8vo. [2], ix, [1], 416pp. With a half-title. Contemporary vellum, lettered in black to spine, all edges red. Lightly discoloured, spine dulled, a trifle rubbed and marked. Armorial bookplate of Thomas Gaisford to FEP, scattered spotting.

A treatise on translation theory by historian Alexander Fraser Tytler (1747-1813), Essay on the Principles of Translation first appeared in 1791. Though providing scant contribution to linguistic study, the work is considered valuable in that it succinctly qualifies the laws and criteria for effective translation. Tytler states that a translation should fully represent both the ideas and style of the original source whilst possessing the ease of an original composition. Tytler would put his principles into practice when, in 1792, he produced the first English translation of Friedrich Schiller's play Die Rauber (The Robbers).