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| from mythofsisyphus.net |
You may not realize that Thomas Jefferson and I have a lot, or indeed anything, in common.
But honestly, we’re practically soulmates.
We both lived in the rolling countryside of Virginia (he had a plantation and I lived in a subdivision).
We both love the University of Virginia (he founded it and I was rejected from it, after attending some great parties and deciding they should accept me despite my lackluster grades.)
And, most importantly, we both have a book problem. In Jefferson’s case he never met a book he didn’t like.
According to James Gilreath and Douglas Wilson, by 1783 Jefferson had amassed a collection of 2640 books for his library. He did this despite the lack of Amazon, Barnes & Noble or reliable transportation to the mall. He also managed not to be sidetracked from his book quest by the Revolutionary War.
I’m guessing that Jefferson must have had a slave, or two, dedicated to the job of organizing and dusting his books because I learned a long time ago that owning too many books creates clutter that is hard to clean around. Since I don’t have slaves (expect my daughter, in her humble opinion) I reserve my book obsession to the library (with only a bookshelf, attic and barn for books I just have to own).
When Jefferson set sail for France, in 1784, to represent America, it was like sending the fox into the chicken coop. Jefferson bought books everywhere he went, stalked Parisian bookshops, and devoted his time away from politics to placing book orders in literary capitals across Europe. By the time he got back to America in 1789 his library had doubled.
Just because America was young, didn’t mean you couldn’t still spend money of things you didn’t need and, in Jefferson case, it was more books. By 1814 Jefferson lorded over a library of 6, 700 books and he loved them all. He took great pride in his ability to choose the books that would be instrumental in building a collection that would be the best in America.
Just when Jefferson was beginning to consider the fact that 6,700 book might be a little over the top for a private library, the British invaded Washington, D.C and burned down America’s Capital building, including the congressional library.
Jefferson, alarmed at the idea of men running the country without access to great books, offered his Monticello collection to the Government to restart their library. Congress argued over, but eventually made the decision to, buy Jefferson’s collection for the whopping sum of $23,950 which helped Jefferson to repay some of the enormous debts he had acquired while shopping for furnishings, art and books in Europe. Unfortunately, he needed to sell a few libraries in order to move his finances into the black.
You can judge a person by how they organize their books. Mine are jammed into any shelf they fit into, vertically and horizontally. Calvin and Hobbes are neighbors with Bansky and Wicked. When anyone in our family needs a book, they stand in front of the shelf visualizing where they last saw the spine and scan the titles until it appears, or they give up and go to the library to check it out.
Jefferson was meticulous about cataloguing his books (I didn’t think obsessive compulsive sounded very respectful). He used a system based on Francis Bacon’s famous scheme that divided all books into categories, divisions and chapters, eventually creating 44 chapters that could encompass the world’s knowledge. Jefferson painstakingly organized his books into each chapter and then, within the chapter, ordered books based on personal criteria and judgement of importance.
When the books were transferred to Washington, D.C, George Watterston, the Librarian of Congress agreed to keep Jefferson’s categories but decided to alphabetized the books within each chapter - Jefferson took this as an intellectual afront. A century and a half later, Jefferson’s library was rearranged back to what scholars believe to be his original plan - however we will never really know how it was set up because Watterston TOOK Jefferson's catalogue with him when he left his position at the Library of Congress, it seems he was confused about what was his personal property.
I love that books were floating around Jefferson’s mind as he wrote the Declaration of Independence, governed the state of Virginia, served as a diplomat and was the Vice President and President of our country. I can imagine him scrambling to pack books in Richmond as the British closed in or taking a break from meetings in Paris to nip down to the bookshop for the latest treasure. Books were a constant and central part of his life.
Our country was founded by Thomas Jefferson, his ideas, values and beliefs. And, in turn, Thomas Jefferson was shaped and formed by his books. When we remember our Jefferson and out founding fathers we should recall not only their dignified, noble faces but brimming bookshelves behind them.
