de Bure Frères to Thomas Jefferson, 24 August 1821
From de Bure Frères
paris ce 24 aoust 1821.
Monsieur
nous n’avons reçu que le 24 juillet dernier le duplicata de la lettre que vous nous avez fait l’honneur de nous ecrire le 19 avril, la premiere lettre ne nous est point parvenue.
nous nous sommes occuppés, Monsieur, aussitot de votre commission, et nous avons l’honneur de vous annoncer que nous avons adressé aujourdhui a M Beaslie consul americain au havre une caisse bien emballée, qui contient les livres dont nous vous donnons ici le detail. nous nous sommes depechés pour cette expedition, afin qu’elle puisse partir encore dans la bonne saison, nous esperons qu’elle vous parviendra en aussi bon etat que les precedentes.
nous n’avons pas encore pu vous mettre cette année le Dion Cassius de Sturz, ce livre ne paroit point nous avons reçu encore tout recemment un envoi de Leipsick, ou nous l’avions demandé, et notre correspondant nous dit qu’on ne sait point quand il sera publié. vous pouvez compter, Monsieur, que nous mettrons le plus grand Soin a vous L’avoir des qu’il paroitra. le Recueil des Edifices par Durand, que vous demandez, se compose de 90 planches forme d’atlas qui se vendent 180 francs, vous verrez si vous desirez cet ouvrage l’année prochaine.
nous n’avons pas pu trouver les articles1 suivants.
theocritus 1699, nous n’en trouvons ici qu’un Exemplaire au quel il manquait les notes, nous le trouverons dans le courant de l’hyver et nous le garderons pour le 1er envoi.
Dumeril traité elem. d’histoire Naturelle, est entierement epuisé, on n’en peut plus trouver
| las Eroticas de Boecio, |  |
ces livres manquent ici pour le moment, on n’en a point fait d’editions en france, il faut avoir les editions de madrid, dont on ne trouve que rarement, et qui sont assez cheres. |
| ocios de Rebolledos | ||
| parnasso Español. |
Voltaire, essai sur l’esprit des Nations, on n’en a trouvé que dans les editions de voltaire, et tomé, nous n’avons pas voulu vous L’envoyer ainsi. les autres ouvrages de voltaire, sont imprimés, sans faire suite a aucune edition.
nous vous avons mis le theatre d’agriculture d’olivier de Serres, de L’edition in 4o, qui est la meilleure, celle in 8o n’est pas du tout estimée.
nous avons eu toutes les editions des auteurs avec les notes de Min-Ellius. il y a un seul volume qui est de la reimpression de venise, nous ne l’avons point trouvé autrement.
nous n’avons pas encore eu aucune nouvelle de M Vaughan, lorsque sa Lettre de change nous parviendra nous vous en crediterons, et si notre Lettre par Duplicata n’est pas encore partie, nous vous en donnerons avis.
| de Bure freres |
| Libraires du Roi, et de la Bibliotheque du Roi. |
Editors’ Translation
Paris 24 August 1821.
Sir
We did not receive until 24 July the duplicate of the letter you did us the honor of writing to us on 19 April. The original letter did not reach us.
We immediately took charge of your commission, Sir, and we have the honor of informing you that today we have sent to Mr. Beasley, American consul at Le Havre, a well-wrapped box containing the books we describe here. We expedited this shipment so that it could leave during the good season. We hope that it will reach you in as good a state as the previous ones.
This year we were still unable to send you the Cassius Dio of Sturz; this book has not yet appeared. We received very recently a shipment from Leipzig, where we had requested it, and our correspondent tells us that it is not known when it will be published. As soon as it appears you can rely on us, Sir, to take the greatest care in getting it for you. The Recueil des Edifices by Durand, which you request, consists of ninety plates in the form of an atlas and sells for 180 francs. You can decide if you wish to acquire this book next year.
We were unable to find the following items:
Theocritus, 1699, the only copy of it that we have found here is missing the notes. We will find a complete one during the winter and keep it for the first shipment.
Duméril, Traité élémentaire d’Histoire Naturelle, is entirely sold out; it can no longer be found
| Las Eroticas y Traduccion de Boecio, | |
These books are not to be found here. At present no edition of them has been printed in France. One must get the Madrid editions, which can rarely be found and are rather expensive. |
| Ocios by Rebolledo | ||
| Parnaso Español. |
Voltaire, Essai sur l’Esprit des Nations, we could only find this book as a part of multivolume editions of Voltaire’s works. We did not want to send it to you like that. Voltaire’s other publications are printed individually, not as part of an edition.
