A book signed by Thomas Jefferson led a sale of memorabilia at RR Auction with a final bid of $24,025.
The signature appears in a copy of Memoires de Maximilien de Bethune, duc de Sully, principal ministre de Henri le Grand (1767).
 Sully was an advisor to King Henry IV of France |
Sully was advisor to Hugenot king Henry IV during the late 16th to mid 17th century and helped turn France into an economic powerhouse.
The auction house explains: "Jefferson generally included Sully's Memoires on his lists of recommended historical reading; the present volume is from the set listed in the 1829 auction catalogue of Jefferson's library, but it was apparently kept by his grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph.
"Jefferson and Sully shared several common notions—like Jefferson, Sully favored agriculture over industry as an economic base, and encouraged internal improvements such as canals, roads, and bridges in order to facilitate trade."
It's described as "A wonderful example of a rarely seen volume from Jefferson's library, enhanced by Jefferson's admiration for its author."
The sale also included an signed letter by the composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky, which reads in part: "I am going to America by a ship leaving on April 18th. My concert will take place the 5th of April and after it I will go somewhere to work in solitude. Here in Paris I am leading an insanely agitated life from which my head is turning. What will come next!"
It made $22,018.
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