NATHANIEL BURWELL LIST, 1818

Books recommended by Jefferson for a system of female education.

Nathaniel Burwell wrote Jefferson on February 17, 1818 requesting Jefferson to recommend a system of female education that is "adapted to the present state of our society" and "compatible with the pecuniary circumstances of females, that will enable them to acquire a liberal and accomplished education." Burwell asked that a catalogue of books deemed proper to compose a female library accompany the plan if Jefferson was willing to oblige his request. Jefferson responded in a letter from Monticello on March 14, 1818 discussing his views on such a plan (which he wrote was a subject "on which I have not thought much" nor has it been "a subject of systematic contemplation" for him).

In an enclosure, Jefferson listed the following books:


Les voyages d'Anacharsis
Gillies's history of Greece. 4. v. 8 vo .
Gillies's history of the world. 3. v. 8 vo .
Livy. Eng.
Sallust. Eng. by Gordon. 12 mo .
Gibbon's Decline of Rome 12. v. 8 vo .
Tacitus. Eng. by Murphy.
Suetonius. Eng. by Thompson. 8 vo .
Plutarch's lives.
Lempriere's universal biography. 2. v. 8 vo .
Histoire ancienne de Milot. 4. v. 12 mo .
Histoire de France de Milot.
Russel's Modern Europe. 5. v. 8 vo .
Robertson's Charles V.
Memoires de Sully. 8. v. 12 mo .
Vie de Henri IV. par Perefixe. 12 mo .
Louis XIV. et XV. de Voltaire
Histoire generale de Voltaire.
Baxter's hist. of England.
Robertson's history of Scotland. 2. v. 8 vo .
Robertson's history of America.
Botta's hist. of American Independance
Burke's & Girardin's hist. of Virginia 4. v. 8 vo .
Joyce's Scientific dialogues 3. v. 16 s .
Histoire naturel de Buffon.
Tully's offices. Eng.
Seneque par La Grange. 6. v. 8 vo .
Morale et bonheur. 2. v. miniature.
Stanhope's Charron on wisdom. 8 vo .
Oeconomy of human life. 12 mo .
Sterne's, Sherlock's & Allison's sermons.
Sermons de Masillon et Bourdaloue.
The Spectator, Tatler, Guardian.
Pike's Arithmetic. 8 vo .
Pinkerton's Geography. 8 vo .
Whateley on pleasure gardening. 8 vo .
Pope's Iliad & Odyssey.
Dryden's Virgil.
Milton's Paradise lost.
Telemaque.
Shakespeare's plays.
Dryden's tragedies.
Moliere. Racine. Corneille.
Don Quichotte. Fr.
Gil Blas.
Contes Nouveaux de Marmontel.
Voyages de Campe. 20. vol s. 16 s .
the Pleasing preceptor from the German of Vieth .
Pope's works.
Thomson's seasons.
Lowthe's Eng. grammar.
Walker's pronouncing dictionary.
Dufief's Fr. & Eng. dictionary.
Dufief's Nature displayed. 2. v. 8 vo .

                 Novels
Evenings at home by mrs Barbauld.
Miss Edgeworth's works. they are all good.
Lettres sur l'education
by Madame Genlis.
Veillées du Chateau
Theatre d'education.
Theatre de societé
Godwin's Caleb Williams

Last updated: January 20, 2010

back to top