First Book in Chemistry for the Use of Schools and Families by Hooker, Worthington - 1862

New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1862. First Edition. Cloth. Very Good. First Edition. viii, [9]-231 pages. 5 1/2 x 6 7/8 inches. Dark blue/green, almost black cloth decorated in blind and gilt, spine lightly sunned but still bright and clean. 56 illustrations in the text, mostly of experiments or apparatus. Frontispiece showing a chemistry laboratory. Minor surface staining, occasional spotting internally, thumbed, light pink endpapers. Cloth. "Worthington Hooker [1806-1867] was an American physician, born in Springfield, Massachusetts...He graduated Yale University in 1825 and Harvard University with a degree in Medicine in 1829. He practiced in Connecticut until 1852. Afterwards, he was professor of the theory and practice of medicine at Yale. He was vice president of the American Medical Association in 1864." (-wikipedia). In the preface, Hooker relates that a lady who was teaching her daughter from his other book "Child's Book of Nature" felt it would be helpful to have a similar text available with "some simple and safe experiments which they might try for themselves." Hooker "put the matter to test" by lecturing to some children, and testing them on his next visit, finding that they were able to absorb the material and learn from it. His notes formed the basis for the present book, which was designed to follow "Child's Book of Nature", and he feels is appropriate for 11 or 12 year olds. He also notes his intention to follow this book with another series of 3 titles (including chemistry) "Science for the School and the Family" which he did eventually publish. Hard to find in the original cloth.