The first edition of Zorn's book was published in Leipzig in 1887 under the title Grammatik der Tanzkunst; later it was translated into English and Russian. Through text and Zorn's innovative dance notation system, the manual covers positions of the feet, preparatory exercises, arm movements, and step terminology of mid-nineteenth-century ballet. Several quadrille figures are notated as well as the minuet, gavotte, and numerous waltz, polka, and galop steps. A volume of music that includes over one hundred melodies to accompany the steps, exercise, and dances accompanies this edition.