View Room PanoramaDimensions: 14' 10"x 15' 3" (with an annex 10' 10" x 10' 1"); ceiling 10' 0"
Order: Tuscan
Color: There is evidence that this space was originally wallpapered; today painted oyster white
Thomas Jefferson was instrumental in rebuilding the Library of Congress when he sold the bulk of his book collection to the United States government in 1815.
Jefferson's interest in the geography of North America doubtlessly came from his father Peter Jefferson, who employed himself as a surveyor of boundaries and maker of maps from 1745 to 1750.
Barton, Benjamin Smith.Elements of Botany; or, Outlines of the Natural History of Vegetables (Philadelphia, 1803).
Kelly, Patrick.A Practical Introduction to Spherics and Nautical Astronomy; being an attempt to simplify those.sciences. Containing.the discovery of a projection for clearing the lunar distances in order to find the longitude at sea. (London, 1796).
Theatrvm Orbis Terrarvm by Abraham Ortelius (1752-1598).The American Atlas: or, A Geographical Description of the Whole Continent of America: wherein are delineated at large, its several Regions, Countries, States, and Islands; and chiefly the British Colonies, composed from numerous Surveys, several of which were made by Order of Government by Thomas Jefferys. [1787]
By Ann Lucas Birle and Endrina Tay
Last week, we had the privilege of being the first Monticello staff to set eyes on the more than 70 Jefferson books that we recently discovered at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL). We flew to St. Louis early on Valentine’s Day on February 14 to see firsthand the volumes Jefferson once owned in his library at Monticello during his retirement.
The cumulative index is the most up-to-date version, superseding those found in the print volumes. The abbreviation "TJ" stands for Thomas Jefferson. Cross references are hyperlinked to main entries and relevant subentries. This index only provides references to pages in the published volumes.
1800. "we wish to establish in the upper & healthier country, & more centrally for the state an University on a plan so broad & liberal & modern, as to be worth patronising with the public support, and be a temptation to the youth of other states to come, and drink of the cup of knolege & fraternize with us."[1]
Footnotes1. Jefferson to Joseph Priestley, January 18, 1800, in PTJ, 31:320.
The Library welcomes reference inquiries from Foundation staff and the general public regarding the life, times, and legacy of Thomas Jefferson and the Monticello plantation. There is a great deal of information available on our Web site as well, and we encourage you to explore the links below to find your way to the information you need.
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