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Her second book on the subject of physiology was published posthumously by a different publisher, [[Jarrold & Sons]], for the Ladies’ Sanitary Association.<ref name="Sanitary">{{cite book |last1=Bullar |first1=Anne |title=Every-day wonders of bodily life, essential to be known for health and comfort |date=1862 |publisher=Jarrold & Sons; Ladies' Sanitary Association |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/b21460206 |accessdate=4 November 2018}}</ref> It appears to be a revision of ''Every-day wonders; or, facts in physiology which all should know'', published twelve years earlier. While explaining the facts of physiology in language which the young would easily understand, she attributes these "Every-day wonders" to God, for example, "in this way God has so wonderfully contrived that the good and the bad blood should not be mixed."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bullar |first1=Anne |title=Every-day wonders of bodily life, essential to be known for health and comfort |date=1862 |page=13 |publisher=Jarrold & Sons; Ladies' Sanitary Association |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/b21460206/page/12 |accessdate=4 November 2018}}</ref> This aspect of her work received approbation at the time, from those who believed that "more means should be afforded for giving the children easy lessons in natural theology, showing them the evidences of the skill, power, and above all of the benevolence of the Deity, which were to be seen in the creation and government of the world."<ref>{{cite journal |title=Warehousemen and Clerks' Schools |journal=The Standard |date=7 July 1862 |page=2 (3rd column) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/401647624/?terms=%22Every-day%2Bwonders%2Bof%2Bbodily%2Blife%22 |accessdate=4 November 2018 |location=London}}</ref>
Her second book on the subject of physiology was published posthumously by a different publisher, [[Jarrold & Sons]], for the Ladies’ Sanitary Association.<ref name="Sanitary">{{cite book |last1=Bullar |first1=Anne |title=Every-day wonders of bodily life, essential to be known for health and comfort |date=1862 |publisher=Jarrold & Sons; Ladies' Sanitary Association |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/b21460206 |accessdate=4 November 2018}}</ref> It appears to be a revision of ''Every-day wonders; or, facts in physiology which all should know'', published twelve years earlier. While explaining the facts of physiology in language which the young would easily understand, she attributes these "Every-day wonders" to God, for example, "in this way God has so wonderfully contrived that the good and the bad blood should not be mixed."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bullar |first1=Anne |title=Every-day wonders of bodily life, essential to be known for health and comfort |date=1862 |page=13 |publisher=Jarrold & Sons; Ladies' Sanitary Association |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/b21460206/page/12 |accessdate=4 November 2018}}</ref> This aspect of her work received approbation at the time, from those who believed that "more means should be afforded for giving the children easy lessons in natural theology, showing them the evidences of the skill, power, and above all of the benevolence of the Deity, which were to be seen in the creation and government of the world."<ref>{{cite journal |title=Warehousemen and Clerks' Schools |journal=The Standard |date=7 July 1862 |page=2 (3rd column) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/401647624/?terms=%22Every-day%2Bwonders%2Bof%2Bbodily%2Blife%22 |accessdate=4 November 2018 |location=London}}</ref>


Her books are early examples of writing specifically for young people and exhibit an understanding of developmental psychology. In her books, Bullar frequently takes care to make analogies that a young reader or listener would understand, and approaches her audience with age-appropriate language in a way that earlier children’s writers often failed to do.{{Citation needed|date=November 2018}}
Her books are early examples of writing specifically for young people and exhibit an understanding of developmental psychology. In her books, Bullar frequently takes care to make analogies that a young reader or listener would understand, and using language appropriate for her audience. Her comparison of the body's nervous system and the electric telegraph is mentioned approvingly in ''A study of the history of modern insomnia'' (2014), as "allowing anatomical fundamentals to be conveyed even in a children's book".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Scrivner |first1=L |title=Becoming Insomniac: How Sleeplessness Alarmed Modernity |date=2014 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=New York |isbn=9781137268747 |pages=24-25 |url=https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=mVeoBAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&ots=mXWOIfzVAE&sig=Yr1wIFbm8SWFRrinoPwKnsCI1sU#v=onepage&q=Bullar&f=false |accessdate=4 November 2018}}</ref>


== Personal life ==
== Personal life ==

Revision as of 02:22, 4 November 2018

Anne Bullar
Born(1812-12-30)December 30, 1812
Southampton, England
DiedJune 29, 1856(1856-06-29) (aged 43)
Alton, England
OccupationWriter
Years active1837–1856

