Diary of John Adams, volume 2

323 1778 Octr. 30. Fryday. JA

1778-10-30

1778 Octr. 30. Fryday. Adams, John
1778 Octr. 30. Fryday.

Last Saturday I dined with Mr. Grand in Company with Mr. Gebelin Author of the Monde Primitif.1

1.

Antoine Court de Gébelin (1725–1784) was the author of Monde pritnitif primitif , analysé et comparé avec le monde moderne, a vast and learned but unfinished work on mythology and language of which JA owned a copy (9 vols., Paris, 1775–1782) that he read and heavily annotated in old age. See Catalogue of JA's Library , p. 65; Alfred Iacuzzi, John Adams, Scholar, N.Y., 1952, p. 230–232. Court de Gebelin is said to have served as one of the editors of the Affaires de l'Angleterre et de l'Amérique, a vehicle of American propaganda in which Franldin and JA were much interested (Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Générale; see notes on entries of 11 Feb. and 3 March 1779, below).