Americana - 45 - Bauman Rare Books “President Jefferson With Mrs Bowdoin’s Respectful Compliments”: An Exceptional American Rarity—Jefferson’s Personal Copy Of Advice To Shepherds And Owners Of Flocks, 1811, With His Initialed Ownership Marking, Presented To Him By The Widow Of The Book’s Translator 41. (JEFFERSON, Thomas) DAUBENTON, Louis-Jean-Marie. Advice to Shepherds and Owners of Flocks, on the Care and Management of Sheep. Translated from the original French of M. Daubenton [by James Bowdoin]. Boston, 1811. Slim octavo, contemporary full mottled brown calf gilt. $78,000. Thomas Jefferson’s personal copy of this guide to sheep farming—one of Jefferson’s primary agricultural interests at Monticello—containing Jefferson’s characteristic and distinctive ownership mark, presented to Jefferson by the widow of the book’s translator, James Bowdoin, Jefferson’s minister to Spain, with the inscription: “President Jefferson with Mrs Bowdoin’s respectful compliments. 24 May 1812.” Second edition in English, with three illustrated plates appearing for the first time in this edition, in contemporary mottled calf. This volume was in Jefferson’s final “Retirement Library” when he died, and it contains Jefferson’s characteristic ownership identification marks. This copy was listed in Jefferson’s retirement library catalogue as “Daubenton’s advice to Shepherds. 8vo.” (page 32, item 265), and it was sold at the 1829 Nathaniel Poor auction of Jefferson’s library as item 263 in that catalogue. This copy with Mrs. Bowdoin’s presentation inscription is described in Sowerby’s annotated catalogue of Jefferson’s library (Sowerby 794). In the 1950s it was in the collection of Dr. Joseph E. Fields of Joliet, Illinois (first president of the Manuscript Society, editor of Martha Washington’s letters), and it was in the renowned Americana collection of Mrs. Philip D. Sang until 1985. Jefferson owned copies of the 1810 first and 1811 second editions of Bowdoin’s English translation of Daubenton’s 1782 French work. Jefferson sold his first edition to Congress in 1815 but kept the second edition (this copy) until his death. The first editionwas sent to Jefferson in January 1811 by George W. Erving, who wrote that Bowdoin was “preparing a more perfect edition with plates &c, which he will have the honor of presenting to you himself.” But Bowdoin died on October 11, 1811, so the promised copy of the second edition was presented to Jefferson by his widow, Sarah Bowdoin, inMay 1812. On June 24, 1812, Jefferson wrote fromMonticello to Mrs. Bowdoin, thanking her for the book. Laid in is a facsimile of this letter. James Bowdoin III, a Jeffersonian Republican, was a merchant and diplomat who was appointed by Jefferson as minister to Spain in 1804. He was an early benefactor of Bowdoin College (named for his father, the second governor of Massachusetts), to which he bequeathed his impressive library. This is the second edition in English/first illustrated edition, preceded by an edition in French and the first edition in English of 1810. Sowerby 794. Pencil signature. Pencil pointing hand drawn on page 26. Early ink pricingdetails. Binder ticket. First signature partially detached, foxing to interior, light wear to extremities. An extremely good copy, with an extraordinary provenance, most rare from Jefferson’s library and with his ownership marking.
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