Thomas Jefferson's Library

Painstaking Reconstruction of Jefferson's Library CatalogueSold 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.CONTENTSForewordIntroduction Selected Reading List Editorial NoteCatalogueI. Memory1. Antient History2. Modern History. Foreign3. Modern History. British4. Modern History. American5. History-Ecclesiastical6. Natural Philosophy7. Agriculture8. Chemistry9. Surgery10. Medicine 11. Animals. Anatomy12. Animals. Zoology13. Botany14. Mineralogy15. Occupations of Man. Technical ArtsII. Philosophy16. Ethics Moral Philosophy Law of Nature and Nations17. Religion18. Jurisprudence. Equity19. Jurisprudence. Common Law20. Jurisprudence. Law-Merchant21. Jurisprudence. Law-Maritime22. Jurisprudence. Law- Ecclesiastical23. Jurisprudence. Foreign Law24. Politics25. Mathematics. Pure. Arithematic26. Mathematics. Pure. Geometry27. Physico-Mathematics. Mechanics, Statics, Dynamics, Pneumatics, Phonics, Optics28. Astronomy29. GeographyIII. Fine Arts30. Architecture31. Gardening, Painting, Sculpture32. Music33. Poetry. Epic34. Romance, Tales-Fables35. Pastorals, Odes, Elegies36. Didactic37. Tragedy38. Comedy39. Dialogue-Epistolary40. Logic, Rhetoric, Orations41. Criticism. Theory42. Criticism. Bibliography43. Criticism. Languages44. PolygraphicalAppendixSome pages from the printed catalogue of 1815