We sent you Le Théâtre d’Agriculture by Olivier de Serres in quarto, which is the best version. The octavo edition is not at all esteemed.
We were able to obtain all the editions of authors with notes by Minellius. One volume is a reprint from Venice. We could not find it otherwise.
We have received no news as yet from Mr. Vaughan. When his bill of exchange reaches us, we will credit your account with it, and if the duplicate of our letter has not yet been sent, we will let you know therein.
| de Bure Frères |
| Booksellers to the king, and to the royal library. |
RC (MHi); on a single sheet folded to form four pages, with letter on pp. 1–2, enclosure on p. 3, and address on p. 4; in the hand of a representative of de Bure Frères; addressed: “A Monsieur Monsieur th. jefferson a Monticello, en Virginie. Etats unis D’Amerique”; endorsed by TJ as received 22 Dec. 1821 and so recorded in SJL. Dupl (MHi); in the hand of a different representative of the firm, with signature and dateline (adjacent to closing) in same hand as RC; at head of text: “Duplicata”; addressed as above in same hand as RC, with “Milton Virginia” added in an unidentified hand; notation on address cover signed by Richard Forrest as TJ’s “very humble Ser.” and dated Department of State, 8 Dec. 1821, indicating that he had forwarded the letter; endorsed by TJ as received 22 Dec. 1821 and so recorded in SJL. Tripl (MHi); in the hand of same representative as Dupl, with signature and dateline (adjacent to closing) in same hand as RC; at head of text: “Triplicata”; addressed as above in same hand as RC; stamped “SHIP” and “P. PAYE PARIS” (“Paris postage paid”); other stamp canceled; postmarked New York, 24 Dec.; endorsed by TJ as received 3 Jan. 1822. Translation by Dr. Genevieve Moene. Enclosed in Reuben G. Beasley to TJ, 8 Oct. 1821.
1. Dupl and Tripl: “ouvrages” (“works”).
Index Entries
- agriculture; books on search
- architecture; books on search
- Beasley, Reuben Gaunt; and books for TJ search
- Boethius, Anicius Manlius Severinus; translation of work of search
- books; classical search
- books; of poetry search
- books; on agriculture search
- books; on architecture search
- Cassius Dio; edition of by F. W. Sturz search
- de Bure Frères (Paris firm); letters from search
- de Bure Frères (Paris firm); TJ purchases books from search
- Duméril, André Marie Constant; Traité élémentaire d’Histoire Naturelle search
- Durand, Jean Nicholas Louis; Recueil et Parallèle des Édifices de Tout Genre Anciens et Modernes search
- Essai sur les Mœurs et l’Esprit des Nations (Voltaire) search
- French language; letters in, from; de Bure Frères search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Books & Library; purchases from de Bure Frères search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Business & Financial Affairs; account with de Bure Frères search
- Las Eroticas, y Traduccion de Boecio (A. M. S. Boethius; E. M. de Villegas) search
- Le Théâtre d’Agriculture et Mesnage des Champs (O. de Serres) search
- López de Sedano y Pérez del Tero, Juan José; editsParnaso Español. Coleccion de Poesías Escogidas de los mas Célebres Poetas Castellanos search
- Minell, Jan; classical editions by search
- Ocios del Conde Don Bernardino de Rebolledo (B. de Rebolledo) search
- Parnaso Español. Coleccion de Poesías Escogidas de los mas Célebres Poetas Castellanos (ed. J. J. López de Sedano y Pérez del Tero) search
- poetry; TJ orders search
- Rebolledo, Bernardino, Conde de; Ocios del Conde Don Bernardino de Rebolledo search
- Recueil et Parallèle des Édifices de Tout Genre Anciens et Modernes (J. N. L. Durand) search
- Serres, Olivier de; Le Théâtre d’Agriculture et Mesnage des Champs search
- Spanish language; works in search
- Sturz, Friedrich Wilhelm; edits works of Cassius Dio search
- Theocritus; Θεοκρίτου τὰ Εὑρισκόμενα . Theocriti quæ extant Cum Græcis Scholiis search
- Traité élémentaire d’Histoire Naturelle (A. M. C. Duméril) search
- Vaughan, John (1756–1841); handles financial transactions search
- Villegas, Esteban Manuel de; Las Eroticas, y Traduccion de Boecio (A. M. S. Boethius) search
- Voltaire (François Marie Arouet); Essai sur les Mœurs et l’Esprit des Nations search
- Voltaire (François Marie Arouet); works of search
- Θεοκρίτου τὰ Εὑρισκόμενα. Theocriti quæ extant Cum Græcis Scholiis (Theocritus) search