"Slips of speech: Who does not make them? The best of us do. Why not avoid them? Any one inspired with the spirit of self-improvement may readily do so. No necessity for studying rules of grammar or rhetoric when this book may be had. It teaches both without the study of either. It is a counselor, a critic, a companion, and a guide, and is written in a most entertaining and chatty style."
(taken from the advertisement included in the end pages of this book)
Slips of Speech by John H. Bechtel is structured like an etiquette book for spoken and written language in the United States around the turn from 19th century to the 20th. Anyone interested in grammar minutiae, late 1800’s slang, or the natural evolution of language in the past hundred years is sure to be amused. Originally published in 1895, this particular copy was printed in 1913 by the Penn Publishing Company in Philadelphia. It is bound with mossy green cloth covered boards embellished with a deeper green vinelike design. The title is engraved and painted white. The pages are tanned with age but crisp, without fold or tears. The text is clean, no marks or underlines. The is some wear to the top and bottom of the spine as well as the corners of the binding, and the crease where the front pastedown meets the backing material has begun to fracture.