Pursuit: The Founders' Guide to Happiness

Episode 4: Industry with Thomas Jefferson’s Reading List

Sep 30, 2025
Eric Slauter, a professor and expert on 18th-century literature, and Ken Burns, the acclaimed documentary filmmaker, dive into Thomas Jefferson’s curated reading list from 1771. They discuss how Jefferson viewed deep reading as critical for happiness and self-improvement. Slauter shares insights on how students engage with rare books to understand historical reading practices. Burns highlights the importance of lifelong learning and the storied friendship between Adams and Jefferson, linking their industrious lives to broader themes of virtue and creative growth.
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ANECDOTE

Jefferson’s 148-Book Library List

  • Jefferson wrote a letter to Robert Skipwith listing about 150 works for a gentleman's library.
  • Eric Slauter explains Jefferson often created such extensive reading lists for friends and family.
INSIGHT

Read Books In Their Historical Mindset

  • Knowing what founders read reveals how they might have made intellectual connections.
  • You must set aside modern interpretations to enter their eighteenth-century mental world.
INSIGHT

A Curated Blend Of Old And New

  • Jefferson's list balanced fine arts, recent translations, and classical epics to cultivate taste and virtue.
  • He prized newer translations and contemporary works alongside ancient authors.
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