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8° (21.5 x 14 cm): [2 pp.], iv, 80 pp., bound in contemporary quarter maroon calf over burgundy pebbled cloth (Good, some sporadic spots of toning, extensive contemporary manuscript notes and corrections in neat black pen and pencil, light abrasion to upper left margin of title from erased former owner s name, binding with light shelf-wear and slight split to front of head of spine) MADAGASCAR MALAGASY LANGUAGE / EARLY MADAGASCAR IMPRINT: A very rare and important landmark of the study of the Malagasy language and early printing in Madagascar, being a comprehensive grammar of Malagasy made by the Reverend William Edward Cousins, who was one of the leading figures in the 1860s revival of Western and missionary and activity in Madagascar and one of the most prolific authors and connoisseurs of the Malagasy language; published in Antananarivo by the London Missionary Society s press; interestingly, the present example features extensive contemporary manuscript notes and corrections by an intensely interested party. - This is the first edition of William Cousins Grammar of Malagasy, based on his stellar command of the language. Published by the London Missionary Society Press in Antananarivo, it was contemporarily described as being the "By far the best Malagasy Grammar in English" [The Academy, vol. 23 (1883), p. 369] and, in many ways, it set the gold standard for how the language should be written and properly understood. Importantly, Cousins lessons concern the Merina Dialect, the version of Malagasy that originated in the central highlands of Madagascar, which had since the early 19th century became the dominant and official dialect of the country. Cousins work is divided into several sections, or distinct topical lessons: I. The Letters; II. Roots; III. The Derivatives; IV. The Verbs; V. The Nouns; VI. The Adjectives; VII. The Pronouns; VIII. The Numerals; IX. The Article; X. The Discriminative Particle; XI. The Adverbs; XII. The Prepositions; XII. The Conjunctions; XIII. The Interjections; XV. The Arrangement of Words in a Sentence; and XVI. Specimen of Analysis. Interestingly, the present example of the work features extensive contemporary manuscript annotations and corrections clearly added by a deeply engaged student of Malagasy, most likely in Madagascar. Cousins A Concise Introduction to the Study of the Malagasy Language was very highly regarded in its time and served the standard work on the subject for some years. It was reissued by the LMS Press in Antananarivo, with the second edition published in 1885 and the third in 1894. A French translation was issued in 1897 under the title Introduction sommaire à l étude de la langue malgache. A Note on Rarity - Like all 19th century Madagascar imprints, the present work is very rare. Even in its time it was said that it was "not easily obtained in England" [The Academy, vol. 23 (1883), p. 369]. We can trace 5 institutional examples of the present first edition of 1873, held by the British Library (2 examples); School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London; University of Cambridge; and the University of Pennsylvania. Moreover, we cannot trace any sales records for any other examples of the work since 1955. References: British Library (2 examples): 12907.bb.1. and T 5592; School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London: EB87.927 /356568; University of Cambridge: S843.c.87.1; University of Pennsylvania: LIBRA 499.3 C836; OCLC: 83833108, 79566186; A Critical Dictionary of English Literature, and British and American Authors…, vol. 4 (1891), p. 397; James SIBREE, A Madagascar Bibliography (1885), p. 10; The Academy, vol. 23 (1883), p. 369; The Antananarivo Annual and Madagascar Magazine, vols. 1-2, (1875), p. 120; Trübner s American, European and Oriental Literary Record (1880), p. 3. Cf. [re: background:] Carole HOLDEN, 'Early Printing from Africa in the British Library , The British Library Journal, vol. 23, no. 1 (1997), pp. 1 . Seller Inventory # 70483
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