"I cannot live without books."  - Thomas Jefferson

While most people are celebrating Independence Day, this Fourth of July is the 190^th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson’s death. Thomas Jefferson compiled multiple libraries during his lifetime; one of which he used to restock the Library of Congress in 1815 after it had been destroyed during the War of 1812, and another that was auctioned three years after his death in February 1829. The auction catalog can be viewed in our digital collections and you can learn more about his libraries here.

Laura Myles is Collections Documentation Specialist at The Henry Ford.

Virginia, Washington DC, 19th century, 1820s, 1810s, presidents, by Laura Myles, books