Browsing: Papers of John Adams, Volume 10

1. A revised edition of the Abbé Raynal's Histoire philosophique et politique des établissemens, et du commerce des Européens dans les deux Indes (5 vols., Geneva, 1780), included a new section on the American Revolution (4:376–459). At London, in 1781, the new section was published as Révolution de l'Amérique; and in 1781 was published in translation as The Revolution of America. Through 1792 at least twentyone printings of Raynal's work appeared in England or on the Continent in French, English, Dutch, and German. 1782 also saw four American printings of the translation (T. R. Adams, American Controversy , 2:776–782; Evans, Nos. 17684, 17685, 17686, 17687).

A Dutch translation published at Amsterdam in 1781 as Staatsomwenteling van Amerika is, together with a copy of the 1780 edition of the Histoire, in JA's library ( Catalogue of JA's Library ). In fact, while Raynal dealt with the American Revolution up to 1780, he made no specific mention of JA's activities.