John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Their Books

The Boston Public Library, Massachusetts Historical Society, and Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello are among the organizations presenting a conference titled “John Adams & Thomas Jefferson: Libraries, Leadership and Legacy” in Boston and Charlottesville this June.

The first session will be in Massachusetts from Sunday, 21 June, through Tuesday, 23 June. The action then moves south to Virginia for three more days of activity, from Thursday the 25th through Saturday the 27th.

The event description says, “Each location will feature a keynote speaker, four theme-based panels devoted the discussion of pre-circulated papers, and private tours of significant holdings and historic sites related to Adams, Jefferson, and their reading and book collecting.” The keynoter in Boston will be Ted Widmer, Director of the John Carter Brown Library. The keynoter in Charlottesville will be former U.S. Senator Gary Hart.

This conference seems to owe a lot to Robert C. Baron, who is a benefactor, scheduled speaker, and head of Fulcrum Publishing, which will issue a volume of conference proceedings in 2010. Baron has also been chairman of the American Antiquarian Society and edited books on both Jefferson and Adams.

For full information, registration forms, and papers as they become available, visit www.adamsjefferson.com.