Collectibles

1751 · 149416 — London: R. Griffiths 1751. From the library of George Washington of this compilation of political and religious essays regarding contemporary issues in Great Britain. Small octavo volume two bound in full contemporary brown calf with a gilt number two and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands double gilt ruling to the front and rear panels turn-ins. From the library of George Washington with his ownership signature to the top right corner of the title page one of the earliest printed books owned by him in his youth. George Washington did not receive a classical education and never studied a foreign language beyond English. Unlike his older brothers who enjoyed more formal schooling he worked to educate himself independently frequently importing books from England to expand his knowledge. By 1783 a detailed catalog of his Mount Vernon library revealed an extensive collection that included both classical and contemporary literature as well as volumes on agriculture history and political thought. It eventually consisted of over 1200 titles countering John Adams' impression "that Washington was not a scholar is certain. That he was too illiterate unlearned unread for his station is equally past dispute." Thomas Gordon was a Scottish writer that was widely read by the American founding fathers greatly influencing their ideas of republicanism in the eighteenth century. "The bulk of the founding fathers' reading apart from history was concerned with political and legal tracts whose main focus was directed toward two subjects---liberty and property---and toward the social constitutional and legal institutions best adapted to the preservation of man's 'sacred' rights in regard to those subjects.there was little disagreement as to the indispensable 18th century writers: they are Charles Danenant John Trenchard Thomas Gordon Bolingbroke and James Burgh" Founding Fathers' Library. Gordon translated the classical authors including Tacitus Sallust and Cicero. Most notably he published Cato's Letters which were "Reprinted hundreds of times in colonial newspapers they were perhaps the most widely read source for arguments for freedom of the press and against arbitrary government power and taxation" Jacobson. The present volume contains essays such as "The True Picture of a Modern Tory" "A Vindication of the Quakers" and "The Creed of an Independent Whig." It is recorded in Lane Inventory of Washington's Library p. 490 as "an additional title not included on the original inventory". This is one of the earliest printed books from Washington's library. Based on the style of the signature it was likely signed near the time of publication when Washington was about twenty years old. The inscription’s upright and compact form featuring a shorter “s†than seen in later examples from the 1750s resembles the handwriting found in his early surveying documents though with less ornamentation than his typical ownership marks. After traveling to Barbados with his brother Lawrence in 1751 Washington assumed management of Mount Vernon following Lawrence’s death from tuberculosis in 1752. It is therefore probable that this book was among the first to enter his library at his newly inherited estate. In his will George Washington bequeathed his library to his nephew Bushrod Washington. The library remained largely intact at Mount Vernon which Bushrod also inherited until his own death in 1829 when it was divided between two of his nephews George Corbin Washington and John Augustine Washington. In 1848 George Corbin Washington sold some 350 books and 450 unbound pamphlets from his portion of the library to Henry Stevens who eventually placed it in the Boston Athenaeum where it remains today as the largest single collection of Washington's books. The part of the library that descended to John Augustine Washington was dispersed at various auction sales between 1876 and 1891 and the present volume has been traced to the 1876 sale of Washingtoniana. In very good condition. Housed in a maroon morocco solander case inside a full morocco clamshell box. As Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783 George Washington played a critical role in shaping the military and political outcomes of the American Revolutionary War. His leadership was marked not by tactical brilliance alone but by strategic endurance organizational discipline and an acute understanding of the symbolic and practical dimensions of command. Faced with chronic shortages of manpower supplies and financial support Washington focused on sustaining the army through long periods of adversity most notably during the winter encampment at Valley Forge. He emphasized professionalization working closely with figures like Baron von Steuben to impose standardized training and drill procedures. Washington’s decision to engage in a war of attrition rather than direct confrontation with the superior British forces reflected a broader political strategy aimed at maintaining colonial unity and prolonging resistance until foreign aid—particularly from France—could be secured. His leadership during the culminating siege of Yorktown in 1781 conducted in coordination with French forces marked a decisive turning point and demonstrated his ability to integrate diplomatic logistical and military considerations into a coherent wartime strategy. R. Griffiths hardcover