One of Thomas Jefferson's most avid lifelong interests was his library. His first collection of books was largely destroyed by fire in 1770, but the twenty- six-year-old lawyer immediately set out to replace it with a more extensive li- brary, one that would encompass virtually the whole of recorded knowledge. And in spite of the disruptions of the ensuing revolution, Jefferson noted in 1783 that he had acquired the remarkable total of 2,640 volumes. When he departed the following year for Europe he looked forward to greatly expanding his library, and, whenever he was not carrying...

• Word Count: 4278
• Approx Pages: 17
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School