Blake, J. L.; [Marcet, Jane]. Conversations on Natural Philosophy, in which the Elements of that Science are familiarly Explained, and adapted to the Comprehension of Young Pupils, Illustrated with Plates; Improved by appropriate Questions, for the examination of Scholars; also by Illustrative Notes, and a Dictionary of Philosophical Terms. Boston: Gould, Kendall & Lincoln, 1837. Boston Stereotype Edition. [11719]
Full brown leather with a brown leather spine title label, spine with gilt lines & lettering, joints good 4 1/4 x 7 1/4 inches. [i]-viii, [9]-252 pp., 12 pp. of adverts followed by XXVII (of XXVIII) plates of drawings; lacks Plate II, Plate XXIII torn with loss of the bottom half.. First free end paper torn with loss, frequent pencil markings or scribbles, tight. Frontispiece illustration of the solar system. In summary, the text is complete; the book lacks one of the plates (illustrated page) at the end of the book, and another plate is torn. Good. Hardcover.
Rev. Blake edited and added questions to a text written by Jane Marcet, neé Haldimand (1769-1858), an innovative writer of science books. Rev. Blake mentions her in the Preface. Marcet wrote in the style of a conversation, with questions and answers, in contrast to the style of the lecture hall. This text on physics treats with gravity, laws of motion, mechanical powers, astronomy, hydrostatics, pneumatics, and optics.
A Dictionary of Philosophical Terms, pp. 265-276. The bottom margins have 1,136 questions upon the text.
John Lauris Blake (1788-1857), a native of New Hampshire; educated at Brown University, a minister of the Protestant Episcopal Church, serving congregations at Providence, Concord, and Boston during his ministry.
"He was for about twelve years the principal of a young ladies' school, during which time he published a number of popular text-books. A peculiar feature of his books, and which greatly contributed to their popularity, was the introduction of printed questions at the bottom of each page, a plan which has since been frequently adopted." - M'Clintock & Strong.
