Purchased from Reibelt in 1805. On January 23, 1805, Jefferson wrote to Reibelt: “ If you have the . . . Leçons d’anatomie comparée de Cuvier 2.v. 8 ^vo. I shall be glad of them. I do not see them in your catalogue. ”

Reibelt sent the book, with others, on January 25, price $ 3.40, and the binding bill was sent in March ($2.00).

Jefferson had tried to obtain a copy of the book from France through N. G. Dufief of Philadelphia three years previously. On March 23, 1802, he wrote to Dufief: “ I ask the favor of m( ^~ r) Dufief to bring me from France the following books . . . Anatomie comparative de Cuvier ( I am not sure this is the title) it is in 2. vol( ^~ s) 8 ^vo. but I shall be glad to recieve whatever else he has published in the anatomical line . . . ”

Jefferson had already read the book in 1801, probably the copy sent to the American Philosophical Society, about which he wrote to Benjamin Rush on March 24, 1801: “ I have just recieved for the A. P. Society 2: volumes of Comparative Anatomy by Cuvier, probably the greatest work in that line that has ever appeared. his comparisons embrace every organ of the animal economy, and from Man, to the rotifer . . . ”

On May 9 of the same year Jefferson wrote to Bishop Madison: “ . . . There is a capital work in Comparative anatomy lately come out in France, written by Cuvier. it is in 2. v. 8 ^vo. and nothing like it as to extent of plan or accuracy of performance has ever yet appeared in the world . . . ”

Cuvier and his work including his theories of classification and nomenclature are discussed by Jefferson in his correspondence to various of his scientific friends, as for instance to John Vaughan in a letter written on August 15, 1805, and, many years later, on February 22, 1814, in a letter to Dr. John Manners.

Georges Léopold Chrétien Fréderic Dagobert, Baron Cuvier[,] 1769-1832, French naturalist. These two volumes were issued with the help of André-Marie-Constant Duméril, 1774-1860, physician and naturalist. Three more volumes were later added, with the supervision of Georges-Louis Duvernoy (1777-1855); the full work was completed in 1805.

Contemporary tree calf. Initialled by Jefferson at sigs. I and T. This copy was at one time in the library of Caspar Wistar, and has his autograph signature on the title: C. Wistar, M.D.; a small correction in ink may be by him or by Jefferson. With the Library of Congress 1815 bookplate.

It is possible that this book may have been left with Jefferson by Wistar after his visit to Washington (accompanied by Michaux the botanist and Mr. Biddle of Philadelphia) in 1808. Wistar wrote to Jefferson from Lancaster on June 2, 1808 of his intended visit and mentioned that: “A small Box of Books is to be sent to Washington to consult on the subject of Comparative Anatomy, I have taken the liberty of directing to you as by that means a safe conveyance is insured . . .”

Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, 1752-1840, German