Thomas Jefferson’s Library

Within a month after the original Library of Congress was burned by the British in 1814. Thomas Jefferson offered his own personal library as a replacement and this library formed the basis of the current Library.

Jefferson’s library was, by the standards of the times, almost unimaginably vast, consisting of some 6,487 volumes.  It included key works in virtually every area of human knowledge.  The entire inventory of volumes can be seen here.

Here is the section on ethics alone.  Notice that it includes works in Latin, English, and French and among them the works of Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Boethius, Kant, Locke, Spinosa, Hume, and Voltaire among many, many others.

1. Hieroclis commentarius in aurea Pythagoreorum carmina, Gr. Lat. 12º.
68. Aeschinis Dialogi, Gr. Lat. 8º.
2. Xenophontis Memorabilia, Gr. Foulis, Eng. by Fielding, 2 v 12º.
136. Platonis opera Gr. Lat. Serrani, 3 v fol.
69. Plato. Gr. Stephani, et Lat. Ficini, 12 v 8º.
3. Plato abridged by Dacier, Eng 2 v 12º.
4. Aristotelus Ethica, Gr. Lat. Magiri, 12º.
5. Theophrasti Caracteres, Gr. Lat. 12º. Foul.
6. Epictetus, Cebes, Theophrastus, dialogues de Exilio, et Prodicus. 16º.
70. Epicteti Manuel, Gr. Lat. p 4º.
7. Epicteti Enchiridion, &c Cebetis tabula, Simplicii commentarius, et Arri-
ani dissertationes, Gr. Lat. Wolfii, version Anglica dominae Carter. 3 v
12º.
8. Epictetus Gr. Lat. Foulis, 12º.
137. Plotina opera philosophical, Gr. Lat. Ficini fol.
9. Catonis distica. Sterling, 12º.
(Cicero de officius) in op.
10. Id.  12º.
11. Id.  Eng. by Cockman, 12º.
Cicero de Divinatione et de Fato }
"  De Natura Deorum            }  in op.
"  De Finibus bonorum          }
12.   "  De Finibus bonorum, Gronovii 12º.
"  Academica, in op.
71.   "  De Finibus et Academica, Eng. by Guthrie, 8º.
"  (Tusculanae disputationes) in op.
13.   "  Tusculana. Foulis, 12º.
14.   "  De Senectute et Somnium Scipionis, Lat. Gr. Theodori, 12º.
72.   "  Id. Eng. by Franklin with notes 8º.
15. D'olivet's thoughts of Cicero, Lat. Eng. 12º.
73. L. Annaei Senecae opera. Lat. Biponte et Fr. par La Grange, 10 v 8º.
138.      "       "      "    Eng. by Lodge, fol.
74. L. Annaei Senecae, et P. Syri Mimi Sententiae, not. Gruteri et vers. Graeca
Scaligeri, 8º.
16. Adagiorum Erasmi Epitome. 24.
17. Plutarcha Moralia, Gr. Lat. 8. v. p 8º.
130. Plutarcha varia, Gr. Lat. Cruseri. 4 v p fol.
75. Demetrius Cydonius de Contemnenda Morte, Gr. Lat. 8º.
18. Marci Antonini Commentarii ad Seipsum, Gr. Lat. 12º. Foul.
19. Marci Antonini corum qua ad Seipsum, lib XII, Gr. Lat. Eng. 2 v 12º.
20. Maximi Tyrii dissertationes, Gr. Lat. 16. Oxon 1677.
76. Dissertations de Maximi de Tyr, par Combes Dounous, 2 v 8º.
21. Alexander Aphrodisiensis de Fato. Gr. Lat. 12º.
22. Minuti Felicis Octavius, 12º. Foulis
139. Phylostratus concerning the life of Apollonius the Tyanean, by Blount. fol.
77. Les causes premieres, Sc. Ocellus Lucanus, Timaeus Locrus, et Aristoteles
de Mundo, Gr. Fr. par l'abbe Batteuse, 2 v 8º.
23. Boetius de consolation, 12º. Foulis.
78. Boece de Consolacion et de philosophies, translate par Johan de Meun
p 4º.
79. Enfield's history of Philosophy, 2 v 8º.
24. Synopsis Metaphysicae, 12º.
80. Locke's Essay on the human understanding, 8º.
81. Bp. of Worcester's Answer to Locke's Essay, 8º.
82. Bolinbroke on innate principles, Fr. Eng. 8º.
83. Philosophie de Kant, par Villers, 8º.
84. Ideologie de Destutt Tracy, 3 v 8º.
131. Stewarts Elements of the philosophy of the Human Mind, 1st v 4º.
85. Enquiry into the nature of the Human Soul, 2 v 8º.
86. Appendix to the enquiry into the nature of the Soul, 8º.
87. Progres de L'Espirt human, par Condorcet, 8º.
25. Locke's conduct of the mind in the search after truth. 12º.
26. Malebranche de la recherche de la verite, 2 v 12º.
27. Whitby's Ethics, p 8º.
28. Compendium Ethics, 12º.
29. De juramenti obligation, Sanderson, 2 v 12º.
30. Puffendorf de officio hominis et civis, 12º.
88. Wollaston's religion of nature, 8º.
31. Hutchinson's Introduction to Moral Philosophy, 1st v 12º.
89. Hutchinson's ideas of Beauty & virtue, 8º.
90. Ld. Kaim's Natural religion, 8º.
32. Traite elementaire de Morale et du Bonheur, 2 v in 18.
91. Price's Review of the principal questions in Morals, 8º.
92. Gros' Moral Philosophy, 8º.
33. Economy of human life, 12º.

