Reviews

Hugh Blair’s Lectures on Rhetoric was huge back in the early 19th century by writers in English composition and rhetoric. This is one of the older, and hopefully more valuable, abridged editions. It also contains some study question.
I came to Blair after reading David Irving’s note of appreciation in his Preface for Elements of English Composition. My suspicion is that this work, Lectures, became popular more on the strength of Blair’s rhetorical art than for riveting reading. Nonetheless, Blair had noble intentions: “Though they [rules and instructions] are incapable of producing great excellencies, they may at least serve to prevent considerable mistakes” (10).
Blair, Hugh. Lectures on Rhetoric, Abridged. New York: Collins, 1831. http://books.google.com/books/reader?id=DPkAAAAAYAAJ.