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[George Washington, his copy]. Marcus Tullius Cicero. M. T. Cicero's Cato Major, or his Discourse of Old Age: With Explana...
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Washington's signed copy of Franklin's best printing effort, Cicero's Cato Major
[George Washington, his copy]. Marcus Tullius Cicero. M.
T. Cicero's Cato Major, or his Discourse of Old Age: With
Explanatory Notes. Translation and notes by James Logan.
Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin, 1744.8vo (198 x 125 mm). Late 19th- or early 20th-century full red levant morocco, sides with a gilt tooth border enclosing a border of two fillets, with a center panel of fillets, ornaments at corner, with a filigree design in center, gilt-paneled on spine, turn-ins gilt, edges gilt, by Ramage. Housed in a brown morocco pull-off case.
GEORGE WASHINGTON'S COPY, WITH HIS AUTOGRAPH SIGNATURE ("Go: Washington") on the "Printer to the Reader" leaf. THE FIRST EDITION OF ONE OF FRANKLIN'S FINEST TYPOGRAPHICAL EFFORTS. Cato Major, which Franklin perceived as one of his best, is now regarded as one of the earliest American fine press books, and the most famous production of the Franklin press. The present copy is the second issue of the first American published translation of this classic, with "only" on page 27, line 5.
Cato Major was the first classical work to be printed in North America. The translation and notes are by James Logan (1674-1751), the Philadelphia scientist, statesman, bibliophile, and friend of Franklin. In the prefatory "The Printer to the Reader" Franklin claims the book had the distinction of being "the first translation of a classic in this western world," and attests that Logan's version was "in itself equal at least, if not far preferable to any other Translation of the same Piece extant in our Language, besides the Advantage it has of so many valuable Notes, which at the same time they clear up the Text, are highly instructive and entertaining; I resolved to give it an Impression."
Cicero's essay on old age, originally written in 44 BC, is presented as a discourse given by the elder Cato to the young Scipio Aemilianus and Gaius Laelius Sapiens. Cicero acknowledges that the sentiments he expresses are really his own. His view of old age is optimistic, citing examples of eminent Roman citizens who had lives a respected and agreeable old age. This translation by the colonial American scholar James Logan was published by Benjamin Franklin, the first printing of a translation of a classic text in North America. It was a favorite of John Adams, who recommended it to friends and family.
Although Washington was one of the few Founding Fathers who did not attend college, he devoted his personal time to reading books on his own. Although he never learned Greek or Latin Washington was introduced to classical thought by his contemporaries as well as through literature. He owned copies of Plutarch's Parallel Lives, Seneca's Morals, and Cicero's De Officiis, among others. His favorite play was Joseph Addison's tragedy Cato, based on the last days of Cato the Younger (95-46 BC), the great-grandson of Cato the Elder. Following classical examples, Washington exemplified the Stoic calm during the greatest of perils. Echoing the tenets expounded in Cicero's De Officiis, Washington was convinced that serving his country was not only his civic duty, but also his moral obligation.
The present copy of Cicero's Cato Major bears Washington's signature at the head of the second leaf ("The Printer to the Reader" leaf), rather than the title-page as was his typical practice. This may be the reason if Washington had obtained an unbound copy in stabbed and sewn sheets (in this copy the original stab marks are visible throughout the gutter margins); this also would explain the soiling and wear to title if it were originally the outer exposed cover of the gathered sheets. Based on the watermark, the title-page appears to be conjugate with the Index leaf )(4. The stab-holes were preserved at the time of the present binding by Ramage of London, before it was acquired by Mrs. Henry Walters.
Kevin Hayes, author of George Washington: A Life in Books (2017), commented on this copy: "Though I have not found any references to this book in Washington's papers or the various inventories of his library, I see no reason to question it. The signature looks genuine to my eyes. Washington's signature remained fairly consistent throughout his adult life, so the biggest puzzle to me is when he obtained this book. John Quincy Adams read the work (in Latin) when he was 21, but Cicero's Cato Major was an old man's book. Washington was buying a lot of books at the end of the Revolutionary War shortly before he returned to Mount Vernon (and thought he would retire from public life), so this is one possibility. Franklin printed 1000 copies, so the book would not have been too hard to find, even forty years later. Philadelphia naturally contained the largest concentration of copies, so Washington could have found one in 1787 during the months he was there for the Constitutional Convention. If Franklin had any extras around, he could have given Washington one, but this is pure conjecture."
Condition: Title a little soiled; some minor marginal spotting or foxing; some browning to margin extremes; occasional rust stains or spots; small news clipping mentioning this copy in the Parke-Bernet sale mounted on front flyleaf.
References: Church 949; ESTC W20709; Evans 5361; Ford, page 25; Hildeburn 868; Sabin 13040.
Provenance: Collection of Mrs. Henry Walters (her sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, 23-25 April, 1941, lot 1249, sold for $120.00; with a copy of a typed letter signed from Arthur Swann of Parke-Bernet, 15 September 1942, which reads in part: "In the opinion of the undersigned, this book belonged to Washington, and the signature on the leaf, 'The Printer to the Reader' is genuine").
Heritage Auctions would like to thank author and scholar Kevin Hayes for their assistance with researching this lot.
Auction Info
2024 July 25 Historical Platinum Signature® Auction #6294 (go to Auction Home page)
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