1848 printing of the 1848 copyrighted text. The author is credited as Principal of the Epes Grammar School in Salem, MA. A composition manual with blank pages for students to transcribe and preserve their compositions for the purposes of improving their taste, gaining knowledge of themselves, improving their thinking and writing, and providing evidence of their improvement. The book also provides a condensed presentation of rules, abbreviation, and common signs used in writing and printing. It also includes the meaning of foreign words and phrases. The Schultz Archive's copy only includes pages on writing and sending letters, and advice on composing taken from Blair (clearness, unity, strength, and harmony), plus a list of subjects for composing.