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Thomas Jefferson's Library: A Catalog with the Entries in His Own Order

edited by
James Gilreath and Douglas L. Wilson

Table of Contents   |    Sources cited   |  Catalog record and links to related information from the Library of Congress catalog

FOREWORD

  This slim but important volume makes available for the first time in print
an illuminating historical document until recently believed to have been lost-
namely, Thomas Jefferson's own classification of the sixty-seven hundred books
he sold to the federal government after the British had destroyed the congres-
sional library in Washington during the War of 1812. Far from being a mere list
of titles, Jefferson's catalog of his "great library" reflects the Virginian's attempt
to categorize all knowledge and, as such, it provides unique insight into the
world view of this multisided genius. Given the catholic range of Jefferson's
informed intellect, the catalog will be of serious interest to students, academic
and otherwise, in scores of disciplines.

  James Gilreath and Douglas L. Wilson, editors of the catalog, know as
much as anyone today about Jefferson's love affair with the printed word. Like
all superior researchers, Gilreath and Wilson are superb detectives. Their
lengthy and enlightening introduction tells the story of their scholarly sleuthing
and suggests the catalog's significance as a rare guide to Jefferson and his times.

  As one who professed "I cannot live without books," Jefferson surely must
have died a bit with the sale of his premier collection in 1815. Fortunately he
was spared knowing of the subsequent disappearance of his classification
scheme, which is now reclaimed for posterity over 160 years after his death,
thanks to its publication under the appropriate aegis of the Library of Congress.




Daniel P. Jordan, Director
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Foundation, Inc.


vii

Foreword   |   Introduction   |   Selected Reading List   |   Editorial Note   |   Chapter: 1  |  2   |   3  |  4   |   5  |  6   |   7  |  8   |   9  |  10   |   11   |   12   |   13   |   14   |   15   |   16   |   17   |   18   |   19   |   20   |   21   |   22   |   23   |   24   |   25   |   26   |   27   |   28   |   29   |   30   |   31   |   32   |   33   |   34   |   35   |   36   |   37   |   38   |   39   |   40   |   41   |   42   |   43   |   44   |   Appendix

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