Anne Bullar (30 December 1812 – 29 June 1856) was an English author of educational texts for children, whose books were highly regarded and in great demand in educational establishments of the time.[1]

Early life

Anne Bullar was born in Southampton, Hampshire, on 30 December 1812, the fifth of six surviving children to John Bullar, a schoolmaster and deacon in the Congregationalist church, and his wife Susannah, née Whatman.[1][2] Little is known of her life or education, although the family was well-educated; her brothers were solicitors and doctors.[3]

Career

Anne Bullar wrote at least six books, with the first, Elements of Practical Knowledge or The Young Inquirer Answered, appearing by 1837, before she turned 25.[4] Her books were published anonymously during her life, and appeared in her publisher Van Voorst's catalogues under her name after her death.[5][6] They were reviewed in journals intended for readers in Britain's empire and armed services,[7][8] and several were reprinted many times.

The preface to Elements of Practical Knowledge describes the compiler as "the father (and instructor) of a family".[9] Whether Miss Bullar had compiled her father's questions and answers, or took on a male persona so that her work would be taken seriously, is not known. The author's intention was to provide intelligible and correct information, to assist those who had difficulty in answering children's questions. A second edition was published to meet demand,[9] although one educator of the time disputed whether the knowledge was in fact "practical" in any way.[10]

Domestic Scenes in Greenland and Iceland, her second book, appeared in 1844. It was judged by one reviewer to be "written in a very attractive style, and well calculated to excite a desire for further information";[7] another considered that there was "nothing so well calculated to give children a correct notice of the countries".[8] A recent (2002) history of the Victorians' fascination with the Vikings takes a more critical view, summing it up as "a stodgy digest", "a pot-pourri of information", with "stern, no nonsense judgements: [such as]... 'wicked' ... 'cruel' ... 'silly falsehoods' ".[11] However, although Miss Bullar decried Greenlander traditions as “foolish,” she continued, “perhaps if [Greenlanders] were to come to England, they might think some of our customs as silly, and as unbecoming as we think this of theirs.” In a time where foreign cultures were often characterized as “savage” or “unenlightened,” Miss Bullar was more hesitant to judge the customs of other cultures, and seems to have been an early proponent of what is now called cultural relativism.[citation needed]

Like her brother John Bullar Jr, Miss Bullar was also a sanitary reformer. Her third book, Every-day wonders; or, facts in physiology which all should know, stressed the importance of clean air, healthy food, good posture, exercise, frequent bathing, and dental care. It also stated that disabilities such as blindness and deafness did not make someone inherently less intelligent, giving Laura Bridgman as an example, and promoted adaptive accommodations such as sign language[12] and the manual alphabet.[13]

Her fourth book, a history of England before the Norman Conquest, also received favourable reviews. One thought it "comprehensive and well-compiled", and through "the excellence of the descriptions" "this important history may thus be acquired with greater ease and advantage".[14] Another recommended it as "compendious ... written in a plain and popular style, and well adapted for the instruction of the young".[15] It was not universally acclaimed, however, with one reviewer finding it "too detached and disconnected" for its intended young readers.[16]

A Sunday book for the young; or, habits of patriarchal times in the East was the only one of her books with a religious theme. Intended to "explain[] .. manners and customs .. which sorely puzzle juvenile readers of the scriptures",[17] it was judged "a very pretty little book",[18] "extremely good ... will be a favourite with children".[17]

Her second book on the subject of physiology was published posthumously by a different publisher, Jarrold & Sons, for the Ladies’ Sanitary Association.[19] It appears to be a revision of Every-day wonders; or, facts in physiology which all should know, published twelve years earlier. While explaining the facts of physiology in language which the young would easily understand, she attributes these "Every-day wonders" to God, for example, "in this way God has so wonderfully contrived that the good and the bad blood should not be mixed."[20] This aspect of her work received approbation at the time, from those who believed that "more means should be afforded for giving the children easy lessons in natural theology, showing them the evidences of the skill, power, and above all of the benevolence of the Deity, which were to be seen in the creation and government of the world."[21]

Her books are early examples of writing specifically for young people and exhibit an understanding of developmental psychology. In her books, Bullar frequently takes care to make analogies that a young reader or listener would understand, and using language appropriate for her audience. Her comparison of the body's nervous system and the electric telegraph is mentioned approvingly in A study of the history of modern insomnia (2014), as "allowing anatomical fundamentals to be conveyed even in a children's book".[22]

Personal life

During the 1840s, she worked to raise money for the new Royal South Hants Infirmary.[3] She died on 29 June 1856, aged 43, and was buried at St. Nicholas’ Anglican Church, North Stoneham.[citation needed]

