Purchased by Jefferson from
Reibelt of Baltimore on June 21, 1805.
In a letter to Reibelt dated from Washington, May 29[,] 1805, Jefferson wrote: “
. . . In the catalogue of titles & prices you inclosed, I need some explanations. ‘Portefeuille des Artistes 4.v. 14
D40
c’ European price. the work recieved announces itself to be 1. Vol. in 4. Cahiers. are there 3. other volumes of 4. Cahiers
each? or by the expression ‘4.V.’ do you mean 4. Cahiers? the same questions as to ‘
Plans d’Architecture par Beker 4. Vol. 17
D00’ and ‘Idem par Meinert 4.V. 16
D80’. 4. Cahiers of each of these are recieved. do these constitute but one of four volumes? or are they the whole work? if
the latter, they would seem to be very dear. Beker for instance at 27
D02
c would be 61. cents for every plate, many of which are mere ichnographies . . .
”
In his reply dated May 31, Reibelt explained: .“ . . que du portefeuille des Artistes, et des Plans d’Architect. de Becker et de Meinert--
Çe que vous avez en çe moment chez vous--coute en Europe respectivè 1440, 1700, et 1680 Cents. et que çes Ouvrages sont--par des egards particuliers-- a votre disposition
pour l’addition des fraix d’importation seulement, c’est a dire--40. pc. . . .”
On June 21, Jefferson wrote to Reibelt and gave him a list of the books he was retaining from the box sent to him, which included
in the list “
Portefeuille des artistes 4. cahiers 14.40” and also the works of Becker and Meinert. All three books are included in Reibelt’s bill dated June 25 and are in Jefferson’s own written statement of his account with Reibelt under date June 21.
The Portefeuille, for which Jefferson paid Reibelt $
14.40, was bound for him by John March on September 30, 1805, in calf, gilt, price $2.50.
No copy has been seen of any of the three books mentioned in this correspondence. See the next two entries.
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42
Plans d’Architecture par Becker. 4. cahiers.
1815 Catalogue, page 130, no. 22, as above, but omitting
4. cahiers and reading
fol.
BECKER,
Wilhelm Gottlieb.
Neue Garten und Landschafts-Gabaüde, herausgegeben von Wilhelm Gottlieb Becker. Erste [-Vierte] Lieferung.
Leipzig:
Voss,
1798,
9.
First Edition. Folio. 4 parts, 34 plates with descriptive text. No copy was seen for examination.
Not in the bibliographies consulted.
Deutsche Gesamtkatalog XIV, 600.
Kimball, page 92.
Jefferson bought his copy on June 21, 1805, from Reibelt of Baltimore, price $
17.00 [see the correspondence in the previous entry]. It was bound for him on June 30, 1807, by John March in a half binding, gilt, cost $2.00.
Wilhelm Gottlieb Becker, German landscape artist and antiquarian, was the author of several books on gardening and antiquities.
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43
Landbaukunst von Meinert. 4. cahiers.
1815 Catalogue, page 130, no. 12, Meinert’s Schone land baukunst, or Ideas of Buildings, 4 to, Leipzig 1798
MEINERT,
Friedrich.
Schöne Landbaukunst.
Leipzig,
1798.
4to. No copy was available for collation. Text and plates.
Not in the bibliographies consulted.
Not in the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie.
Kimball, page 96.
Jefferson bought his copy from Reibelt on June 21, 1805, at the same time that he bought the
Porte-Feuille des Artistes
and Becker’s
Neue Garten und Landschafts-Gebaüde
. The price of Meinert’s work was $
16.80. It was bound by John March (whose entry on the bill specifies plates) on September 30, on the same day that he bound the
Portefeuille des Artistes, in calf, gilt, cost $2.50.
Nothing has been discovered concerning Friedrich Meinert, except that he was the author of another work on a similar subject,
Die Landwirtschaftliche Bauwissenschaft
, printed in Halle in 1796.
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