Pilot-Corpus of 19th-Century British Grammar Books

This pilot-corpus of 19th-century British grammar books consists of 40 grammars (approximately 3 million words). It is designed to contain the most well-known and most widely distributed British grammars of the 19th century.

The forty texts were selected based on their number of published editions, their distribution, common use, prevalence in contemporary books and reports, school and college curricula, as well as their prominence in the secondary literature on grammar writing. Additionally, variety in function, audience, and text/grammar type (e.g. teaching grammars and reference grammars) were considered as selection criteria.

Author Year Title
Abbott, Edwin A.1871English Lessons for English People
Alexander, Levy1833The Young Lady and Gentleman's Guide to the Grammar of the English Language in Verse
Arnold, Thomas K.1838An English Grammar for Classical Schools
Bain, Alexander1863An English Grammar
Barnes, William1878An Outline of English Speech-Craft
Booth, David1837The Principles of English Grammar
Churchill, T.O.1823A New Grammar of the English Language
Cobbett, William1818Grammar of the English Language, in a Series of Letters
Coghlan, John1868Reformed English Grammar
Cramp, William1838The Philosophy of Language
Crane, George1843The Principles of Language; Exemplified in a Practical English Grammar
Crombie, Alexander1802The Etymology and Syntax of the English Language, Explained and Illustrated
Daniel, Rev. Evan1881The Grammar, History and Derivation of the English Language
Doherty, Hugh1841An Introduction to English Grammar, on Universal Principles
Duxbury, C.1886A New English Grammar of School Grammars
Earnshaw, Christopher1817The Grammatical Remembrancer
Fleay, Frederick G.1884The Logical English Grammar
Hazlitt, William1809A New and Improved Grammar of the English Tongue
James, J.H.1847The Elements of Grammar, according to Dr. Becker's System
Jamieson, Alexander1818A grammar of rhetoric and polite literature
Kigan, John1825A Practical English Grammar, agreeably to a new System
Latham, Robert G.1843An Elementary English Grammar
Leigh, Percival1840The Comic English Grammar
Lennie, William1810The principles of English grammar briefly defined, and neatly arranged
Marcet, Jane1835Mary's Grammar
Mason, C. P.1858English Grammar; including the Principles of Grammatical Analysis
McArthur, Alexander1836An outline of English grammar for the use of schools
Meiklejohn, John1862–66An Easy English Grammar for Beginners
Morell, John D.1852The analysis of sentences explained and systematised
Murray, Gerald1847The Reformed Grammar, or Philosophical Test of English Composition
Nesfield, John C.1898aEnglish Grammar Past and Present
Nesfield, John C.1898bManual on English Grammar and Composition
Simmonite, Wiliam J.1841The Practical Self-teaching Grammar of the English Language
Smart, Benjamin H.1847Grammar on its True Basis
Steel, G.1894An English grammar and analysis for students and young teachers
Sweet, Henry1892/98A New English Grammar: logical and historical
Thring, Rev. Edward1851The Elements of Grammar Taught in English
White, Frederick Averne1882English Grammar
Williams, David1818The catechism of English grammar
Wiseman, Thomas J.1846A School Grammar of the English Language