Beschreibung:

(Adams, John Quincy Manuscript copies of nine letters by John Quincy Adams to his son, George Washington Adams, written during his service as Ambassador to Russia in 1811. [N.p.: circa 1820] 4to (218 x 160 mm). 48pp. of manuscript text accomplished in ink in a neat early nineteenth-century hand; trimmed, costing a few lines at lower margin, a few stray spots. Contemporary blue paper wraps; some staining and foxing. In custom red morocco folding slipcase and chemise. "In your letter of the 18th January to your mother you mentioned that you read to your aunt C——in the the bible or sections in Dr. Doddridges [sic] annotations every evening. This information gave me great pleasure, for so great is my veneration for the Bible, so strong my belief that when daily read and meditated upon it is of all books in the world that which contributes most to make men good, wise, and happy" (pg. 1). The letters copied into this notebook—which, when compared to the originals, bear minor differences—concern the importance of reading the Bible, and the virtues to be drawn from it. The nine letters were originally written between September 1811 and September 1814. During this period, John Quincy Adams was serving as the first United States Minister to Russia. George Washington Adams served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and on the Boston City Council. "Be careful not to let your reading make you a pedant or a bigot nor to puff you up with a conceited opinion of your own knowledge or make you intolerant of the opinions which others draw from the same source however different from your own. And may the merciful Creator who gave the scriptures for our instruction, bless your study of them, and make them to you fruitful of good work."