(Manuscripts : American : Pedagogy). Diary of a Professor of Mathematics. Allen, Benjamin. [Schenectady, New York?]: 1 April, 1796 – 17 February, 1798.
1 vol in 4to, 171 pages. Later half-calf and original or contemporary boards; corners bumped, minor shelf wear. Text and pagination in brown ink, with author’s inscription on front free endpaper; moderately toned. Presumed written during, or slightly prior to, Dr. Allen’s tenure as Professor of Mathematics at Union College in Schenectady, New York. Discussions of education, religious life, friendship, and illness; frequent observations, too, on weather, the author’s favorite being “a cloudy day.” * Lot also includes a manuscript letter of 1809 confirming Dr. Allen’s appointment as Preceptor at Governor Dummer Academy; he would later found “a select and private Classical School” in Hyde Park, Duchess County, New York. (See American Monthly Magazine of December, 1817, readily accessible online).