A "Blueprint" of
Jefferson's Mind

Thomas Jefferson
Manuscript catalog in the hand
of Nicholas Trist, [1823]
Bound with Catalogue of the
Library of the United States.
Washington: 1815 (10.2)
Rare Book & Special Collections Division

This manuscript catalog, prepared by Jefferson's private secretary Nicholas Trist, attempts to reconstruct the concept of the original arrangement of Thomas Jefferson's library. Inspired by Francis Bacon's organization of knowledge, Jefferson divided his books into the categories of Memory (history), Reason (philosophy) and Imagination (fine arts). Within these divisions, he carefully arranged them chronologically or by analytical value. This volume, long thought to be a catalog of the University of Virginia library, offers a fresh opportunity to study Jefferson's distinctive mind at work.