The following collections of the writings of Thomas Jefferson are recommended. Each contains an extensive listing of the various scholarly editions of Jefferson's writings that are available in printed form.
Writings.
New York: The Library of America, 1984.
This 1600 page collection has the complete text of a wide assortment of Jefferson's letters and other writings. It is probably the most comprehensive selection available at a reasonable price. Selected by Merrill D. Peterson. Price: $35.00. ISBN 0-940450-16-X
Jefferson, Thomas
Jefferson Himself: The Personal Narrative of a Many-Sided American.
Edited by Bernard Mayo. Charlottesville: The University Press of Virginia, 1942.
Available in paperback for $14.95, this is the "story of Thomas Jefferson, told in his own words." Each chapter is prefaced by the editor's comments. It covers the many sides of his life and thought. The different format and the many excerpts not in the Library of America volume make this a nice complement to that work. 384 pages. ISBN 0-8139-0310-6
Adams, John
The Adams-Jefferson Letters.
Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1971.
This 640 page collection of the complete correspondence of Jefferson and Adams covers both men's varied interests, from whale oil to political rights. The other collections contain most of their correspondence related to politics, but this is a book for anyone interested in the many sides of these two Founding Fathers. Available in a paperback edition for $19.95. ISBN 0-8078-4230-3
The above books can be purchased at discounts up to 30% from New World Books, 9735 River Road, P.O. Box 545, Marcy, NY 13403-0545. 1-800-710-9881. They can be ordered via email at newldbooks@aol.com with your Visa or Mastercard. Shipping & Handling is $4.95 for orders up to $30. (I get no compensation for this referral. I found them a good place to get almost any book in-print at a discount.)
The quotations contained herein were taken from one of the following sources now in the public domain:
The Writings of Thomas Jefferson (FE)
Edition by Paul Leicester Ford
10 Vols., New York, 1892-99.
The Writings of Thomas Jefferson (ME)
Memorial Edition (Lipscomb and Bergh, editors)
20 Vols., Washington, D.C., 1903-04.
The Writings of Thomas Jefferson
Edition by Henry A. Washington
9 Vols., Washington, D.C., 1853-54.
The following source was frequently used to locate appropriate quotations, which were later verified in other sources when possible:
The Jeffersonian Cyclopedia
Edited by John P. Foley
2 Vols., New York, 1900.
As an ongoing project, references are gradually being added to the various quotations contained herein so that readers can find their location in the most authoritative source yet to appear for the writings of Thomas Jefferson. This source, cited below, is itself in progress. Citations to this source are in the form, "Papers, 1:423," indicating the volume and page number.
The Papers of Thomas Jefferson (Papers)
Edited by Julian P. Boyd
60 Vols., Princeton, 1950-. . . 28 vols. complete to date.
Since it will be many years before the above edition is completed, references to quotations will also be cited in the Memorial Edition and the Ford Edition (see above) until the corresponding volumes of the Papers are published. These citations will be in the form, "ME 12:345," of "FE 8:123" similarly indicating the volume and page number.
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