THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE MIND: SECOND PART. with Various Remarks and Rules about the Communication of Useful KNowledge. Also a Discourse on the Education of Children and Youth. . Being the Posthumous Works of.Isaac Watts

1782 t.p.+226+Preface (pag.iii-iv)+1773 '2nd ed.' t.p.+227-230+Contents (pag.vii-viii) + 1751-dated Preface pp.v-vi + 231- 336, tailpiece to final page. Internally clean, tight & unmarked bar an early stencilled monogram fr.pastedown, end-gutters cracking but secure, long tear to 1783 t.p., now repaired with archival tear repair tape; boards clean but some patch of leather loss top fr. from insect damage, both joints hair-line cracked but wider bottom fr., sp.surface dried and cracked, no lable but title still visible, sp.ends rubbed, dentelled edges, a silk place-marker has left faint line on two pages where inserted. Not in BL, which lists only 1784 ed. Extremely scarce but this copy raises question of why Preface and 2nd ed. t.p. are bound in two-thirds of the way through with divided & misplaced Preface plus Contents. Clearly a binding muddle. This compendium of Watts's various further unpublished essays and 'composures in prose and verse'. Watts died in 1748 and while the Preface is dated June 1751 it already includes apologies for delay in publication, suggesting this was impending. I have, however, from an albeit cursory web-search been unable to locate any copies prior to 1784 (and it is this which modern reprint outfits appear to be using), so given that 1773 is given as 'second edition' it seems likely this is the 3rd.…