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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848 to William Plumer, Jr.

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00047 Author/Creator: Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848 Place Written: Washington, District of Columbia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: December 21, 1841 Pagination: 2 p. : Height: 26 cm, Width: 20 cm Order a Copy

Adams praises Plumer's volume of poems and describes his own journal writings as "volume after volume of trash." In retrospect, Adams wishes he had focused his energies on producing a great historical work. He deems Plumer's style of recording time and memories in a "poetical record" superior to the usual diary form. Some of Plumer's verses remind Adams of his own thoughts, and he praises the poet for giving them permanent existence. Plumer was a former New Hampshire congressman.

Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848
Plumer, William, 1759-1850

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