An Easy Introduction to the Arts and Sciences: Being a short, but comprehensive system, of useful and polite learning, divided into lessons.
Illustrated with cuts, and adapted to the use of schools and academies
In the English language. Second edition.
By Richard Turner
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An Introduction to the Arts and Sciences is a good example of an educational book suited to a contemporary middle class, children, and women’s education in the 18th century. The book covers a wide variety of subjects, such as religion, natural phenomena, astronomy, literature, grammar & rhetoric, geography, and mythology.
Much of the text is given in the question and answer format that was popular during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This style reflected a growing female, middle-class audience for this type of knowledge, as well as contemporary beliefs about the importance of informal conversation to children’s mental training. The beautifully illustrated edition includes an extraordinary plate of The Solar System, a map of the world, a map of Europe, etc.
Richard Turner (1753-1788), was the son of the clergyman and educational writer, whose works were written primarily for the education of young people. An Easy Introduction to the Arts and Sciences was one of Turner’s most popular works, firstly published in 1783. By 1825, the book reached the 19th edition. It was reprinted at least until 1832. WorldCat locates only two copies of the second edition and one of the first, all at the British Library.
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London, Printed for S. Crowder, 1787.
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Size: 16,5 cm x 10 cm
Pp.: [2] + 154 + [6] + 8 plates
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Binding: Original leather binding with a blind-stamped title on the spine cover. Signs of wear along the edges scratches on the panels, spine extremes damaged, bumped corners.
Condition: Ink inscriptions by the previous owner on the flyleaf and title page.
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