1847 First Lessons on Natural Philosophy (History) for Children Mary A. Swift

First Lessons on Natural Philosophy, for Children. Part First. By Miss Mary A. Swift, Principal of the Litchfield Female Seminary. Stereotype Edition. Hartford: Belknap and Hamersley, 1847. 107 p. 5.5 x 4.25", 18mo. In fair condition. REAR BOARD DETACHED FROM BINDING. Front board attached via cloth spine ONLY. Boards normally scuffed at edges and worn at corners. Head and tail of spine lacking with exposed binding. Spine chipped and torn. Preliminary leaves lacking - text-block begins at frontispiece. Normal toning and age-staining through text-block. Text-block remains intact; binding needs repair (i.e. boards attached). Please see photos and ask questions, if any, before purchasing. Mary Amelia Swift (1812 – 1875) was an American teacher and textbook writer. Little is known of her early life, though she was raised in western and central Connecticut. In 1833, she became the principal of the Litchfield Female Academy, leading the school for three years. That year, noting a need to teach basic science and finding no adequate textbooks, she wrote First Lessons on Natural Philosophy–Part First. It was one of the first scientific texts written by a woman and was based on her observations of teaching needs from her classroom experience. Three years later she wrote a more advanced textbook for older children, First Lessons on Natural Philosophy–Part Second. This is an early edition (NOT FIRST; first edition published in 1833). FORN-TUB-0098-BB-2601-HK3162.…