When I was last in Washington, D.C., I visited the Library of Congress. There, in a dimly lit room was an exhibition of Thomas Jefferson's books. It was fascinating to look at these old books, especially the law books with titles and authors I recognized. Patrick Henry had no such collection. This lack of a personal library has led some to believe that Henry was not a well-read man. Indeed, he wasn't educated in the same way as many founding fathers such as Jefferson or John Adams were. However, Henry did become a lawyer and a celebrated orator, uttering the famous lines, "Give me liberty or give me death!"
With this book, author Kevin J. Hayes purports abolish the idea that Henry was not well-read simply because he didn't have an extensive library. At the time of Henry's death, an inventory of his books was taken. This list of 188 books is reproduced in the appendix to this book. Jefferson's personal library, by contrast, measured in the thousands. So what does Henry's library say about him?
Hayes points out that while Henry read many books, he did not feel compelled to retain them once he absorbed the contents. He would generally give books away once he was done with them, rather than keep them to accumulate dust on a shelf. However, the books Henry does have tell us a lot about him. One thing that jumped out at me was the similarity between the famous quote listed above to lines in Joseph Addison's Cato: It is not now a time to talk of aught/But chains, or conquest; liberty or death." (p. 73) Hayes makes it clear that Henry pulled much from written sources.
It was also interesting to see the number of English spelling and usage books Henry had in his library. He was always interested in improving his speaking skills. Finally, as a lawyer he possessed all the important books that lawyers of the day typically read.
I really enjoyed this book that showed an example of how the books people read in the Revolutionary era shaped the times. This was a unique perspective and one that I appreciated as a book lover and history buff. It made me think about what my library says about me.
