Books and Manuscripts

(Jefferson, Thomas)
Observations sur la Virginie, Par M. J***. Traduites de l'Anglois
Paris: Chez Barrois l'ainé, 1786. First edition in French and first published edition. 8vo. (4), viii, 290 (i.e. 390) pp. Translated into French by Abbé André Morallet. With errata, folding letterpress table, and half-title; map wanting. Contemporary three-quarter brown calf over marbled paper-covered boards, rebacked, red morocco spine label, stamped in gilt, boards unevenly toned; minor foxing and soiling to text. Clark I:262; Howes J-78; Sabin 35895; Vail 760

The first edition of Notes on the State of Virginia was printed privately for Jefferson in 1785 in an edition of 200 copies, which he distributed to personal friends. Initially, Jefferson resisted the idea of publishing the work so that it could reach a larger audience. However, the widespread interest the book aroused soon led to rumors that a pirated edition would appear, and to forestall this, regular published editions came out with his blessing in French (the present work), in English (London, 1787), and an American edition (Philadelphia, 1788.) The work went through several dozen editions before his death, and remains in print today. This is the only book-length work published during Jefferson's lifetime and is a cornerstone of any collection of printed Americana.

Jefferson originally wrote Notes in response to a series of queries sent to him by the French diplomat Francois Barbe-Marbois, composing them after the defeat of the British at Yorktown in 1781. At the urging of their mutual friend, the distinguished French soldier and scientist, the Marquis de Chastellux, Jefferson later expanded his responses into a series of twenty-three essays on every aspect of his native state; geography, landforms, products, agriculture, climate, population, armed forces, Indians, towns, laws, religion, manners, and history. The Notes... are vastly informative, but they were also a mirror of Jefferson's tastes and personality. J. M. Edelstein noted, "Jefferson wrote about things which interested him deeply and about which he knew a great deal; the Notes, therefore, throws a fascinating light on his tastes, curiosities, and political and social opinions."