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Title: Elementary French Composition (Nelson?s Modern Studies Series, No. 5)
Author: R. L. Græme Ritchie, M.A., D.Litt. and James M. Moore, M.A.
Publisher: Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd., London, Edinburgh, Paris, Melbourne, Toronto, and New York
Publication Year: Reprint edition, circa 1946 (based on printing history: first published 1930; reprinted 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934 (twice), 1935, 1937, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946 (twice))
Binding: Hardcover, green cloth boards with embossed lantern motif on front cover. No dust jacket, as issued.
Pages: Approximately 172 pp., including preface, contents, vocabulary, index of passages for translation, and illustrations.
This is a charming vintage educational textbook designed for elementary French composition, part of Nelson?s ?Modern Studies? series under the general editorship of Professor Græme Ritchie. Aimed at school students, it provides graded exercises in French writing, focusing on verb tenses (present, perfect, future, imperfect, etc.), vocabulary building, and translation passages. The preface explains its purpose: to aid beginners in composing simple French sentences, drawing from Cambridge University Press materials for ?First? and ?Second? French Courses. Content includes sections on verb conjugations, sample dialogues (e.g., ?A Conversation? on p. 32, ?The Perfect Good? on p. 33, ?We Cross the Channel? on p. 56), and illustrated stories like ?Our Dog? (p. 17), ?The Dipper?s Nest? (p. 48), and ?Moonlight? (p. 49). Features delightful period illustrations.
As an ex-school library copy from Luton High School, this book offers a snapshot of mid-20th-century British education, with the checkout ledger providing social history interest?tracking postwar students? use over nearly a decade. Ideal for collectors of vintage language textbooks, educational memorabilia, or local Luton/Bedfordshire history. Despite wear, it remains a functional and evocative piece from the era of rationing and reconstruction.
Condition: Good overall for a vintage school textbook, with signs of heavy use commensurate with age and educational context. Exterior: Green cloth covers show moderate fading and rubbing particularly to spine and edges. Corners bumped and frayed; spine worn with minor fraying. Front cover has faint handwritten inscriptions (possibly ?English? or similar, faded). Back cover has some staining and scuffs. Binding is sound but with some looseness from use. Interior: Pages are age-toned but clean and unmarked except for occasional pencil notes or underlining in exercises (e.g., future tense conjugations on p. 37). Ex-library from Luton High School (Bedfordshire, UK), with library label on front pastedown (No. 27, ?Luton High School Library (Text Books)?), and a checkout record sheet listing student borrowers from 1949-1958, including names like Barbara Baron (Pre. 5C, 1949), Rosemary Dixon (IV M, 1950), V. Wrycroft (IV M, 1951), Sidney Morley (IV A, 1952), Janet Morley (IV S, 1953), Patricia Volger (IV C, 1953), Mollie Bingham (II A, 1954-55), Kathleen Huckstep (II C, 1955-56), Marjorie Rainford (II C, 1956-57), and Billie Major (IV B, 1957-58). Endpapers have tape remnants and minor foxing. No major tears or missing pages, but light creasing in places. Illustrations intact, including black-and-white drawings.
The illustrations in ?Elementary French Composition? were created by Marcel Jeanjean (1893?1973), a French artist, illustrator, and poster designer. He was a World War I aviator who became known for his aeronautical-themed works, including books, drawings, and posters. Jeanjean was appointed as an official painter to the French Ministry of Air in 1931. His style often featured whimsical, detailed line drawings.
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