Astronomical and Geographical Catechism for the Use of Children.
Boston: Caleb Bingham, 1805.
Price: $450.00
About the item
The Eighth Edition. 36pp. 12mo. Original marbled wrappers. Shaw 8029.
Item #333546
First published in 1795, all early editions are scarce. "Arranged as a series of questions and answers designed to be memorized and recited by rote, this popular “catechism” sheds light on the astronomical and geographical knowledge deemed important for young Americans in the 1790s—when there were seven planets (one of which was named “Herschel”), fifteen United States, and the nation’s western boundary was defined by the Mississippi River. The author, Caleb Bingham was a schoolmaster at Moor’s Indian Charity School (which became Dartmouth College), as well as at a private girls’ school in Boston" (https://jcblibrary.org/collection/astronomical-and-geographical-catechism-use-children).
