REBUILDING
HIS LIBRARY IN THE CLASSICS
THOMAS
JEFFERSON. Autograph
Letter Signed to George Ticknor, Monticello [VA], 31 January 1816. 1
page, 9½” x 7¾”, plus integral address leaf.
Jefferson
directs an American friend in Europe to buy him the works of Cicero.
In 1815,
Jefferson had sold his library to the U.S. government, providing the
foundation for the Library of Congress. But almost immediately, the
man who wrote “I cannot live without books” started buying
more of them to form a second library at Monticello.
Here,
writing to George Ticknor, an American scholar in Paris, Jefferson asks
him particularly to get several translations of Cicero, an author whose
republican principles the former President greatly admired. Jefferson
explains, “I wrote you a long letter on the 14th inst. and
as it went by duplicates thro good channels, I am sure you will get
it. but a gentleman going from hence to Paris direct, which he will
probably reach before either of the other channels of conveyance, I
will repeat from that letter but a single article, the request to add
to the catalogue I formerly troubled you with, the underwritten books.
referring therefore to that letter, I repeat the assurances of my friendly
esteem and respect.” He has signed, “Th Jefferson,”
and then below this, has written out the titles and editions of the
works he desires: “Oeuvres Philosophiques de Ciceron. 10.
vols...Paris. 1796. this contains the translations of Durand, Desmarais,
d’Olivet, Bouhier, Morabin & Barrett. Lettres familieres de
Ciceron par Prevost....Paris 1800.1. Lettres de Ciceron et de Brutus...par
Prevost. Lettres de Ciceron à Atticus...par Mongault. Fleschior
in his Annuaire de la librairie of about 8. or 10. years ago, in announcing
Goujon’s edition of Prevost’s Lettres familieres de Ciceron,
says that a like edition of all the other letters was then
in hand, which have doubtless appeared long since.”
George
Ticknor (1791-1871), Jefferson’s correspondent here, had an interesting
connection to both of Jefferson’s libraries. Later a professor
at Harvard and a pioneer in Hispanic studies, Ticknor visited Jefferson
at Monticello in February 1815, arriving with a letter of introduction
from John Adams. During the three-day visit, Jefferson received word
that his offer to sell his library to Congress had been officially approved,
making Ticknor among the last to see the first library in place at Monticello.
Upon learning that Ticknor was about to leave for study in Europe, Jefferson
supplied him with letters of introduction to Lafayette, Du Pont de Nemours,
Jean-Baptiste Say, and others. Ticknor, in turn, offered to help Jefferson
replace some of the “literary treasures” he was giving up
by purchasing new copies for him on the continent. Jefferson accepted
the offer, and Ticknor would prove especially important in securing
for Jefferson works in the classics, “which actually provided
his major literary ‘amusement’ in old age” (Malone,
Jefferson and His Time, volume 6, page 189). Jefferson later
described Ticknor as the best “bibliograph” he had encountered,
and kept up a correspondence with him until his death.
Jefferson
had first sent Ticknor his long “catalogue” of the books
he wanted him to purchase in Europe back on 4 July 1815. In his letter
of 14 January 1816, which Jefferson mentions here, he had added to his
list of wants these translations of Cicero, explaining, “you know
in how defective and deformed a state his philosophical writings especially
have come down to us....the corruptions of the text render the sentiment
often indecypherable. translations aid us with the conjectures of those
who have made it a particular business to study the subject and it’s
text.” (This quote is taken from Jefferson’s retained copy
of his 14 January 1816 letter, to be found in the online edition of
The Thomas Jefferson Papers at The Library of Congress. No retained
copy of the letter offered here is recorded in those Papers.)
The letter is
in fine, fresh condition. The address leaf, which is addressed in Jefferson’s
hand, is neatly inlaid; it has slight soiling and neat repairs to small
seal tears.
For information
on Jefferson’s library, see Dumas Malone, Jefferson and His
Time, volume 6, especially chapters 12 and 13. For information
on George Ticknor, see the profiles of him in American National
Biography and in The Dictionary of American Biography
and the references to him in Malone, volume 6, passim. $25,000.00
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