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10.11.01 Taylor, John, of Caroline, Arator, Being a Series of Agricultural Essays, Political and Practical, in Sixty-One Numbers, published in book form in 1814 after appearing in series in newspapers

To see our overall commentary about John Taylor and his writings to go 00.20.02.

Notes Concerning the Author.

John Taylor (1753-1824), usually called John Taylor of Caroline, was a farmer, politician and writer.  He lived and farmed in Caroline County, Virginia.  He served in the Virginia House of Delegates and in the United States Senate.  He wrote several books on politics and agriculture.  He served in the United States Senate for two years, from 1792 to 1794.
Abstract.

John Taylor of Caroline’s 61 essays were first published in serial form.  Then in 1814 they were gathered together into a book and published under the title, Arator, Being a Series of Agricultural Essays, Political and Practical, in Sixty-One Numbers.  The book was republished by M. E. Bradford, Professor of English at the University of Dallas until his death in 1993.

John Taylor was not only one of the greatest defenders ever of American agriculture in politics and economics.  He also practiced what he preached as a hands-on planter.  In these essays he explicates the wisdom of his experience, the latest scientific knowledge, and the economic and political burdens placed on farming by Federal policy.

This discussion of the social order of an agricultural republic is Taylor’s most popular and influential work.  Complete with good and helpful science in several of his essays, Arator provides commentary on the relation of agriculture to the American economy, on agriculture and politics, and on the enemies of the agrarian republic.  Both statesman and farmer, Taylor is often considered the deepest thinker of all the early Virginians.

There is an on-line journal, inspired by the work of John Taylor of Caroline, which is called Arator, A Journal of Southern History, Thought and Culture.  The Editor is John Devaney, Jr.  The organization’s purpose is as follows;

Arator is a journal of scholarship in Southern history, thought, and culture, and is intended to be a forum for thoughtful and learned discussion in the enduring concerns of the American South.  Articles on all relevant topics are  welcome, especially submissions that are written from within the Southern tradition itself and that can be appreciated and enjoyed by scholars of all fields of  Southern scholarship.

Availability of this Book.

The 1977 republication of John Taylor’s essays, complete with an introduction by M. E. Bradford, is the recommended publication for a new reader.  Bradford was Professor of English at the University of Dallas until his death in 1993.  Published by Liberty Press, this book is readily available on-line at a reasonable price.  There is also an e-book version.

CNW and HRW