Noah, Mordecai M. Travels in England, France, Spain, and the Barbary States, in the Years 1813-14 and 15.

(AMERICAN JUDAICA).

Kirk and Mercein

New York

1819

Four plates, including one fold-out.

Singerman 304; Rosenbach 205

A man person of many accomplishments: lawyer, journalist, playwright, diplomat, politician, judge and activist for Jewish causes, Mordecai Manuel Noah (1785-1851) was appointed American Consul to Tunis.in 1813. However two years later he was recalled by the State Department allegedly for failing to execute his duties. Subsequently, he spent much time seeking to clear his name - (which eventually he did). Such was the reason for publishing his Travels: “This work, may, be considered as a work of explanation and defence, although my official affairs occupy but a small portion of it.” Noah was particularly distressed that the official dispatch recalling him as Consul cited his Jewish faith as the pretext (pp. 376-82, xxiv-xxvi). Even if this were the true motive, he wrote, “no official notice should have been taken of it; I could have been recalled without placing on file a letter, thus hostile to the spirit and character of our institutions.” To vindicate the reputation of American Jews, he included letters attesting to their virtues received from Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and John Adams. “Still, by focusing on the Jewish aspects of his consularship and recall, Noah probably did the Jewish community a favor. The State Department never again openly cited religion as a factor in the selection of diplomats” (Sarna, p. 32). Noah’s “Travels” was well received by contemporary critics, especially since, according to one reviewer, Noah was the first American to take advantage of the unique opportunities afforded a diplomat to compose such a comprehensive work about other lands. The book abounds with colorful details concerning the daily life, social customs and political intrigues of both Moslems and Jews."The volume is the best primary source on early nineteenth-century Tunisian Jewry.” See Sarna, Jacksonian Jew: The Two Worlds of Mordecai Noah, pp.15-32.