NO KNOWN COPIES OF THIS GIRLS’ EDUCATIONAL TEXT Exercises in the First Four Rules of Arithmetic; Chiefly of a Domestic Kind: Designed Solely for the Use of his Own Scholars. A New Edition

RESERVED

Seemingly unique surviving copy of this 1804 work intended to teach arithmetic to young women. The author William Butler was quite prolific but this 1804 imprint intended for ‘the use of his own Scholars’ does not appear to be held in any library; the 1809 edition is recorded but OCLC but records no library holdings. Presumably printed in small numbers for Butler’s personal use as a teacher in London and frequently discarded after use since there are 32 engraved pages of problems which will usually - as in this case - have been filled in by pupils.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:

Octavo sized (12x20cm), recently bound in stiff card wrappers with new endpapers. Title page is lightly soiled and followed by 20 pages of printed exercises, A-B4; C2 and [ff] 32 of engraved problems, mostly completed in pen. The 22 pages of letterpress match OCLC’s collation for the missing 1809 edition, so the book is assumed to be complete.

CONTEXT: William Butler (1748-1822) published extensively on education in the early 19th century, describing himself in one imprint as a ‘Teacher of writing, accounts and geography in Ladies’ Schools’ giving an address off Cannon Street in the City of London. We can find no trace of this imprint; the 1809 edition is OCLC: 505215275 but also unlocated.