A dictionary of the English language: intended to exhibit I. The origin and affinities of every English word... II. The orthography and the pronunciation of words... III. Accurate and discriminating definitions... To which are prefixed an introductory dissertation on the origin, history, and connection of the languages of western Asia and of Europe; and a concise grammar...
London: published by Black, Young, and Young, foreign booksellers to the King, 1832. First English edition, used by Webster as a template for his 1841 octavo, "reprinted by E.H. Barker, Esq. of Thetford, Norfolk, from a copy communicated by the author, and containing many manuscript corrections and additions: with an appendix by the editor"; 2 volumes, 4to; pp. viii, [i]-civ, plus unpaginated lexicon in triple column; [2] and unpaginated lexicon; the publisher's advertisements noted by Skeel have not been preserved in this copy. A good, sound copy in mid-19th-century half calf over marbled boards, rubbed and scuffed, top of one spine with small chip; good and sound. One of the scarcest of the early editions of Webster. Of note is the inclusion of Joseph Worcester's "Synopsis of Words pronounced by different Orthoepists," extracted from the American edition of 1829 which was edited by Worcester, and published prior to the rift that developed between the two lexicographers. As to the text of the lexicon itself Skeel notes that it "was reworked by the English editor, and was not merely a reprinting." Vancil, p. 260; Skeel 589A. Item #34082
Price: $3,500.00
