Library Acquisition Highlights

Collection of Scholarly Publications on Southern History and Fine and Decorative Arts. Gift of Sumpter T. Priddy III

Manuscript: Letter from John Parke Custis to George Washington, 9 January 1779. Custis writes his stepfather regarding current events, the activities of the Virginia legislature, land purchases in northern Virginia, and the management of Mount Vernon. Gift of Charles R. Hooff III and Gudrun Hooff

Manuscript: Letter from George Washington to Burgess Ball, 16 March 1794. Washington writes to his nephew to discuss livestock breeding, the shipment of agricultural goods, and a gift of chocolate nut shells, something Martha Washington used to make her preferred tea. Purchased by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Books and Manuscripts Endowment, 2020

Manuscript: Letter from George Washington to Tobias Lear, 15 June 1795. Washington writes regarding the settlement of outstanding accounts and purchases of stock in the Banks of Alexandria and Columbia. Purchase made possible by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Books and Manuscripts Endowment, and a partial gift by Lewis Morris Buckler and Anne Pittinger Buckler, 2020

Manuscript: Letter from Lafayette to Bushrod Washington, 15 September 1816. Lafayette writes to introduce associates who will be traveling to Virginia, and to remind Bushrod to send Lafayette’s correspondence with George Washington, which he had lost during the French Revolution. Gift of Charles R. Hooff III

Manuscripts: Documents related to the settlement of Mary Ball Washington’s estate (c. 1790). Inventories of the personal possessions of George Washington’s mother. Gift of Lucy and Richard Streeter, 2020

Rare book: The Family-Physician, and the House-Apothecary, 2nd ed. (1678). A book of home remedies. A duplicate edition to the title in Washington's library. Gift of Dr. Marcus Rice, 2020

Rare book: A Narrative of the Mutiny, On Board His Britannic Majesty’s Ship Bounty; and the Subsequent Voyage of Part of the Crew, in the Ship’s Boat, from Tofoa, One of the Friendly Islands, to Timor, a Dutch Settlement in the East-Indies, by William Bligh (1790). The first edition account of the famous incident. A duplicate edition to the title in Washington’s library. Gift of Thorne Gould, 2020

Rare book; Travels During the Years 1787, 1788, & 1789; Undertaken More Particularly with a View of Ascertaining the Cultivation, Wealth, Resources and National Prosperity of the Kingdom of France, vols. 1&2, second edition (1794), by Arthur Young. The author was a frequent correspondent of George Washington. A duplicate edition to the title in Washington's library. Gift of William Jenkins, 2020

Rare book: Seven bound volumes of The American Magazine (Dec. 1787–June 1788), Noah Webster, editor. A collection of contemporary news, data, and commentary. Duplicates to the issues in Washington’s library. Gift of Peter Bowe, 2020

Photograph: Visitors on the east lawn by “official photographer” Luke C. Dillon, April 26, 1888. In the front row are the first Korean Minister, Park Chung Yang, and fellow members of the Korean Legation. Gift of Isabelle Heinzman, 2020

Manuscript map: Americae pars, nunc Virginia dicta primum ab Anglis inventa Sumtibus Dn. Walteri Raleigh Equesstris ordinis … MDLXXXV [America, now called Virginia, first discovered by English Knight Sir Walter Raleigh ... 1585] by John White and Theodore De Bry, 1590. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Schott Stevens as part of the Stevens Collection of 26 historic maps, 2020

Map: Carte De La Virginie Et Du Maryland Dressee sur la grande carte Angloise de M. Josue Fry et Pierre Jefferson [Map of Virginia and Maryland after the large English map by Mssrs. Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson] by Giles Robert De Vaugondy, 1755. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Schott Stevens as part of the Stevens Collection of 26 historic maps, 2020