferson
Publisher: The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.
Total Pages: 162
Release: 2010-04
Genre: Classification
ISBN: 1584778245

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


Thomas Jefferson's Paris

Thomas Jefferson's Paris
Author: Howard C. Rice
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2015-03-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 1400870844

This handsomely illustrated picture book provides a remarkable glimpse of the Paris Jefferson knew—Paris on the eve of the French Revolution. The houses, gardens, bookshops, and landmarks of the time are brought to life through commentary and drawings, paintings, and maps. Originally published in 1976. 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.


The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind

The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind
Author: Andrew J. O’Shaughnessy
Publisher: University of Virginia Press
Total Pages: 503
Release: 2021-09-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 0813946492

Already renowned as a statesman, Thomas Jefferson in his retirement from government turned his attention to the founding of an institution of higher learning. Never merely a patron, the former president oversaw every aspect of the creation of what would become the University of Virginia. Along with the Declaration of Independence and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, he regarded it as one of the three greatest achievements in his life. Nonetheless, historians often treat this period as an epilogue to Jefferson’s career. In The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind, Andrew O’Shaughnessy offers a twin biography of Jefferson in retirement and of the University of Virginia in its earliest years. He reveals how Jefferson’s vision anticipated the modern university and profoundly influenced the development of American higher education. The University of Virginia was the most visible apex of what was a much broader educational vision that distinguishes Jefferson as one of the earliest advocates of a public education system. Just as Jefferson’s proclamation that "all men are created equal" was tainted by the ongoing institution of slavery, however, so was his university. O’Shaughnessy addresses this tragic conflict in Jefferson’s conception of the university and society, showing how Jefferson’s loftier aspirations for the university were not fully realized. Nevertheless, his remarkable vision in founding the university remains vital to any consideration of the role of education in the success of the democratic experiment.


Thomas Jefferson at Monticello

Thomas Jefferson at Monticello
Author: Leslie Greene Bowman
Publisher: Rizzoli Publications
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2021-09-28
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 0847865223

This visually stunning volume explores Monticello, both house and plantation, with texts that present a current assessment of Jefferson’s cultural contributions to his noteworthy home and the fledgling country. Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States, designed his Virginia residence with innovations that were progressive, even unprecedented, in the new world. Six acclaimed arts and cultural luminaries pay homage to Jefferson, citing his work at Monticello as testament to his genius in art, culture, and science, from his adaptation of Palladian architecture, his sweeping vision for landscape design, his experimental gardens, and his passion for French wine and cuisine to his eclectic mix of European and American art and artifacts and the creation of the country’s seminal library. Each writer considers the important role, and the painful reality, of Jefferson’s enslaved workforce, which made his lifestyle and plantation possible. This book, illustrated with superb photography by Miguel Flores-Vianna, is a necessary addition to the libraries of those who love historical architecture and landscape design, art and cultural history, and the lives of prominent Americans.