Chironomia; or a Treatise on Rhetorical Delivery: Comprehending Many Precepts, Both Ancient and Modern, for the Proper Regulation of the Voice, the Countenance, and Gesture. Together with an Investigation of the Elements of Gesture, and a New Method for the Notation Thereof; Illustrated by Many Figures, By the Reverend Gilbert Austin, Printed for T. Cadell and W. Davies, London, 1806, 583 pp, FIRST EDITION. 11 of 12 plates, modern buckram, 11 x 9”, 4to. 

In fair condition. Uneven discoloration, possibly from candle or flame, over entirety of cloth. Soiling to surface of cloth with scuffing to boards. Charred marks to end papers with dampness staining present at gutters. Ex-library of Clinton Hall Mercantile Library. Text is rippled from dampness staining with charr marks present at margins. Light toning throughout with scattered instances of foxing. Free of known marginalia. 11 of 12 plates present, lacking folding plate. Binding remains intact. Please see photos. 

   Gilbert Austin (1753–1837) was an Irish educator, clergyman and author. Austin is best known for his 1806 book on chironomia, Chironomia, or a Treatise on Rhetorical Delivery. Heavily influenced by classical writers, Austin stressed the importance of voice and gesture to a successful oration.

   Austin observed that British orators were skilled in the first four divisions of rhetoric: inventio, dispositio, elocutio, and memoria. However, the fifth division, pronuntiatio or delivery, was all but ignored. Delivery, which is often improperly referred to as elocution (elocutio), concerns the use of voice and gesture in an oration. Rather than study the art of delivery, orators trusted to the inspiration of the moment to guide their voices and gestures.

   Chironomia is a treatise on the importance of good delivery. In the first part of the book, Austin traces the study of the art of delivery from the classical world to the 18th century. The second part of the book is devoted to a description of the notation system Austin designed to teach students of rhetoric the management of gesture and voice. The system of notation is accompanied by a series of illustrations depicting positions of the feet, body and hands.

   Throughout Chironomia, Austin instructs speakers to avoid the appearance of vulgarity or rusticity. Austin first developed the system of notation described in Chironomia at his school for privileged young men. Austin's goal was to prepare his students for a life in the church or politics by training them to become better orators. Although Austin's system was eventually dismissed as too rigidly prescriptive, Chironomia was a highly influential book during the 19th century.

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