A History of the McGuffey Readers

Before me are four small books roughly bound in boards, the sides covered with paper. On the reverse of the title pagea, two bear a cogpright entry in the year 1836 the others were mted in 1837. They are the earliest editions of McWeys Eclectic Readers that have been found in a aearch lasting forty years. They represent the first efforts in m educational and business enterprise that has for threeqpartsm of a century called for the best exertions of many skilled men, and in their several forms these booka have taken a conspicuous part in the education of millions of the citizens of this country. But what interest can the history of the McGuffey Eclectic Readers have to those who did not use these books in their school career Their story ditrers from that of other readers since in successive forms, adjusted more or less perfectly to the dung ing demands of the schools, they attained a wider and more prolonged use than has been accorded to any other series.