American primers

de Richard L. Venezky

"Introductory reading materials including primers, readers, spelling books, alphabet books, teaching manuals, and non-instructional juvenile texts in book format. With the exception of three readers for adult instruction, and two readers used with illiterate soldiers during World War II, all materials in the collection are for children. Only books or book-like imprints are included--hornbooks, broadsides, charts, reading cards, and the like are excluded from the set. Most of the books in the collection are American imprints, except for a few English imprints imported for the colonies which served as models for American texts. The evolution of the modern reading textbook can be traced using the materials that comprise the American Primers collection. The contrast between early and late texts included in the collection imparts a valuable record of both American education and American culture"--The Library of Congress Guide to the Microform Collections in the Humanities and Social Sciences Division, online version.