Les règles de la bienséance et de la civilité Chrétienne. Chartres, Poignant, ‘libraire-relieur’, 1826.
8vo (162 x 95 mm), pp. [viii], 100, the majority of the text in civilité type, outer corner of the final leaf torn with loss of page numbers, an ugly stain at the head of p. 4 with show-through pp. 3-5, several corners creased, text browned and a little stained in part, title-page dusty, in a home-made limp vellum binding, with pink paper pastedowns and sewn in broad stitches across both covers and along spine.
An apparently unrecorded edition of this popular work on children’s education by Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle, educational reformer, priest and founder of the Institue of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. He is celebrated by the Catholic Church as the Patron Saint of Teachers of Youth. He was also related to Claude Moët, founder of Moët & Chandon. Unpopular during his lifetime for his insistence on bridging the social divide, for devoting his life to the education of the children of artisans and the poor - and for inviting teachers to live in his house so that he could train them - La Salle’s legacy continues today with over 1000 educational centres worldwide.
The first part of his text is devoted to the body, encouraging cleanliness and good manners and warning against frowning, nose picking, knuckle-cracking and spitting. In the second part he proceeds to discuss clothes, diet and recreation, including social conventions, basic habits of honesty and the solving of disagreements. In a curious final section he lists easily confused words, such as ‘bois’ for wood and ‘bois’ for I drink.
This edition was printed by Anne-Charles-François-Bonaventure Poignant, bookseller, bookbinder, playing card and second hand clothes seller, and Chartres’ first lithographic printer. His published output includes a catechism, a Latin grammar and a Psalter, all for the use of local schoolchildren.
No copies of this edition traced on OCLC or CCfr.