Thomas Jefferson Papers
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https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-13-02-0284

Lewis D. Belair to Thomas Jefferson, 9 October 1818

From Lewis D. Belair

New York Octobr 9h 1818

Sir

I Have the Honour to here Inclose a Consise Catalogue of a valuable Collection of Books Just Recd: I shall be Highly Honourd to Receive your order.

Respectfully yours

Lewis D Belair

RC (MHi); endorsed by TJ as received 22 Oct. 1818 and so recorded in SJL. RC (DLC); address cover only; with PoC of TJ to Joseph Jones, 15 Jan. 1819, on verso; addressed: “Thomas Jefferson Esqe Montecelo Milton Va pr Mail”; franked; postmarked New York, 9 Oct. Enclosure: Fernagus De Gelone’s 1818 advertising circular, describing his business relationship with Belair in New York City and providing a list of booksellers in other American cities as well as on the islands of Saint Thomas and Jamaica who will also fill his orders; promising a reduction in European market prices ranging from 5 to 15 percent, provided that the buyer pays “freight, insurance, and custom-house duty in America”; specifying that orders include the cost of the books plus a supplement of “about 8 per cent of that sum of money for all my expences of clearance in Europe, Brokerage, postage, boxes, packing up, land carriage, etc.” and be submitted to American consuls or merchants in Europe; mentioning a “description of Books called Librairie courante, such as Novels, Belles-Lettres, Books neither quite modern nor very ancient, on which you may have as much as 25 per cent abbated from the Catalogue or market prices, for cash”; commenting that “It is your advantage to unite with some friends to make your orders larger, which will give you a fair chance for greater discounts”; and providing an extensive list of European titles available from Belair in New York; with marginal numbering by TJ, corresponding to the books he ordered in his letters to Belair of 27 Oct. and 16 Nov. 1818, and his handwritten notes at foot of p. 3: “Abregé des 10 livres d’Architecture de Vitruve. Paris. Coignard. 1674. 12mo,” and at foot of p. 4: “Aeschyle. Theorie des fonctions analytiques. pa. La Grange. 4to Analyse du traité de la mecanique celest de P. S. Laplace par Biot. brochure” (printed circular, signed by Fernagus de Gelone, in DLC: TJ Papers, 214:38214–5; dated “Paris   1818”; at head of text: “EUROPEAN BOOK TRADE”).

Index Entries

  • Abregé des Dix Livres d’Architecture de Vitruve (Vitruvius; ed. C. Perrault) search
  • Aeschylus; works of search
  • Analyse du Traite de Mécanique Céleste de P. S. Laplace (J. B. Biot) search
  • Belair, Lewis Descoins; as bookseller search
  • Belair, Lewis Descoins; letters from search
  • Biot, Jean Baptiste; Analyse du Traite de Mécanique Céleste de P. S. Laplace search
  • Coignard, Jean Baptiste; as publisher search
  • Fernagus De Gelone, Jean Louis; imports books from Europe search
  • Fernagus De Gelone, Jean Louis; sends book catalogues search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Books & Library; catalogues from booksellers search
  • Lagrange, Joseph Louis; Théorie des Fonctions Analytiques search
  • Laplace, Pierre Simon, marquis de; Analyse du Traite de Mécanique Céleste de P. S. Laplace (J. B. Biot) search
  • Perrault, Claude; editsAbregé des Dix Livres d’Architecture de Vitruve (Vitruvius) search
  • Théorie des Fonctions Analytiques (J. L. Lagrange) search
  • Vitruvius; Abregé des Dix Livres d’Architecture de Vitruve (ed. C. Perrault) search