Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Bryant Bigelow
Subject(s): Authorship, Bigelow, Edward F., 1860-1938, Books and reading, Historiography, Literature, Long, John Luther, 1861-1927, Science--Study and teaching
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President Roosevelt is extremely pleased by Henry Bryant Bigelow’s skill of writing scientific works. Roosevelt believes that it is better for a book to be worth reading but dull than it is to have a well-written work that is not worth reading. The best case, however, is for a book to both be worth reading and well written. He suggests that Bigelow may be the sort of author to write an important scientific work that is able to be read and understood both by scientists and the general public, and encourages him to not be content with only sending pieces to magazines, but to write a book himself.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1906-05-29
Creator(s)
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Recipient
Bigelow, Henry Bryant, 1879-1967
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
3
Production Method
Record Type
Multi-image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Bryant Bigelow. [May 29, 1906]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o195630. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Bryant Bigelow. [29 May. 1906]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 23, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o195630.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1906, May 29]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Bryant Bigelow.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o195630.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 23, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
