Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - March - 2003 Issue
Thomas Jefferson: An Exhibition on the Library of Congress Website
"Time wastes too fast…” Poem hand copied, first part by wife Martha, second by Jefferson himself, as she lay dying.courtesy of LOC
You will also discover a comparable dedication to freedom of the press. There are letters written by Jefferson, who was stationed in France as the new country’s representative during the writing of the Constitution. Included are his objections to the absence of a Bill of Rights in an earlier draft. Where would we be today without the Bill of Rights? And what would this country be like if Jefferson had given in to ridicule and not purchased Louisiana (which went all the way to Montana in those days)? If Jefferson is now a somewhat tarnished icon, this exhibition clearly shows why he became an icon in the first place.
If you dig deeply enough into this exhibit, you will also see a deeply human side to this man. There is an image of a poem hand copied by Jefferson and his wife as she lay on her deathbed. If this doesn’t touch you, regardless of your feelings about Jefferson, then like the Tin Man you undoubtedly have no heart.
Jefferson’s incredibly diverse talents, contributions to his country, and his weaknesses are all described in the introduction to this exhibition. He was a “founding father, farmer, architect, inventor, slaveholder, book collector, scholar, diplomat, and the third president of the United States.” Then again, we knew all of this. Or did we? Book collector? That’s one they forgot to mention in grade school. Thomas Jefferson was indeed a book collector, perhaps the most important of his time. At one point most of the books in the Library of Congress came from Jefferson’s personal collection. This is one side of Jefferson that gets little play in the press these days.
According to the exhibition, in 1814 Jefferson possessed the largest personal collection of books in the United States. That was when the British burned the nation’s capitol, including Congress’ library, in the waning stages of the War of 1812. Jefferson then offered his library, 6,487 volumes strong, to Congress as a replacement. Ultimately, Congress purchased the collection for $23,950. Unfortunately, almost two-thirds of the collection was destroyed in a fire in 1851.
The Library of Congress’ online Thomas Jefferson Exhibition is well worth a few moments, or more, of your time. The seasoned Jefferson scholar may not learn much new, but will be in awe of the documents that are on display. The less knowledgeable history buff will enjoy the opportunity to learn more about Jefferson through his own words and documents, and letters of his contemporaries.
The exhibition is broken into eight sections. Each covers a period or aspect of his life. Book collectors will be particularly interested in “Jefferson’s Library.” Each section contains many images of letters, documents, portraits or other material, along with a one-paragraph description of each. You can read them all (recommended), but you can also pick out the ones that interest you most if you’re an internet surfer with no time to spare. Each description is a mini-lesson in history, and if all you’ve heard lately about Thomas Jefferson are his faults, you may come away remembering why you admired him as a child.
To visit the Library of Congress’ online Thomas Jefferson exhibition, click the following link: www.loc.gov/exhibits/Jefferson
