SALZMANN, Christian Gotthilf (attrib.).

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Gymnastics for Youth: First American edition, following the British of 1800, "a systematic and comprehensive manual of physical exercise" (Pfister, p. 164). This translation is sometimes attributed to Mary Wollstonecraft, and the illustrations are probably after designs by William Blake.The book is considered a foundational treatise on modern gymnastics. Borrowing from the Greek concept of gymnastics, the author takes the term to include all exercise, and includes chapters on running, wrestling, climbing, balance, vaulting, lifting, dancing, walking, and swimming. Following Rousseau, he focuses on the training of the human body in order to cultivate a strong and healthy mind. The book was printed across Europe in various translations. The translator, author, and illustrator are disputed. The translation, based on the 1793 German edition, is often attributed to Mary Wollstonecraft, who had previously translated Salzmann's Elements of Morality (1791). However, the book was published three years after her death and Windle has raised doubt over the attribution. Authorship is sometimes attributed to Johann Christoph Friedrich Guts Muths rather than Salzmann, whose name on the title page may reflect the publishers capitalizing on the success of his Elements.The plates are likely based on designs by William Blake (accepted by Geoffrey Keynes, stated as "probable" by ESTC). This edition has the plates "carefully but crudely copied by an American engraver" (Bentley & Nurmi). If the at

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