Beschreibung:

JEFFERSON, Thomas, President]. [GREEN, Francis, 1742-1809]. "Vox Oculis Subjecta;" A Dissertation on the Most Curious and Important Art of Imparting Speech, and the Knowledge of Language, to the Naturally Deaf, and (consequently) Dumb; With a particular Account of the Academy of Messrs. Braidwood of Edinburgh...By a Parent. London: Benjamin White 1783. 8 o (186 x 117 mm). Half-title, errata on p.[viii]. (Very slight browning, small marginal tear to title.) Dark blue straight-grained morocco gilt (ca.1800), gilt spine with a small tool of a winged hourglass, blue paper endleaves, g.e. (rubbed, small chip to spine). FIRST EDITION. Green, an American, was the father of an eight-year-old son who had begun attending Braidwood's school in 1781. He provides a detailed study of the teaching of the deaf and dumb in various nations, and goes in to particular detail, based on his own observation, of Braidwood's academy. Opened in Edinburgh in 1760 by Thomas Braidwood (1715-1806) and his son, it constituted the first British school for the deaf. Green states that his intention in the book is "to convince the world of the practicability of this extraordinary art." At the time his highly laudatory description was published, the academy consisted of about 20 pupils; Braidwood's teaching methods consisted of a combination of lip-reading and signs which proved effective in most of the cases treated. PRESENTATION COPY TO PRESIDENT THOMAS JEFFERSON signed by the author at the end of the preface: "F. Green Native of Boston N.A.," with a couplet from Ovid penned at the base of the title-page, and with an explanatory note of Green on the verso of the half-title: "P.S. Since the publication of the following,a public charitable Institution has happily been effected in England, under the patronage of the Duke of Buckingham & other benevolent characters. 1804." In addition, Green has made a number of small corrections in ink on some 25 pages. D & M 3360; National Library of Medicine/ 18th Century , p.185; Wellcome, III, p.160. [With:] JEFFERSON, Thomas. Autograph letter (third person), signature ("Th:Jefferson") in text, to [Edmund Jennings?] Randolph, n.p., 15 December 1805. 1 page, an oblong (220 x 182mm ), folded horizontally and neatly tipped into the volume facing the titlepage. A LETTER OF PRESENTATION FROM PRESIDENT JEFFERSON. The letter reads: "Th: Jefferson presents his compliments to Mr. Randolph & send him the book he mentioned the other day. It may give him some information on the subject which so justly interests him. The author having sent Th:J two copies, this one is at the service of Mr. Randolph." It is unclear to which member of the Randolph family Jefferson gave the volume as he carried on a correspondence with several, but it may well have been Edmund Jennings Randolph (1753-1815), who succeeded Jefferson in the post of Secretary of State in Washington's administration, serving 1794-1795. Greene's letter to Jefferson, dated 5 November 1805, from Medford, Massachusetts, presenting him with copies of his book, is in the Jefferson Papers (see Calendar of the Correspondence of Thomas Jefferson , II, p.278); Jefferson's acknowledgement to Green was dated 15 December 1805, the same day this copy was presented to a member of the Randolph family (see Calendar , I, p.192).