One of the most important books of the liberal/libertarian canon was extremely popular among intellectuals in the 19th century. But now? Almost no one knows about it. You can read it on Gutenberg, but hey: I interviewed Thomas Christian Williams on the book, and this is not out of left field, for Christian has established a fascinating historical truth about the book and its place in American history.
So, who is our guest this week?
Here is his biography:
If only by default, Thomas Christian Williams is the world’s leading authority on Thomas Jefferson’s anonymous translation of Volney’s Ruin of Empires. He discovered Volney while doing research for his first novel. He published an article on the subject in the January 2016 edition of Skeptic magazine. You can find it online at Skeptic.com. He recently donated a large portion of his personal collection of Jefferson translations to the research facility at Monticello.
Born in Texas, Thomas has lived in France since 1989, excepting brief stints in Andorra, Spain and Gibraltar. Thomas has worked as an accountant, a commodities trader, and as domestic affairs analyst in political section of the US Embassy in Paris. He’s currently a hypnotherapist specialized in Parts Therapy. You can find him on LinkedIn or at his website: EnglishHypnosisParis.com.
Thomas is the author of two historical fiction novels.
English Turn, Napoleon Invades Louisiana is available on Amazon. The book recounts what might have happened if Napoleon Bonaparte had not sold Louisiana to the United States. Volney, Jefferson and even Jefferson’s anonymous translation of Volney’s Ruins play important roles in this book.
Thomas is currently looking for an agent to market his 2nd novel: Kash Kachu (White House), the story of the collapse of the Native American civilization at Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.
Wirkman Comment 