Selected works

Books

Six books are attributed to Bullar.[5][6] Only one was published under her own name during her life. After her death, her earlier books appeared under her name in her publisher's catalogues. It is unknown whether the illustrations in her books were created by her or by an illustrator.[citation needed]

  • 1837: Elements of Practical Knowledge or The Young Inquirer Answered. London, John van Voorst. Published anonymously during her life; 2nd edition published under her name.[6]
  • 1844: Domestic Scenes in Greenland and Iceland.[[1]] London, John van Voorst. Published anonymously during her life; 2nd edition published under her name.[5]
  • 1850: Every-day wonders; or, facts in physiology which all should know.[[2]] London, John van Voorst. Published anonymously.
  • 1851: England before the Norman Conquest. London, John van Voorst. Published anonymously during her life.[5]
  • 1855: A Sunday book for the young; or, habits of patriarchal times in the East.[[3]] London, John van Voorst. Published anonymously during her life.[5]
  • 1862: Every-day wonders of bodily life, essential to be known for health and comfort.[[4]] London, Jarrold and Sons. Published posthumously under her own name.

References

  1. ^ a b "Bullar Family". Sotonopedia - The A-Z of Southampton's History. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  2. ^ "England & Wales Non-conformist births and baptisms: HAMPSHIRE: Southampton, Above-Bar Chapel (Independent): Births & Baptisms". FindMyPast. TNA/RG/4/624. Retrieved 3 November 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. ^ a b ""Miss Bullar"". The Hampshire Advertiser. Southampton, Hampshire. 1844–1856. Retrieved 3 November 2018.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  4. ^ Gray, Thomas (1837). "Back Matter - books by the publisher". The Bard. London: Van Voorst. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Catalogue of Books PUBLISHED BY MR. VAN VOORST". Man and his migrations, by R G Latham. London: Van Voorst. January 1863. p. 13.
  6. ^ a b c "Catalogue of Books PUBLISHED BY MR. VAN VOORST". The Ethnology of Europe, by R G Latham. London: Van Voorst. 1860. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Critical Notices: Domestic Scenes in Greenland and Iceland". The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British and Foreign India, China, and Australia. 2. Parbury, Allen, and Company: 511. November 1843 – April 1844. Retrieved 2 November 2018.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  8. ^ a b "Literary Notices: Domestic Scenes in Greenland and Iceland". Naval & Military Gazette and Weekly Chronicle of the United Service (581): 126. 24 February 1844. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  9. ^ a b "I'd like to share something with you". Daze Off. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  10. ^ Gresley, William (1843). Church-Clavering, Or, The Schoolmaster ((The Englishman's Library. vol. 24.) ed.). London: James Burns. p. 104. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  11. ^ Wawn, Andrew (2002). The Vikings and the Victorians: Inventing the Old North in Nineteenth-century Britain. Boydell & Brewer Ltd. p. 48. ISBN 9780859916448. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  12. ^ Bullar, Anne (1850). "13: Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb". Every-day wonders; or Facts in physiology. London: Van Voorst. pp. 133–137. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  13. ^ Bullar, Anne (1862). "19: The Senses: Feeling - Tasting - Smelling". Every-day wonders; or Facts in physiology. London: Van Voorst. p. 107. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  14. ^ "Literature: England before the Norman Conquest". Morning Advertiser. London: 3. 29 September 1851. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  15. ^ "Literature: England before the Norman Conquest". John Bull. London: 13. 12 January 1852. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  16. ^ "Literature: England before the Norman Conquest". Globe. London: 1 (3rd column, middle). 28 October 1851. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  17. ^ a b "Literature". The Globe. London: 1. 11 October 1855. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  18. ^ "Miscellaneous". The Atlas. London: 581. 8 September 1855. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  19. ^ Bullar, Anne (1862). Every-day wonders of bodily life, essential to be known for health and comfort. London: Jarrold & Sons; Ladies' Sanitary Association. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  20. ^ Bullar, Anne (1862). Every-day wonders of bodily life, essential to be known for health and comfort. London: Jarrold & Sons; Ladies' Sanitary Association. p. 13. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  21. ^ "Warehousemen and Clerks' Schools". The Standard. London: 2 (3rd column). 7 July 1862. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  22. ^ Scrivner, L (2014). Becoming Insomniac: How Sleeplessness Alarmed Modernity. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 24–25. ISBN 9781137268747. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
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