The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Being his Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings Official and Private...(in 9 volumes) by Jefferson, Thomas - 1854

New York: John C. Riker, 1854. First edition. Near Fine. In nine volumes. Original publisher's cloth bindings embossed in blind with gilt to spines. Spines on volumes 1-2 have been repaired; remaining volumes with some wear to spine extremities and corners, but overall presenting nicely. Volumes contain the blindstamp of previous owner, Thomas C. Acton, a supporter of Lincoln and outspoken abolitionist who also served as Police Commissioner of Manhattan during the Draft Riots. Internally a clean, tight, and pleasing set that contains the four folding plates of the Declaration of Independence in volume 1. The first collected works of Jefferson, the editor H. A. Washington drew specifically on the holdings of the Library of Congress to present the American people with a well-rounded and historically accurate view of this Founding Father's contributions to the nation's formation.

"Jefferson was exceptionally controversial in his own time, and many of his ideas remain the subject of national debate. In his arguments for a system of general education, for local rather than central authority, for caution in international affairs, for religious and intellectual freedom, and for economic and social justice, Jefferson defined the issues that still direct our national political life centuries after the nation's formation" (Library of America). Drawn from public and private documents housed at the Library of Congress, which Jefferson's donation helped establish, the present set provides an in-depth look into this revolutionary thinker's ideas and work. Near Fine.