COBBETT LIBRARY.
When I am asked what books a young man or young woman ought to read, I always answer, Let him or her read all the books that I have written. This does, it will doubtless be said, smell of the shop. No matter. It is what I recommend; and experience has taught me that it is my duty to give the recommendation. I am speaking here of books other than THE REGISTER; and even these, that I call my LIBRARY, consist of thirty-nine distinct books; two of them being TRANSLATIONS; seven of them being written BY MY SONS; one (Tull's Husbandry) revised and edited, and one published by me, and written by the Rev. Mr. O'Callaghan, a most virtuous Catholic Priest. I divide these books into classes, as follows:—1 Books for Teaching Language; 2. On Domestic Management and Duties; 3. On Rural Affairs; 4. On the Management of National Affairs; 5. History; 6. Travels; 7. Laws; 8. Miscellaneous Politics. Here is a great variety of subjects, and all of them very dry; nevertheless, the manner of treating them is in general such as to induce the reader to go through the book when he has once begun it. I will now speak of each book separately, under the several heads above-mentioned. N.B.—All the books are bound in boards, which will be borne in mind when the price is looked at.—W.C.
1. BOOKS FOR TEACHING LANGUAGE.
ENGLISH SPELLING-BOOK.
I have been frequently asked by mothers of families, by some fathers, and by some schoolmasters even, to write a book that they could begin teaching by; one that should begin at a beginning of book learning, and smooth the way along to my own English Grammar, which is the entrance-gate. I often promised to comply with these requests, and, from time to time, in the intervals of political heats, I have thought of the thing, till, at last, I found time enough to sit down and put it upon paper. The objection to the common spelling books is, that the writers aim at teaching several important sciences in a little book in which the whole aim should be the teaching of spelling and reading. We are presented with a little Arithmetic, a little Astronomy, a little Geography, and a good deal of Religion! No wonder the poor little things imbibe a hatred of books in the first that they look into! Disapproving heartily of these books, I have carefully abstained from everything beyond the object in view, namely, the teaching of a child to spell and read; and this work I have made as pleasant as I could, by introducing such stories as children most delight in, accompanied by those little woodcut illustrations which amuse them. At the end of the book there is a "Stepping-stone to the English Grammar." It is but a step; it is designed to teach a child the different parts of speech, and the use of points, with one or two small matters of the kind. The book is in the duodecimo form, contains 176 pages of print, and the price is 1s. 6d.—W. C.
ENGLISH GRAMMAR.
COBBETT'S ENGLISH GRAMMAR. (Price 3s.)—This work is in a series of letters addressed to my son James, when he was 14 years old. I made him copy the whole of it before it went to press, and that made him a grammarian at once; and how able an one it made him will be seen by his own Grammar of the Italian Language, his Ride in France, and his Tour in Italy. There are at the end of this Grammar "Six Lessons intended to prevent Statesmen from using false Grammar;" and I really wish that our statesmen would attend to the instructions of the whole book. Thousands upon thousands of young men have been made correct writers by it; and it is next to impossible that they should have read it with attention without its producing such effect. It is a book of principles, clearly laid down; and when once these are got into the mind they never quit it. More than 100,000 copies of this work have been sold.—W. C.
FRENCH GRAMMAR.
COBBETT'S FRENCH GRAMMAR (Price 5s.); or, Plain Instructions for the Learning of French.—This book has had, and has, a very great effect in the producing of its object. More young men have, I dare say, learned French from it than from all the other books that have been published in English for the last fifty years. It is like the former, a book of principles, clearly laid down. I had this great advantage too, that I had learnt French without a master. I had grubbed it out, bit by bit, and knew well how to remove all the difficulties; I remembered what it was that had puzzled and retarded me; and I have taken care, in this, my Grammar, to prevent the reader from experiencing that which, in this respect, I experienced myself. This Grammar, as well as the former, is kept out of schools owing to the fear that the masters and mistresses have of being looked upon as Cobbettites. So much the worse for the children of the stupid brutes who are the cause of this fear, which sensible people laugh at, and avail themselves of the advantages tendered to them in the books. Teaching French in English Schools is, generally, mere delusion; and as to teaching the pronunciation by rules, it is the grossest of all human absurdities. My knowledge of French was so complete thirty-seven years ago, that the very first thing in the shape of a book that I wrote for the press, was a Grammar to teach the Frenchmen English; and, of course, it was written in French. I must know all about these two languages; and must be able to give advice to young people on the subject: their time is precious; and I advise them not to waste it upon what are called lessons from masters and mistresses. To learn the pronunciation, there is no way but that of hearing those, and speaking with those, who speak the language well. My Grammar will do the rest.—W. C.
A GRAMMAR OF THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE;