1894 printing of 1887 copyrighted text. The author is credited with an M.A. and as Professor of the Theory, History, and Practice of Education in the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. The preface states the text has material for four years of study and one year of training college for pupil-teachers. It also suggests its use in colleges, ladies' seminaries, high schools, academies, preparatory and normal schools. The text aims for simplicity and clearness. Part one's chapters cover orthography, etymology, words and their functions, syntax, analysis, word-building and derivation, word-branching, words derived from names of persons and places, words disguised in form, and words that have changed in meaning. Part two covers composition, punctuation, figures of speech, paraphrasing, prosody exercises and exam questions. The Schultz Archive copy contains the preface, TOC, and the section on composition from part two.
1907 copyrighted text. Author is credited with a PhD and as Assistant Professor of English in the University of Wisconsin. A practical manual for students of composition for reference in case of errors in themes and for independent reference by those who want information on good usage, grammar, spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, manuscript-arrangement, and letter-writing. Preface argues the text is purposefully dogmatic, as it is necessary for most students to observe rigidly and invariably rules to which masters of the art make exceptions. The author credits the influence of Professors Adams Sherman Hill, William Dwight Whitney, Alphonso G. Newcomer, John Duncan Quackenbos, Fred Newton Scott, and Joseph Villier Denney. Section one, the Composition of Discourse, includes: introductory on the standard of good usage, diction, the structure of sentences, and the structure of larger units of discourse. Section two, Putting Discourse on Paper, covers: spelling, legibility, arrangement of manuscript, alterations in manuscript, punctuation, syllabication, abbreviations, etc. Section three is Analytical Outlines; section four, Letter-Writing; section five, a Glossary of Miscellaneous faulty expressions. The appendices cover: exercises for breaking certain bad habits in writing and speaking, a grammatical vocabulary, and a list of words that are often mispronounced. The Schultz Archive is roughly the complete 239 page text.
1988 printing of 1877 text, new matter copyrighted 1988. Introduction discusses the publication history of the text, and explicates some of Whitney's insights and innovations. The intro compares Whitney's text to the writings of his contemporaries, such as E. A. F. Maetzner, Samuel Greene, John Ash, Thomas Harvey, and Alonzo Reed and Brainerd Kellogg. Whitney's preface states that the pursuit of correctness in writing should be a secondary or subordinate purpose, and is best sought indirectly. It advocates constant use and practice, under never-failing watch and correction. Schultz Archive copy includes Downey's introduction, the original preface, TOC, and the first 23 pages of the text.