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Lot 31
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Jefferson’s Owned & Signed 6 Vol. Set of Cicero’s Orations, Used to Write Declaration Of Independence, With 1829 Auction Catalog & Bill Where It Last Sold!!
Jefferson’s Owned & Signed 6 Vol. Set of Cicero’s Orations, Used to Write Declaration Of Independence, With 1829 Auction Catalog & Bill Where It Last Sold!!
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Description:

Thomas Jefferson
Amsterdam, NL, ca. 1695-1699
Jefferson's Owned & Signed 6 Vol. Set of Cicero's Orations, Used to Write Declaration Of Independence, With 1829 Auction Catalog & Bill Where It Last Sold!!
Signed book

[THOMAS JEFFERSON.] Marcus Tullius Cicero, M. Tullii Ciceronis Orationes, Ex recensione Ioannis Georgii Graevii Cum ejusdem animadversionibus, Et notis integris Francisci Hottomanni, Dionysii Lambini, Fulvii Ursini, Paulii Manutii ac selectis aliorum. Ut & Q. Asconio Pediano, & Anonymo Scholiaste,. 3 vols. in 6 parts. Amsterdam: Ex Typographia P. & I. Blaeu, 1695-1699. 6,269 pp., 5.5" x 8.5". In Latin. Each pair of volumes is in custom marbled paper-covered slipcases. Typical toning to contents; title page absent in vol. 3; some major staining to preliminary leaves of final volume; skilled paper restoration along the fore-edge of the engraved title, not affecting the image, and the margin of pp. 143-144; typed provenance statement affixed to front pastedown in the first volume; mid-twentieth-century restoration to the period calf bindings, which were rebacked with the remnants of the original spine laid down; joints expertly repaired with kozo paper.

6 signed and owned volumes by Thomas Jefferson of a work most influential in writing the Declaration of Independence. One the market today Jefferson books are arguably the most coveted by collectors of Presidential signed or owned books. In fact currently for sale by dealers one can find only 3 offered which were owned and signed the same way. The first is a relatively boring law book offered at $87,500, the second a dictionary at $80,000 and lastly a Greek exercise book at $75,000. None of these can even come close to only each volume in this set and would seem to justify a price of $480,000 for the set.

Many of the Founding Fathers admired Cicero because he opposed the rule of one man and was a self-described constitutionalist. Among the Founders, few revered him as much as Thomas Jefferson, who described Cicero as "the father of eloquence and philosophy." Jefferson owned and certainly loved this set of volumes of Cicero's Orations, which had been published a century earlier in Amsterdam.

In 1798, Jefferson included Cicero's Orations in a list that he sent to a student at the College of William & Mary who had asked him about a course of reading. Writing to fellow former president John Adams in 1814, Jefferson complained of Plato's Republic as "such nonsense as this," and wondered "how could Cicero bestow such eulogies on Plato? altho' Cicero did not wield the dense logic of Demosthenes, yet he was able, learned, laborious, practised in the business of the world, & honest. he could not be the dupe of mere style, of which he was himself the first master in the world." That same year, Jefferson resurrected advice he had first given in the early 1770s to a young friend seeking reading advice, again explicitly recommending Cicero: "read the Orations of Demosthenes & Cicero. analyse these orations, and examine the correctness of the disposition, language, figures, states of the cases, arguments Etc."

Thomas Jefferson was deeply influenced by Cicero in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. In 1825, Jefferson described the Declaration as "an expression of the American mind," which rested on the sentiments of the day, including the "elementary books of public right, as Aristotle, Cicero, Locke, Sidney, etc." John Locke and Algernon Sidney themselves admired, relied on, and borrowed from Cicero. He was the inspiration for those who espoused the liberal principles of natural rights, constitutional government bound by a higher law, and separation of powers.

In each volume of this set, Jefferson added a "T" on the "I" gathering and a "J" on the "T" gathering as marks of ownership. Publishers used these letters on the first page of each gathering to aid binders in placing the gatherings in proper order. Printers of early modern books typically used a 23-letter alphabet, treating I/J as one letter, U/V as one letter, and omitting W. Thus, by adding a "T" before the "I (J)" and a "J" after the "T" in their respective gatherings, Jefferson could cleverly add his initials unobtrusively to the volumes.

The handwritten account of Lewis Henry Machen's purchases from the Auction of Jefferson's Library in February 1829, a copy received from the Library of Congress include these very volumes for which was paid the ungodly sum of $25 at the time. Notations on that account indicate that he purchased some additional volumes but none for as much as Cicero, his most expensive purchase. An 6 volumne set cost $15 and even 5 volumes of Homer was $11.75, less than half the price of Cicero.The first volume includes a notation on the first leaf that it is "From the library of Thomas Jefferson," purportedly in Machen's handwriting. The catalogue for the sale of Jefferson's library includes these volumes (Lot no. 814), and a typewritten "Catalogue of the Library of L. H. Machen" includes these volumes (no. 392) with the notation, "From the library of Thos. Jefferson." The actual Facsimile catalog from Clements library is included with these books

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC – 46 BC) was born in Arpinium, approximately 60 miles southeast of Roma. His poor health led him to study extensively. Beginning at age 15, he served under Generals Pompey Strabo and Sulla, and he began studying oratory. Educated in ancient Greek philosophy, poetry, and history, he obtained an understanding of the Greek theory and practice of oratory. He began translating Greek works into Latin for a larger audience. He studied law in Rome and began to develop a reputation in the Roman courts before traveling to Greece in 79 BC, where he studied philosophy and met leading orators. In 75 BC he served as quaestor in Sicily, and in 70 BC, he began a successful high-profile prosecution of the Sicilian province's governor for abuse of power and corruption. His performance in this case led many to consider him the greatest orator in Rome. A strong advocate of the constitution and the Roman Republic, Cicero rose through a series of offices to the position of consul in 63 BC. He thwarted a conspiracy by Lucius Sergius Catilina to overthrow the Roman Republic. He rejected an invitation from Julius Caesar to join what eventually became the First Triumvirate, fearing it would undermine the Republic. When the government turned against him, he went into exile at Thessalonica in 58 BC. The Senate voted to recall him from exile in 57 BC, and he returned to Rome. After modest attempts to oppose the Triumvirate, Cicero recanted and supported them for fear of being excluded from public life. He turned to his legal and literary work but was forced to defend some of his former enemies, calling into question his integrity. In 51-50 BC, he served as proconsul of Cilicia in Asia Minor, successfully thwarting Parthian incursions. He returned to Rome early in 49 BC during the conflict between Julius Caesar and Pompey. After the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, Cicero supported Octavian as Caesar's heir but opposed Mark Antony, whom he urged the Senate to name an enemy of the state. When Octavian and Mark Anthony reconciled and formed the Second Triumvirate with Lepidus, Cicero became an enemy of the state, and Antony's soldiers assassinated him as he tried to leave for Macedonia. Ultimately, Cicero is considered second only to Demosthenes among the greatest orators of history. He greatly influenced both the ancient and modern reception of Latin through his many works.

Provenance:
- Thomas Jefferson
- February 27, 1829: Lewis Henry Machen (1790-1863), a clerk of the United States Senate and farmer in Fairfax County, Virginia, purchased these volumes and several others at the 1829 Nathaniel Poor auction of Thomas Jefferson's retirement library (lot 814). Machen rescued the records of the U.S. Senate when the British burned much of Washington, D.C., during the War of 1812.
- Descendants of Lewis Henry Machen
- University Archives Auction

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 5.5" x 8.5"
  • Medium: Signed book

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000