Americanisms; the English of the new world

New York: Charles Scribner, 1872. First edition, 8vo, pp. [2], 685; spine ends chipped, front cover stained; orig. maroon cloth; good copy of a scarce book; review of the book on two pages extracted from The Nation laid in. The author emigrated to Boston from Prussia in 1843 and on Longfellow's recommendation was elected professor of modern languages at the University of Virginia. "His published studies on the genius and development of the English language were original and in advance of similar efforts elsewhere... He deserved remembrance for having inaugurated the systematic study of Anglo-Saxon. Likewise, he offered successful courses in comparative philology, at a period when few American colleges had recognized the value of the comparative method... All that he wrote was characterized by vivacity and smoothness of style, by studious accuracy and catholic culture" (DAB).