8vo. [8], 88pp. Original publisher's brown cloth, stamped in gilt, black, and blind. A trifle rubbed and marked. Scattered spotting.

The first edition of a strange work of literary instruction by Alfred Arthur Reade (1851-1917), British publisher and writer. The work is written in a reformed spelling dubbed 'Semiphonotypy', with the author asserting in the preface that there 'is now a very strong public feeling awakened in favour of a Reformed Spelling', promoting several new letters he has introduced alongside the exclusion of 'superfluous' consonants. The contents seek to advise the would-be author on the profession and practice of composing literature, with advice being offered on work schedules, editing, and even handwriting.