Description
FIRST EDITION, 8vo, pp. v, [iii], [444]. Printed on blueish paper. Contemporary dark grey boards. A touch of spotting. Somewhat soiled and marked, joints rubbed, some wear to extremities. Sheet of patterned paper pasted to rear blank.
An Universal European Dictionary of Merchandise, In The English, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Polish & Latin Languages.
- London: Printed for J. Johnson 1799
- ESTC T110022; Alston II 133.
£500
Notes
The first English edition of Nemnich's trade dictionary, in which an idiosyncratic collection of words related to trade, chattels and mercantile matters (Harness, Harpoons, Harpsichords, Hartshorn, Hats) are given in 11 languages, with some others (Hartall: 'the yellow arsenic', Head-Matter: 'The brains and blubber of the head of the South Sea spermaceti-whale') are glossed in English. Following this section are short word-lists in which each language is treated separately, with alphabetic lists translated to English. It was prepared concurrently with a German-language version by Hamburg-based lexicographer Philipp Andreas Nemnich (1764-1822).
