Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 98
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3
World Class Thomas Jefferson corrected LS, waxing poetic on book collecting and scientific knowledge outside our borders: "To prohibit us from the benefit of foreign light, is to consign us to long darkness"
World Class Thomas Jefferson corrected LS, waxing poetic on book collecting and scientific knowledge outside our borders: "To prohibit us from the benefit of foreign light, is to consign us to long darkness"
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3
Description:

Jefferson Thomas
World Class Thomas Jefferson corrected LS, waxing poetic on book collecting and scientific knowledge outside our borders: "To prohibit us from the benefit of foreign light, is to consign us to long darkness"

Single page LS, heavily scripted on both recto and verso, 8" x 9.75". Dated "Sep 28, 1821" and written from Jefferson's home in Monticello, his primary plantation. Contains annotations in Jefferson's hand, in addition to being boldly and cleanly signed by him as "Th Jefferson". Age toned with occasional light, scattered handling marks. Professional conservation repair to minor separations at folds and tiny pin holes of paper loss. Near fine condition.


A fantastic published letter, written to "Dr. Samuel Brown", the first professor of medicine west of the Alleghenies, at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. Jefferson's letter boasts wonderful revealing content just perfect for a bibliophile. Includes annotations and a well defined signature by Thomas Jefferson. His letter dated 1821 is in dispute of the high tariffs placed on foreign imports, which originally were well intentioned by the government to encourage domestic manufacturing, however they have now become a double edged sword. Jefferson lobbies for a review of several specific import tariffs including those on imported books, citing this added expense was detrimental to our schools and prohibited the abilities of our students to afford books: "Among other articles then selected were books, on the importation of which a duty of fifteen per cent. was imposed, which, by ordinary custom-house charges, amount to about eighteen per cent, and adding the importing bookseller’s profit on this, becomes about twenty-seven per cent. This was useful at first, perhaps, towards exciting our printers to make a beginning in that business here. But it is found in experience that the home demand is not sufficient to justify the reprinting any but the most popular English works, and cheap editions of a few of the classics for schools. For the editions of value, enriched by notes, commentaries, etc., and for books in foreign living languages, the demand here is too small and sparse to reimburse the expense of re-printing them. None of these, therefore, are printed here, and the duty on them becomes consequently not a protecting, but really a prohibitory one. It makes a very serious addition to the price of the book, and falls chiefly on a description of persons little able to meet it. Students who are destined for professional callings, as must of our scholars are, are barely able for the most part to meet the expenses of tuition. The addition of eighteen or twenty-seven per cent. on the books necessary for their instruction, amounts often to a prohibition as to them."


But perhaps Jefferson's most eloquent and thought provoking comment which championed his cause was to employ wonderful prose in pursuit of empathy, to promote our "infant country's" ability to access knowledge and research, the seed of which would allow our budding scholars to use for advancement of ideas, progress, preservation and growth -- a benefit to all:


"Of many important books of reference there is not perhaps a single copy in the United States ; of others but a few, and these too distant often to be accessible to scholars generally. Science is more important in a republican than in any other government. And in an infant country like ours, we must much depend for improvement on the science of other countries, longer established, possessing better means, and more advanced than we are. To prohibit us from the benefit of foreign light, is to consign us to long darkness. … A conviction that science is important to the preservation of our republican government, and that it is also essential to its protection against foreign power …"


This phenomenal letter includes several words of annotations by Jefferson "Transylvania", "important", "essential", "-tec" all of which can clearly be observed on the verso of the letter.


Jefferson, hungry for his own knowledge, development and growth, amassed an enormous personal collection of books over his life. When his family home Shadwell burned in 1770 Jefferson most lamented the loss of his books. 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. Jefferson's library went through several stages, but it was always critically important to him. Books provided the little traveled Jefferson with a broader knowledge of the contemporary and ancient worlds than most contemporaries of broader personal experience. By 1814 when the British burned the nation's Capitol and the Library of Congress, Jefferson had acquired the largest personal collection of books in the United States. Jefferson offered to sell his library of about 10,000 volumes of books to Congress as a replacement for the collection destroyed by the British during the War of 1812. Congress purchased Jefferson's library for $23,950 in 1815. At the time Jefferson promised to accept any price set by Congress, commenting that “I do not know that it contains any branch of science which Congress would wish to exclude from this collection . . . there is in fact no subject to which a member of Congress may not have occasion to refer.”


