Item #28133 Lectures on rhetoric and belles lettres. HUGH BLAIR.
Lectures on rhetoric and belles lettres.

Lectures on rhetoric and belles lettres.

Philadelphia: printed and sold by Robert Aitken, 1784. First American edition, 4to, pp. viii, 454, [12] index; full contemporary sheep with an early, primitive American rebacking in sheep, also with early resewing; old red morocco label showing through; the whole rubbed and worn, the sheep used in the rebacking is rotting, early readers' marks in pencil in the margins and on endpapers; early American bookplate of Matthew Brown, and with his signature on the flyleaf; text foxed; not the greatest of copies but interesting for the early restoration and bookplate. Hugh Blair (1718-1800) the famed Scots divine and professor of rhetoric was very successful with this book which "could boast ten editions in England between 1783 and 1806, not to mention the American reissues and one French (1797), one Italian (1801), and one Spanish (1816) version." (Aarsleff). He was a friend of Hume and Adam Smith, the latter of whose lectures inspired Blair in this endeavour. Alston VI, 239: "A comprehensive discussion of rhetoric and style with wide-ranging comments on language in general, and English in particular." Item #28133

Price: $325.00

See all items by