What happened to the thousands of books Thomas Jefferson had in his Virginia mansion Monticello?
What happened to the thousands of books Thomas Jefferson had in his Virginia mansion Monticello?
In the midst of the American Revolution and while United States minister to France in the 1780s, Jefferson acquired thousands of books for his library at Monticello. A second fire on Christmas Eve of 1851, destroyed nearly two thirds of the 6,487 volumes Congress had purchased from Jefferson.
What were the three main categories of books in Jefferson’s library?
The books were divided into categories of “Memory,” “Reason,” and “Imagination”—which Jefferson interpreted as “History,” “Philosophy,” and “Fine Arts”—and further divided into forty-four “chapters.” Included in this re-creation are 2,000 volumes from the original Jefferson Collection—survivors of fire and time.
How many books did Jefferson give to the Library of Congress?
6,487 books
Congress accepted Jefferson’s offer to sell his comprehensive personal library of 6,487 books to “recommence” its own library. Jefferson’s concept of universality is the rationale for the comprehensive collecting policies of today’s Library of Congress.
Why was the Library of Congress burned?
On the evening of August 24, 1814, during the second year of the War of 1812, British forces under orders from Rear Admiral George Cockburn and Major General Robert Ross set fire to the unfinished United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. The British also torched other public buildings in the capital city in …
What happened to Jefferson’s books after he sold them?
In 1815, Jefferson sold his 6,500-volume library to Congress to replace the one that was destroyed when the British burned the U.S. Capitol on August 24, 1814. He then replenished his personal supply of books by building a smaller collection that reflected his retirement interests.
Did Thomas Jefferson found the Library of Congress?
Thomas Jefferson was instrumental in rebuilding the Library of Congress when he sold the bulk of his book collection to the United States government in 1815. During the War of 1812, British forces entered Washington, D.C., burning the Capitol building and the 3,000-volume library inside it.
Did Thomas Jefferson start the Library of Congress?
The Library of Congress has been shaped primarily by the philosophy and ideas of its principal founder, Thomas Jefferson, who believed that a democratic legislature needed information and ideas in all subjects to do its work.
Which president personally fought a fire at the Library of Congress?
On this day in 1851, a fire sweeps through the Library of Congress and destroys two-thirds of Thomas Jefferson’s personal literary collection.
Was Thomas Jefferson obsessed with books?
To the man who had authored the Declaration of Independence and the Virginia Statute for Establishing Religious Freedom and founded the University of Virginia, books and reading were “a necessary of life.” Jefferson relied on his books as his chief source of inspiration and practical knowledge, and believed that …
What happened to Thomas Jefferson’s first library?
The Leavitt Catalogue was transcribed by John R. Barden in 1999, and edited by Thomas Baughn for this project and is available here. Jefferson inherited his first library from his father, Peter Jefferson, when the latter died in 1757. On 1 February 1770, a fire destroyed almost all of the books at Jefferson’s home in Shadwell.
How many books were destroyed in the Jeffersonian era?
Since 1998, Dimunation, the rare-books and special collections curator for the Library of Congress, has guided a slow-moving, yet successful search for the 4,324 Jefferson titles that were destroyed. The result of his labor thus far is on view at the library in the Jefferson Collection Exhibition.
What happened to Thomas Jefferson’s secret Bible?
That practice ended once the government-sponsored printing ran out, but in the 1990s, economist Judd W. Patton revived the tradition, and began mailing it to each member of Congress. Today, Jefferson’s secret Bible is held by the Smithsonian Institution, which has digitized the book for anyone to read.
How did Cyrus Adler find Thomas Jefferson’s Bible?
But in the 1880s, a Johns Hopkins University student, Cyrus Adler, found the cut-up books in a private library. When he learned they were Jefferson’s, he began a search for the book they became. In 1895, Adler finally got access to Jefferson’s Bible.