An exceptional letter and one which transverses to the very core of Jefferson's passion! Inclusive with this letter is a memo from "The Papers of Thomas Jefferson" stating: Jefferson ordinarily wrote his letters in his own hand and made polygraph copies to retain in his own files. This letter however was a circular. Since a draft rather than the usual polygraph copy reposes among his papers in the Library of Congress, in this case Jefferson evidentially prepared a draft, revised it, and had Nicholas Trist (who was married to one of his granddaughters), make a clean copy. Jefferson signed the text, and sent it to Brown.


His letter, in its entirety, can be seen below:


"Monticello, Sep 28, 1821.

SIR


The government of the United States, at a very early period, when establishing its tariff on foreign importations, were very much guided in their selection of objects by a desire to encourage manufactures within ourselves. Among other articles then selected were books, on the importation of which a duty of fifteen per cent. was imposed, which, by ordinary custom-house charges, amount to about eighteen per cent., and adding the importing bookseller’s profit on this, becomes about twenty-seven per cent. This was useful at first, perhaps, towards exciting our printers to make a beginning in that business here. But it is found in experience that the home demand is not sufficient to justify the reprinting any but the most popular English works, and cheap editions of a few of the classics for schools. For the editions of value, enriched by notes, commentaries, etc., and for books in foreign living languages, the demand here is too small and sparse to reimburse the expense of re-printing them. None of these, therefore, are printed here, and the duty on them becomes consequently not a protecting, but really a prohibitory one. It makes a very serious addition to the price of the book, and falls chiefly on a description of persons little able to meet it. Students who are destined for professional callings, as must of our scholars are, are barely able for the most part to meet the expenses of tuition. The addition of eighteen or twenty-seven per cent. on the books necessary for their instruction, amounts often to a prohibition as to them. For want of these aids, which are open to the students of all other nations but our own, they enter on their course on a very unequal footing with those of the same professions in foreign countries, and our citizens at large, too, who employ them, do not derive from that employment all the benefit which higher qualifications would give them. It is true that no duty is required on books imported for seminaries of learning, but these, locked up in libraries, can be of no avail to the practical man when he wishes a recurrence to them for the uses of life. Of many important books of reference there is not perhaps a single copy in the United States ; of others but a few, and these too distant often to be accessible to scholars generally. It is believed, therefore, that if the attention of Congress could be drawn to this article, they would, in their wisdom, see its impolicy. Science is more important in a republican than in any other government. And in an infant country like ours, we must much depend for improvement on the science of other countries, longer established, possessing better means, and more advanced than we are. To prohibit us from the benefit of foreign light, is to consign us to long darkness.


The Northern seminaries following with parental solicitude the interests of their lives in the course for which they have prepared them, propose to petition Congress on this subject, and wish for the cooperation of those of the South and West, and I have been requested, as more convenient in position than they are, to solicit that cooperation. Having no personal acquaintance with those who are charged with the direction of the college of ----, I do not know how more effectually to communicate these views to them, than by availing myself of the knowledge I have of your zeal for the happiness and improvement of our country. I take the liberty, therefore, of requesting you to place the subject before the proper authorities of that institution, and if they approve the measure, to solicit a concurrent proceeding on their part to carry it into effect. Besides petitioning Congress, I would propose that they address in their corporate capacity, a letter to their delegates and Senators in Congress, soliciting their best endeavors to obtain the repeal of the duty on imported books. I cannot but suppose that such an application will be respected by them, and will engage their votes and endeavors to effect an object so reasonable. A conviction that science is important to the preservation of our republican government, and that it is also essential to its protection against foreign power, induces me, on this occasion, to step beyond the limits of that retirement to which age and inclination equally dispose me, and I am without a doubt that the same considerations will induce you to excuse the trouble I propose to you, and that you will kindly accept the assurance of my high respect and esteem."


WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!
Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. ***PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SHIPMENT TO BE SENT TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN THE ONE YOU HAVE ON FILE WITH INVALUABLE, YOU WILL NEED TO INFORM US OF THIS AS SOON AS PAYMENT IS SUBMITTED FOR YOUR WINNINGS*** Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

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