But honestly, we’re practically soulmates.
We both lived in the rolling countryside of Virginia (he had a plantation and I lived in a subdivision).
We both love the University of Virginia (he founded it and I was rejected from it, after attending some great parties and deciding they should accept me despite my lackluster grades.)
And, most importantly, we both have a book problem. In Jefferson’s case he never met a book he didn’t like.
According to James Gilreath and Douglas Wilson, by 1783 Jefferson had amassed a collection of 2640 books for his library. He did this despite the lack of Amazon, Barnes & Noble or reliable transportation to the mall. He also managed not to be sidetracked from his book quest by the Revolutionary War.
I’m guessing that Jefferson must have had a slave, or two, dedicated to the job of organizing and dusting his books because I learned a long time ago that owning too many books creates clutter that is hard to clean around. Since I don’t have slaves (expect my daughter, in her humble opinion) I reserve my book obsession to the library (with only a bookshelf, attic and barn for books I just have to own).
When Jefferson set sail for France, in 1784, to represent America, it was like sending the fox into the chicken coop. Jefferson bought books everywhere he went, stalked Parisian bookshops, and devoted his time away from politics to placing book orders in literary capitals across Europe. By the time he got back to America in 1789 his library had doubled.
Just because America was young, didn’t mean you couldn’t still spend money of things you didn’t need and, in Jefferson case, it was more books. By 1814 Jefferson lorded over a library of 6, 700 books and he loved them all. He took great pride in his ability to choose the books that would be instrumental in building a collection that would be the best in America.
Just when Jefferson was beginning to consider the fact that 6,700 book might be a little over the top for a private library, the British invaded Washington, D.C and burned down America’s Capital building, including the congressional library.
Jefferson, alarmed at the idea of men running the country without access to great books, offered his Monticello collection to the Government to restart their library. Congress argued over, but eventually made the decision to, buy Jefferson’s collection for the whopping sum of $23,950 which helped Jefferson to repay some of the enormous debts he had acquired while shopping for furnishings, art and books in Europe. Unfortunately, he needed to sell a few libraries in order to move his finances into the black.
You can judge a person by how they organize their books. Mine are jammed into any shelf they fit into, vertically and horizontally. Calvin and Hobbes are neighbors with Bansky and Wicked. When anyone in our family needs a book, they stand in front of the shelf visualizing where they last saw the spine and scan the titles until it appears, or they give up and go to the library to check it out.
Jefferson was meticulous about cataloguing his books (I didn’t think obsessive compulsive sounded very respectful). He used a system based on Francis Bacon’s famous scheme that divided all books into categories, divisions and chapters, eventually creating 44 chapters that could encompass the world’s knowledge. Jefferson painstakingly organized his books into each chapter and then, within the chapter, ordered books based on personal criteria and judgement of importance.
When the books were transferred to Washington, D.C, George Watterston, the Librarian of Congress agreed to keep Jefferson’s categories but decided to alphabetized the books within each chapter - Jefferson took this as an intellectual afront. A century and a half later, Jefferson’s library was rearranged back to what scholars believe to be his original plan - however we will never really know how it was set up because Watterston TOOK Jefferson's catalogue with him when he left his position at the Library of Congress, it seems he was confused about what was his personal property.
I love that books were floating around Jefferson’s mind as he wrote the Declaration of Independence, governed the state of Virginia, served as a diplomat and was the Vice President and President of our country. I can imagine him scrambling to pack books in Richmond as the British closed in or taking a break from meetings in Paris to nip down to the bookshop for the latest treasure. Books were a constant and central part of his life.
Our country was founded by Thomas Jefferson, his ideas, values and beliefs. And, in turn, Thomas Jefferson was shaped and formed by his books. When we remember our Jefferson and out founding fathers we should recall not only their dignified, noble faces but brimming bookshelves behind them.
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