The Commonplace Book of William Byrd II of Westover (Published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture and the University of North Carolina Press) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1469615231 ISBN 13: 9781469615233

Publisher: Omohundro Institute and University of North Carolina Press, 2014

Synopsis

William Byrd II (1674-1744) was an important figure in the history of colonial Virginia: a founder of Richmond, an active participant in Virginia politics, and the proprietor of one of the colony's greatest plantations. But Byrd is best known today for his diaries. Considered essential documents of private life in colonial America, they offer readers an unparalleled glimpse into the world of a Virginia gentleman. This book joins Byrd's Diary, Secret Diary, and other writings in securing his reputation as one of the most interesting men in colonial America. Edited and presented here for the first time, Byrd's commonplace book is a collection of moral wit and wisdom gleaned from reading and conversation. The nearly six hundred entries range in tone from hope to despair, trust to dissimulation, and reflect on issues as varied as science, religion, women, Alexander the Great, and the perils of love. A ten-part introduction presents an overview of Byrd's life and addresses such topics as his education and habits of reading and his endeavors to understand himself sexually, temperamentally, and religiously, as well as the history and cultural function of commonplacing. Extensive annotations discuss the sources, background, and significance of the entries.

About this title

Book Description:

"The publication of [William Byrd's] commonplace book covering the period 1721 to 1726 is a major event. . . . The commonplace book allows scholars to penetrate the interior world of this complex and often contradictory figure, scion of a wealthy slaveholding family, dilettante, politician, businessman and man of letters."-- Times Literary Supplement

From the Inside Flap:

A collection of epigrams, notations, and reflections on a variety of topics, William Byrd II's (1674-1744) last known unpublished work offers a window into the interior life of this quintessential colonial Virginia gentleman.

About this edition

• Publisher: Omohundro Institute and University of North Carolina Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1469615231
• ISBN 13: 9781469615233
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336
• Editor: Berland Kevin Joel, Gilliam Jan Kirsten, Lockridge Kenneth A.