LEFEBVRE de VILLEBRUNE: Dictionnaire des particules... Lot 8

[LEFEBVRE de VILLEBRUNE]: Dictionnaire des particules anglaises précédé d'une grammaire raisonnée...Pissot, 1774. In-12 contemporary fawn basane, spine ribbed with gilt fillets (corners rubbed). Initially attracted to the sciences, Jean-Baptiste LEFEBVRE de VILLEBRUNE eventually opted for medicine. However, after completing his studies and practicing for a few years, he abandoned this profession to devote himself to his other great passion: languages. A philologist with a good memory and an undeniable facility for learning them, he mastered nearly 13 idioms in just a few decades. In addition to French, he speaks Latin, ancient Greek, Spanish, German, Italian, Swedish and English. His numerous translations include medical treatises, novels and texts from classical antiquity. He was also a teacher, and in 1774 he published a Dictionary of English Particles, aimed at a growing audience of people wishing to learn English, or at least to be able to read the language in text; this is the book presented here. As the author himself writes: "The English language has become so interesting for commerce & literature that it is impossible to do without it, as long as one traffics outside, or wants to appear literate." A good copy.