128
Traits characteristiques et Anecdotes de Frederic II.
8
vo.
1815 Catalogue, page 14. no. 123, as above.
FREDERIC II.
Traits characteristiques et Anecdotes de Frédéric II.
Strassburg:
J. G. Treuttel,
1788.
First Edition of this translation. 8vo. No copy was located for collation.
Not in Barbier.
This edition not in the Gesamtkatalog der Preussischen Bibliotheken.
Bought from
Froullé, on December 13, 1788, for
1 f 10. and listed with the price on Jefferson’s undated manuscript catalogue.
The work is a translation of
Anekdoten und Karakterzüge aus dem Leben Friederich des Zweiten
first published in Berlin, 1786. A translation into English was published also in 1788.
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129
Segur’s history of Frederic-William II.
3. v.
8
vo.
1815 Catalogue, page 14. no. 126, as above.
SÉGUR,
Louis Philippe, comte de.
History of the Principal Events of the Reign of Frederic William II. King of Prussia; and a Political Picture of Europe, from
1786 to 1796. Containing a Summary of the Revolutions of Brabant, Holland, Poland, and France. In
Three Volumes. By L. P. Ségur, the Elder . . . Translated from the
French. Vol. I [-III].
London: Printed for
T. Longman and
O. Rees, vol. I. and II. by
G. Woodfall, vol. III. by
H. Baldwin and Son,
1801.
DD414 .S4
3 vol. 8vo. Vol. I, 204 leaves, engraved portrait frontispiece by J. Chapman; vol. II, 195 leaves; vol. III, 185 leaves.
Lowndes IV, page 2236.
Not in Halkett and Laing.
This book was recommended to Jefferson by Caspar Wistar, Jun., who also sent him a copy. On March 22, 1804, Wistar wrote from
Philadelphia to Jefferson: “. . . Have you met with a work of the ci devant Count de Segur (who I believe was the French Minister at Berlin when you were
in France) entitled a History of the principal events of the reign of Frederic William 2. It has been much commended by several
very intelligent gentlemen here . . .”
To this Jefferson replied from Washington on March 27: “
I recieved last night your favor of the 22d . . . I have heard of Segur’s work with great commendation, but never saw it.”
On May 4, Caspar Wistar sent the book: “. . . I took the liberty of placing in this box [i.e. containing La Cepede’s work upon Fishes] Segur’s Account of F
k. William of Prussia which I believe you will read with great interest . . .”
Jefferson replied from Washington on June 7: “
Th: Jefferson returns his thanks to Doct
r. Wistar for the copy of Segur’s Frederic which he shall read with great satisfaction knowing the author to be a man of talents
and information . . .
”
This work is included in Jefferson’s lists of recommended historical reading.
Louis Philippe, Comte de Ségur, 1753-1850, French diplomat and historian, ambassador for Louis XVI at St. Petersburg, Berlin, and Vienna.
This is the
first edition in
English of his
Histoire . . . de Frédéric-Guillaume II
, originally published in 1800. In his preface, dated London, March 31, 1801, the translator gives an account of the Comte
de Ségur, and explains that the spelling of the proper names in his translation is in accordance with the usage of the Rev.
W. Tooke (see no. 251). References to the American Revolution occur.
Caspar Wistar, 1761-1818, physician of Philadelphia, and a great friend of Jefferson. The plant Wistaria was named for him.
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