About this Item
Mixed set. 8vos. Three matching Volumes (II, III,IV) in ORIGINAL BOARDS* (light blue boards with remnants of paper labels to all spines). Text blocks measure 9 in. x 6 in. Name of previous owner (?? Armstrong), in pencil, to several of the title pages. The non-matchng volume, No. I ,in cocked leather boards (tree calf) with two contrasting labels to spine - red for the title, black for the Volume number. Each "compartment" of spine (no raised hubs) is double ruled in gilt, and title lettering is gilt as well. Textblock of this Volume I, trimmed by the binder, measures 8 5/8 in. x 5 1/4 in.) Thus on the shelf, the three volumes in original boards measure 1/2 in. taller and 1/2 in. wider than the leatherbound Vol. I. First edition of first collection of Jefferson's writings. One of three recommended bibliographic sources, the Encyclopedia Britannica (14th) says 'All these overlap, none is exhaustive. a great body of mss. remains unprinted'. True first editions, all with Charlottesville imprints. Just a handful or less of instances of bracketing in light pencil. Still tightly bound. Pages bright with no foxing to text area. Several pages show browning to outer fore-edge. Front hinges loose to Volume IV and rear hinge to Volume II, and one blank endpaper detached and present. The three matching volumes show light toning throughout, and the leatherbound volume (Volume I) shows scattered foxing throughout, but does not at all obscure easy reading of text. Frontis portrait of Jefferson present in Volume IV, as is the foldout facsimile draft of the"Declaration by the Representatives of the United States of America, in general congress assembled". Thomas Jefferson Randolph was the eldest grandson of President Thomas Jefferson, who helped manage Monticello near the end of his grandfather's life and was executor of his estate. Because the estate was heavily encumbered by debt, Randolph ordered the sale of Monticello goods and property, including the 130 slaves. His mother withheld Sally Hemings from the auction and gave her time, which informally allowed her to live freely in Charlottesville, Virginia with her two younger sons. Jefferson had formally freed Madison and Eston in his will, after allowing their older brother and sister to escape in 1822; the four Hemings were the only complete slave family to go free from Monticello. NOTE: *Original Boards refers to the original printed manuscript, bound into and protected by heavy cardboard "boards", often light blue in color, over a darker clothlike binding. These were temporary only because many readers and collectors chose to have their own binding created for their books. Like most others, the textblocks of these temporary arrangements had wide margins to allow the rebinder lots of room to trim the book to match available bindings. "In 1786, Jefferson wrote to a colleague about public education: "No other sure foundation can be devised for the preservation of freedom, and happiness…. Preach, my dear Sir, a crusade against ignorance; establish and improve the law for educating the common people. Let our countrymen know that the people alone can protect us against [the evils of "kings, nobles and priests"], and that the tax which will be paid for this purpose is not more than the thousandth part of what will be paid to kings, priests and nobles who will rise up among us if we leave the people in ignorance.". Seller Inventory # 84687
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