Thomas Jefferson to Mathew Carey, 31 July 1820
To Mathew Carey
Monticello July 31. 20.
Dear Sir
Your favor of July 13. was recieved on the 21st inst. and I now inclose you 25.D. in bills of the bank of Virginia as none of the US. are to be had here. the surplus of 1.75 may cover the discount perhaps.
I presume you import from time to time books from England, and should be glad if on the first occasion you would write for a copy of Baxter’s history of England for me. and if there be an 8vo edn of it, I should greatly prefer it. if none, I must be contented with the original 4to. I doubt whether it went to a 2d edition, even the whigs of England1 not bearing to see their bible, Hume, republicanised. octavo volumes suit my hand, and my shelves so much better than any other size, that if the Conversations in chemistry, mentioned below can be had from England in 8vo I would rather wait for their importation. if not, I would prefer the English edition 12mo that of Humphreys being bad print & coarse paper. if Sir J. Sinclair’s book is not to be had with you it might be added to the importation. I salute you with great friendship & respect.
Th: Jefferson
Baxter’s history of England.
Conversations in Chemistry.
Sr John Sinclairs Code of agriculture. this is the work which is in a single vol. thick 8vo and must be distinguished from a similar work in several volumes published some years ago and of which this is a condensed digest.
RC (PHi: Lea & Febiger Records); addressed: “Mr Matthew Carey Philadelphia”; franked; postmarked Charlottesville, 1 Aug.; endorsed by a representative of Mathew Carey & Son as received 4 Aug. and answered the following day. PoC (DLC); on verso of reused address cover of John H. Cocke to TJ, 12 Apr. 1820; edge trimmed; endorsed by TJ.
Sinclair’s monograph, The Code of Agriculture (London, 1817), was a condensed digest of the ninety county surveys and other works published by the British Board of Agriculture since the 1790s (Heather Holmes, “Sir John Sinclair, the County Agricultural Surveys, and the Collection and Dissemination of Knowledge 1793–1817, with a Bibliography of the Surveys: Part 1,” Edinburgh Bibliographical Society, Journal 7 [2012]: 29–70).
1. Preceding two words interlined.
Index Entries
- agriculture; books on search
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- A New and Impartial History of England (J. Baxter) search
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- Baxter, John; A New and Impartial History of England search
- books; on agriculture search
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- British Board of Agriculture search
- Carey, Mathew; and books for TJ search
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- Conversations on Chemistry: in which the elements of that science are familiarly explained (J. H. Marcet) search
- currency; paper search
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- Hume, David; The History of England, from the Invasion of Julius Caesar to the Revolution in 1688 search
- Humphreys, James; as printer search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Books & Library; orders books search
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- Marcet, Jane Haldimand; Conversations on Chemistry: in which the elements of that science are familiarly explained search
- Sinclair, Sir John; The Code of Agriculture search
- The Code of Agriculture (J. Sinclair) search
- The History of England, from the Invasion of Julius Caesar to the Revolution in 1688 (D. Hume) search