"Dufief's Nature Displayed in Her Mode of Teaching Language to Man: Being a New and Infallible Method of Acquiring a Languages, in the Shortest Time Possible, Deduced from the Analysis of the Human Mind, and Consequently Suited to Every Capacity. Adapted to the Spanish." With a second title page, in Spanish: "La naturaleza descubierta por N.G. Dufief, en el modo con que ella ensena el lenguage a los hombres."

By Don Manuel De Torres and L. Hargous. Volume I. Containing The Spanish Language, La Gramatica Inglesa, and The English Reader, printed by T. Palmes, Philadelphia, 1811. First edition with 1811 imprinted on the title page and copyright.

Provenance:

This book belonged to the members of two prominent American families: Lt. W.A. Randolph and "his friend" J.G (?) Paine, according to the pencil inscriptions, in 1822 & 1823 it was given to Wm. A. Randolph, U.S. Navy.

Hard boards, leather [leather wear, damages and old repairs: see photos]; 5.1/4" x 8.1/2"; "Lt. W. A. Randolph From his friend J. G. Paine," crossed out name, "U.S. Navy" and "July 1822" is written on the front endpaper, the same names on the verso of the Spanish title page, "Paine 1823 to Randolph" is pencil written on top of the English title page, 557 pages + 3-page advertising, some soiling and wear, good condition.

Nicolas Gouin Dufief wrote a very successful guide to learning French that was first published in 1804 and went through many editions. In 1811, Lewis Hargous, a teacher of French and Spanish (later at Princeton) and Manuel de Trujillo de Torres (ca. 1764-1822), a diplomat and Spanish teacher, made an authorized adaptation of Dufief's book to Spanish. Torres, a native of Spain, emigrated to Colombia in 1778; participated in an independence uprising in 1794; and fled to the US in 1796, where he lived until his death at age 58. Following Colombian independence, Torres was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to the US.

According to the official biography, Manuel de Trujillo y Torres (1762-1822) was a Colombian publicist and diplomat. He is best known for being received as the first ambassador of Colombia by U.S. President James Monroe on June 19, 1822. This act represented the first U.S. recognition of a former Spanish colony's independence.

Running out of money, Torres sustained himself in part by teaching. With Louis Hargous he wrote an adaptation for both English- and Spanish-teaching of Nicolas Gouin Dufief's Nature Displayed in Her Mode of Teaching Language to Man. Revised editions by Mariano Velazquez de la Cadena were published in New York (1825) and London (1826).

US: Priority (c.2-4 days) ----------- $18.50
Canada: Priority (c 2-6 weeks) --- $32.50
World: Priority (c.2-8 weeks) --- $48.50