Creator
Edward Smith
Title
Philosophical Grammar of the English Language.
Coverage
Pittsburgh
Publisher
Luke Loomis
Date
1835
Subject
2d ed.
Description
Smith (1796–1874) was a nasty, litigious, chauvinistic, delusional, and reckless hypocrite. An itinerant Methodist preacher, he first published this grammar under the nonspecific name “E. Smith”—perhaps to evade charges of plagiarism. He stole major portions of his work from the late William S. Cardell. Upon discovery, he was tried in ecclesiastical proceedings to oust him from the church. Officially expelled until he could give evidence of “repentance and reformation,” he somehow regarded himself as acquitted and printed in book form the entirety of the damning trial. Then he ran for governor of Ohio, finishing third.