A group of five school exercise books comprising geographical dictations.

Five vols, 4to, each c.[40]pp.; all but one decorated with engravings and coloured stripes; a little worn, but overall well preserved.A charming group of school exercise books from the Swiss village of Lenk im Simmental, unusually bound in decorated printed wrappers. The passages for dictation are largely geographical, including descriptions of German and Italian cities and states and of other European and Mediterranean nations and regions, as well as more general discussions on topographic features (borders, mountains, seas and islands, rivers, and lakes) and on populations, religion, commerce and trade, climate and fertility, and natural resources both mineral and vegetable. The books are fittingly (if unusually) decorated with engraved illustrations relating to travel and exploration, one with images of Ferdinand Philippe d'Orléans' campaign in Algeria, another showing a 'Chinese punishment' and a hunting scene, and the two volumes belonging to Georg Christoph Lauterbach with scenes from Gumal und Lina, a children's story set in Africa. In the margins are occasional marks, some dated, with the teacher's feedback. Curiously, the teacher does not remark on Georg Christoph's consistent misspelling of his hometown, Lenk, as 'Benk'. Comprising: i) 'III.Classe. Preisbuch für Georg Christoph Lauterbach, am 25n Juni 1834'. [Lenk, 1834.] 4to, pp.[45]; pamphlet-stitched, covered with an engraved sheet with four illustrations and decorated with stripes in red, pink, and blue. ii) 'III.Klasse. Dictando-Buch der Barbara Lauterbach'. Lenk, 7 January 183612 May 1837. 4to, pp.[40]; pamphlet-stitched in blue wrappers. iii) 'IIIClasse. Diktandoheft des Georg Christoph Lauterbach'. 25 January 18398 October 1839. 4to, pp.[40]; pamphlet-stitched in blue wrappers, covered with an engraved sheet with four illustrations and decorated with red, blue, and pink stripes. iv) [Dictations on geography.] 'Benk' (i.e.Lenk), 24 February 184826 March 1849. 4to, pp.[40]; pamphlet-stitched in plain wrappers, covered with an engraved sheet ('Der Herzog von Orleans' and 'Algerier Truppen') and decorated with rainbow-coloured stripes, edges stained red. v) [Dictations on geography.] Lenk, 23 April 184918 December 1849. 4to, pp.[36], seemingly lacking an initial leaf; embroidery pattern in pencil and ink to inner rear cover and sheet of woodcut lace patterns loosely inserted; pamphlet-stitched in plain wrappers, covered with an engraved sheet ('Halali!' and 'Chinesische Strafe!') and decorated with rainbow-coloured stripes; numerous ink inscriptions of Margaretha Hartmann, Zettlitz, 187 0s. Language: German.…