The New Guide of the Conversation in Portuguese and English in Two Parts

Carolino, Pedro

Published by Peking and to the House of All the Booksellers of Paris, 1869

About this Item

Half morocco, marbled boards. Second edition first published in 1855. This work, remarkable for its inaccuracies, is believed to be a translation of an 1853 Portuguese- French phrasebook by Jose de Fonseca, and indeed the first edition was wrongly attributed to Fonseca. The translator (presumably Pedro Carolino) appears to have had no knowledge of English and used only a French-English dictionary to carry out his translation, resulting an a multitude of hilarious errors, not least in the section entitled 'Idiotisms and Proverbs' which contains phrases such as "That which feels one's snotly blow one's nose" and "Take out the live coals with the hand of the cat". The book attracted the attention of Mark Twain who wrote in his introduction to the first American edition that "Its delicious unconscious ridiculousness and enchanting naivete are as supreme and unacceptable, in their own way, as are Shakespeare's sublimities". There have been many subsequent editions, most under the title 'English as She is Spoke'. Ink inscription to front free endpaper "James B. Thayer from E.R.T. January 15th 1882". James B. Thayer (1831-1902) was an American legal expect and writer. His son was Ezra Ripley Thayer (E.R.T.) who was also a lawyer and taught at Harvard Law School. The front hinge is slightly pulled, but in general this is a nice copy.

Seller Inventory # 009691

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The New Guide of the Conversation in Portuguese and English in Two Parts
• Publisher: Peking and to the House of All the Booksellers of Paris
• Publication Date: 1869
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Antiquarian