34. The rule of life, 12º
93. Harris' three treatises, 8º
35. Vanini de admirandis natural, reginae deaeque mortalium arcanis, 12º.
36. Vanini amphitheatrum providentiae, 12º
94. Spinosae tractatus theologico politics, p 4º.
95. Spinosae opera posthuma, p 4º.
96. Spinosa's theological and political discourses, 8º
37. (Euvres philosophiques de Diderot, 3 v 12º.
(Le Bon Sens, 12º, Diderot.) oeuvres

97. The System of Nature, Eng. 1st v 8º.
98. CEuvres d'Helvetius, 5 v 8º Ed. de Deuxponts, 1781.
99. Rapport du physique et du Moral de l'homme, par Cabanis, 2 v 8º.
132. Lettre de Trasibule a Leucippe, par Freret, 4º M. S.
38. Pensees sur la compete de 1680 par Bayle, 4 v 12º.
39. Bayle's philosophical commentary on Luke 14, 23, 2 v 12º.
100. Fable of the Bees 2d v 8º.
101. Ld Bolingbroke's philosophical works, 5 v 8º.
40. Massie's travels by Bayle, 12º.
41. Hume's Essays, 3d & 4t vols, 12º.
42. Recherches sur l'origine du despotisme oriental, par Boulanger, 12º.
133. Recherchs su lorigine del dispotismo orientale, del Boulanger, p. fol. M. S.
134. Christianesimo Svelato del Boulanger, tradotto dal Bellini. p fol. M. S.
43. Philosophie de la Nature, par de Lisle, 3 v 12º.
102. Philosophie de l'Univers par Dupont, 8º
103. Ruines de Volney, 8º.
44. Volney's ruins, 12º
104. De l'esprit des religions, par Bonneville, 2 v 8º.
105. Allen's Reason, the only oracle of man, 8º.
106. Peel's Truth & Reason, 8º
45. Palmer's principles of Nature, 12º.
107. Tindal's christianity as old as the creation, 8º.
108. Chubb's tracts, 2 v 8º
46. Dudgeon's philosophical works, 12º.
47. History of the man after God's own heart, 12º.
48. Blount's Miscellaneous works, 12º.
109. Voltaire's philosophical Dictionary, 8º.
110a.Voltaire philosophies de l'histoire, 8º.

49. La certitude des preuves du Mahometisme, 12º.
50. Traite des trois imposteurs, 12º.
111. Analyse de l'origine des Cultes, de Dupuis, par Tracey, 8º.
(Priestley's Heath. Philos. compared with Revelation, 8º Chap. 17, Nº 96)
51. Locke on Toleration, 16.
(Eloge de la Folie d'Erasme, par Guendiville, figures de Holbein, 12º post
C. 36. Nº 14)
52. Essais de Montaigne, 3 v 12º, Bruxelles, 1659.
53. Bacon's Essays, 12º.
54. Maximes de la Rochefoucault, 12º.
55. & 112. Caracteres de la Bruyre, 13s v Eng 80 2 v Fr. 12º.
113. Shaftesbury's characteristics, 3 v 8º.
114. Breviaire des politiques, par de Salmozen, 8º.
115. Meilhan sur l'esprit et les moeurs. 8º.
116. Les Loisirs du Marquis d' Argenson, 2 v 8º.
56. Ld Kaim's art of thinking, 12º.
57. Essai sur le caratere des Femmes par Thomas, 12º.
58. Russels Essay on the character of Women, 12º.
59. Gregory's Legacy to his daughters, 12º.
117. Lady Chudleigh's Essays, 8º.
60. Instructions for a young Nobleman, 12º.
61. Ochino on Polygamy 12º.
118. Sylva, or the Wood, by a Society, 8º.
119. Zimmerman de la Solitude, 8º.
120. Le Bonnet de Nuit de Mercier, 4 v 8º.
121. L'an 2440, de Mercier, 8º.
122. Lettres de Brutus, par Mercier, 8º.
123. Fraser's history of Man, 8º
124. Tracts in Ethics, to wit, Swedenburg, Castiglione, Mably, Lites forenses,
etat primitif, slave trade, Benezet, &c on Slavery, 8º.
62. Stewart's moral or intellectual Last will and testament, p fol 32.
125. Condorcet sur l'esclavage des Negres. 8º.
63. Ramsay on African Slaves, 12º.
135. Tracts on slavery, to wit. Peyroux, Mifflin, Nesbitt, Abolition, claviere, 4º.
126. Tracts on Slavery, French. 8º.
64. Ray's horrors of slavery, 12º.
65. Branagan on the oppression of the exiled sons of Africa, 12º.
66. Branagan's Beauties of Philantrophy, 12º.
127. Gregoire de la Litterature des Negres, 8º.
128. Gregoire on the faculties and literature of the Negroes, by Warden, 8º.
67. Clarkson's history of the abolition of the slave trade, in Gr. Br. 2 v 12º.
129. Caine's history of the convention of the Leeward Islands, 8º.