NOTES ON THE STATE OF VIRGINIA by Jefferson, Thomas - 1788

Philadelphia: Prichard and Hall, 1788. First American Edition. Hardcover. Octavo, [4], 244, [4] pages; G; bound in contemporary mottled brown leather, flat spine with gilt bands and lettering; chipping to head of spine; rubbing and bumping to corners; front hinge shaken, with lower half detached; an unrestored copy, no signs of repair to binding; collation: [A]2, [B]4, C-G4, H3/4, I4, K1-3, L4, M-Z4, 2A-2I4, lacking H1/2, K4, L1-L3 (corresponds to pages 49-52, 71-78); L4 and M1 partially loose; title page has a strip torn off at the head, does not impact text; name written on title page; first and last few leaves and pastedowns have light to moderate browning in irregular along edges, probably from binder's glue; mild foxing throughout; lacking folding demographic Table of Virginia Indians; map on page 20 present; 4 pages of ads in rear as called for; JG consignment; shelved case 1. The only book-length work by Jefferson to be published in his lifetime, it has been called "one of America's first permanent literary and intellectual landmarks." The book was largely written in 1781 and first printed in Paris in 1785 for private distribution. In 1786, Jefferson had a trade edition published in French, with the first English edition appearing in London in 1787, and this first American edition in 1788.; Widely considered the most important American book published before 1800, Notes on the State of Virginia is both a compilation of data by Jefferson about the state's natural resources and economy, and his vigorous argument about the nature of the good society, which he believed was incarnated by Virginia. [wikipedia];. Shelved Dupont Bookstore.