The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-05-15
PROPOSALS ny LITTLE & BROWN
FoR PUBLISHING NY SUBSCRIPTION
THE LIFE AND WORKS OF JOHN ADAMS

4
FoR PUBLISHING ny SUBSCRIPTIONS
| THE LIFE AND WORKS OF JOHN ADAMS,
| Second President If he United States.
EDITED HIS GRANDSON, CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS
yINIIE public will be glad TO learn that the publica
| Il ton of the works of JoHE ADAMS, 80 long de-
layed, will now be commenced so soon as AN ade
quate subscription shall have been obtained, II is
intended TO embrace in the proposed collection the
works of Mr.. Adams ON Government, already pub
lshod, but now out of print, and selection from
most voluninous mass of manuscripts which have
never seen the light.
| The collection is to be made and edited by the
Hon Charles Francis Adams, the depositary of all
| the manuscripts we'll n John Adams as of his
father the late John Quincy Adams, and Is intended
as the first of two great publications. calculating
the history OF the rise and progress OF these United
States, from the year l76l in which the revolution
airy struggle first began, down TO the year lSiS,
when the younger Adams died.
The materials for the first Of the two works are
much more ample than has generally been sup
I.osed John Adams, during nearly all his life,
| scrupuously preserved his papers, and among
| them are found many of a curious and singularly
into resting character Probably the most remark
able at least in the eyes of the world, will prove TO
| he Diary, commenced by him early as 1855,
and carried for thirty years, including the largest
portion OF his public career. This Diary viii be
found to contain great amount OF valuable matter
| connected with the early movements Of the Revou-
ton in Massachusetts, and TO throw good deal OF
new light upon the proceedings OF the great Con
crosses Of l774, l775 and l776, at Philadelphia, in
which the writer was a conspicuous actor. There
also notes of the debates during portion of that
period, which, in the dearth Of all knowledge of
them, will be highly valuable TO postcrity.
II is well known that intention was long en-
tertained by the younger Mr. Adams to write a
memoir of his father. This, although not entirely
executed, commenced. most interesting
fragment remains in perfect state, and will be
prefixed to the present publication. The unexe-
cuted portion will be carried on by the editor, aided
by the discovery Of an photographed fragment
| Of John Adams himself, which will be woven into
the body Of his work.
The great difficulty will be in the abundance of
the materials to be gathered out OF correspondence
carried on for half century, as well as out OF un-
published treatises of various kinds rather To bring
them all within reasonable limits for purchasers,
than short of what will interest the students
of the national history.
1t ia proposed to issue the work in ten octave vol
| umes. These will include the Essay on the Canon
and Feudal Laws, the Defence of the American
| Constitution, the various editions of which have
been long since exhausted, and the Discourses on
Davia; to all of which illustrations, drawn from
| the unpublished writings Of MIR. Adams, or sup
| piled by the editor from other sources, will be
added.
Such selections will be made from the Diary, and
from the private papers, as may be considered most
likely to promote a better acquaintance with the
| times in which Mr.. Adams lived and acted than is
yet possessed after all the valuable contribu
lions which have already been furnished from
| other quarters. On the whole, the publishers
fiaently believe that there is work relating to
the revolutionary history of the United States and
indeed of the times in which Mr.. Adams lived, that
surpasses in historical and political value the vol
| umes now offered to the patronage of the Ameri-
| can people. And they strongly hope that they
shall find themselves we'll sustained in this great
enterprise to be encouraged to go and perfect
the other and latter part of it, the Life and Works
of the less distinguished son, John Quincy
l Adams.
| The works will be brought out from time to time,
commencing during the autumn of lS49, and com
| pleted within reasonable period, consistently
with proper attention to the high character de
signed TOT given TO them, and in the following
/. Works upon Government.
2. Political papers, including Controversial Pub
locations Of the Revolution.
3. Messages and Public Papers.
4. Diary.
5. Private Letters Public Subjects, l774 TO 1901
6. Private Letters from l756 to 1896
l 7. Life, by John Quincy Adams, continued by
the editor.
| 8. Original unpublished Letters Of Franklin,
| Jay, Jefferson, the Lees, Laurens, Gerry,
Dana, IZard and other eminent patriots of
the Revolution.
The work will be beautifully printed, in ten vol
umes, in the octave FORM each volume containing
from 500 to 600 pages, and put up in cloth, at the
price of So 25 volume
A limited number of copies will be struck off on
large paper, and put up in the style of bind
ing, price SO volume.
Subscriptions and orders respectfully solicit
cd by the proprietors. LITTLE & BROWN,
Aug. 29-3tawtf III Washington st., Boston.