Five Years In An English University - Volume 2

This is a two-volume account of Charles Astor Bristed's experiences at the University of Cambridge in England. Bristed was the first American to defend American English spelling, and he wrote the book in order to provide accurate, first-hand information about study in an English university for Americans. He compares the English and American systems of higher education and provides valuable insights into the differences between the two. The book includes examination papers from the 1840s, which provide a glimpse into the standards of academic achievement in the nineteenth century.

Charles Astor Bristed (1820-1874) was an American scholar and author, and the first American writer to defend American English spelling. Having graduated from Trinity College in 1845 he published this two-volume account of his experiences at the university in 1852 to provide accurate, first-hand information for Americans about study in an English university, with the intention of starting a debate over the inclusion of aspects of English higher education in the American system. Volume 2 contains an analysis of study at Cambridge and compares this with study at American universities, including a description of the supposed shortcomings and advantages of American higher education and its contrasts with the English system. This volume provides valuable insights into the differences between English and American higher education in the nineteenth century. Examination papers for mathematics and classics from the 1840s are included in an appendix.