Thomas Jefferson to Wells & Lilly, 3 January 1818
To Wells & Lilly
Monticello. Virga Jan. 3. 18.
Messrs Wells & Lilly
Meeting casually with the 2d of the Dissertations prefixed to the Supplement of the Encyclopaedia, by Playfair, I observe that you have before printed the 1st and are proceeding to print the rest. I ask the favor of you to send me those already printed, and the others as they shall come out. I see on the covers of the 2d your notice of some books you have for sale, among which are those underwritten which I will pray you to send me also. if put into a box fitting them, I expect you have almost daily vessels sailing from Boston to Richmond, to which place be pleased to address them to messrs Gibson and Jefferson my correspondents there who will pay freight & charges and will forward them to me. I inclose a 10.D. bill of the US. bank which by the prices you annex is about the amount. the succeeding Dissertations shall be paid in the same way, and they may come, as published, by mail, addressed to me. Accept the assurance of my respect.
Th: Jefferson
1st & 2d Dissertations of Stewart & Playfair.
Clavis Ciceronis Ernesti. 3. v. 5.D.
Primitives of the Greek tongue with rules for derivation 1.D.
Price’s sermons on the Christian doctrine of different sects. 8vo 50. cents
Priestly’s Appeal to the professors of Christianity. 20. cents
Valpy’s poetical Chronology, Antient, English, & American 62½ cents
PoC (CSmH: JF-BA); on verso of portion of reused address cover of Joseph C. Cabell to TJ, 14 Oct. 1817; endorsed by TJ.
Wells & Lilly, a Boston publishing and bookselling firm, was in existence from at least January 1815 until around 1830. William Wells (1773–1860), a native of Worcestershire, England, immigrated to the United States when he was twenty, graduated from Harvard University in 1796, and was a tutor there, 1798–1800. While continuing to take students, he began working as a bookseller shortly thereafter and joined the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1813. Wells retired from Wells & Lilly in about 1828 and moved permanently to nearby Cambridge, where he established a school. Robert Lilly (ca. 1782–1834), his former partner, carried on the business for several years with the assistance of William S. Wait. The company, which had been renamed Lilly & Wait by 1831, remained in operation until Lilly’s death in Boston (Boston Daily Advertiser, 17 Jan. 1815; The Boston Directory [1816]: 214; [1828]: 284; [1829]: 278; [1830]: 310; Stimpson’s Boston Directory [1831]: 218; [1834]: 235; Joseph Palmer, Necrology of Alumni of Harvard College, 1851–52 to 1862–63 [1864], 293–4; 14 [1860]: 374; , 128, 180; American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Memoirs 11 [1888]: 40; Salem [Mass.] Gazette, 11 Feb. 1834).
Index Entries
- An Appeal to the serious and candid Professors of Christianity (J. Priestley) search
- Arnauld, Antoine; The Primitives of the Greek Tongue search
- Bank of the United States, Second; currency of search
- banks; currency issued by search
- boats; transfer goods and people to and from Richmond search
- books; classical search
- books; encyclopedias search
- books; on ethics search
- books; on history search
- books; on mathematics search
- books; on metaphysics search
- books; on politics search
- Christianity; works on search
- Cicero; Clavis Ciceronis; sive indices rerum et verborum (ed. J. A. Ernesti) search
- Clavis Ciceronis; sive indices rerum et verborum (Cicero; ed. J. A. Ernesti) search
- currency; paper search
- Dissertation First: exhibiting a general view of the Progress of Metaphysical, Ethical, and Political Philosophy, since the revival of letters in Europe (D. Stewart) search
- Dissertation Second: exhibiting a general view of the Progress of Mathematical and Physical Science, since the revival of letters in Europe (J. Playfair) search
- Encyclopaedia Britannica search
- Ernesti, Johann August; editsClavis Ciceronis; sive indices rerum et verborum (Cicero) search
- ethics; books on search
- Gibson & Jefferson (Richmond firm); and books acquired by TJ search
- Greek language; study of search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Books & Library; orders books search
- Lancelot, Claude; The Primitives of the Greek Tongue search
- mathematics; books on search
- metaphysics; books on search
- Nicole, Pierre; The Primitives of the Greek Tongue search
- Playfair, John; Dissertation Second: exhibiting a general view of the Progress of Mathematical and Physical Science, since the revival of letters in Europe search
- Poetical Chronology of Ancient and English History (R. Valpy) search
- Price, Richard (British author and philosopher); Sermons on the Christian Doctrine search
- Priestley, Joseph; An Appeal to the serious and candid Professors of Christianity search
- Richmond, Va.; boats transfer goods and people to and from search
- Sermons on the Christian Doctrine (R. Price) search
- Stewart, Dugald; Dissertation First: exhibiting a general view of the Progress of Metaphysical, Ethical, and Political Philosophy, since the revival of letters in Europe search
- The Primitives of the Greek Tongue (A. Arnauld, C. Lancelot, and P. Nicole) search
- Valpy, Richard; Poetical Chronology of Ancient and English History search
- Wells & Lilly (Boston firm); and books for TJ search
- Wells & Lilly (Boston firm); identified search
- Wells & Lilly (Boston firm); letters to search