ANDRADE DE FIGUEIREDO, MANOEL DE.

Nova Escola para aprender a ler, escrever, & contar.

Lisboa Occidental Bernardo da Costa de Carvalho (1722) Quarto. (24), 156 pp. + 46 plates. First edition. Engraved frontispiece armorial of the Portuguese Escudo, and portrait of the author after Bernard Picart, plus 44 engraved plates showing various calligraphic styles. The text is arranged so as to work as a pedagogical guide: the first section sets out methods for instructing children how to read; the second addresses the teaching of writing; the third part treats the specifics of Portuguese orthography; and the last part presents methods for instructing the "eight types of arithmetic". What distinguishes this work is the calligraphic plates, engraved after designs by Figueiredo, which range from alphabets in various styles, to decorative texts presented ostensibly as lessons, which are ornamented with figures created from curlicues and other orthographic devices. Original Portuguese material dealing with the instruction of children is quite uncommon: much of it was imported and translated; and educational opportunities were generally limited to the upper classes. As a result, surivals tend to be well-used, as is the case with this copy, which has numerous paper repairs throughout, and the plates show signs of finger soiling in the lower right-hand margin. Some wear and rubbing to extremities, small tear to spine head, short split to lower front hinge, else a nice copy in nineteenth century full calf with elaborate paneling and scrollwork in blind. Binder's stamp on lower front pastedown. (Bonacini 66; Berlin Kat 5246).

• USD 2,500.00 > other currencies
• ordernr.: 21884

• bookseller: Bromer Booksellers Inc. (USA)