Czech, Franz Hermann.

24 parts, folio (383 x 271mm.), printed on thick paper, engraved frontispiece, 67 plates and 4 maps (2 folding), some smaller woodcuts in text, original printed wrappers, uncut and almost entirely unopened, modern cloth box, some light spotting, some wrappers lightly dust-soiled, one or two wrappers and spines repaired

first edition, first issue, in original parts, very rare. Intended as an aid to teachers of the deaf, this work states for the first time in the preface, addressed to 'all governments of civilised states', the educational demands of the deaf. Czech (1788-1847), professor at the Taubstummen-Institut in Vienna, believed the development of the deaf's ability to think was conditioned neither by articulated sounds or writing, nor by articial signs or natural gestures. Instead he considered thought a spiritual activity, peculiar to each person, whether deaf or hearing, requiring nothing but the influence of objects in the material world.

This initial, deluxe issue was followed by further issues in 1836 and 1838, with different pagination and the plates at the end of the work rather than in each part. A second edition was published in 1844.