This series of schoolbooks teaching reading and moral precepts, originally prepared by William Holmes who was a professor at Miami University McGuffey, had a profound influence on public education in the United States. The eclectic readers, meaning that the selections were chosen from a number of sources, were considered remarkably literary works and probably exerted a greater influence upon literary tastes in the United States more than any other book, excluding the Bible.
It is estimated that at least 120 million copies of McGuffey's Readers were sold between 1836 and 1960, placing its sales in a category with the Bible and Webster's Dictionary. Since 1961 they have continued to sell at a rate of some 30,000 copies a year. No other textbook bearing a single person's name has come close to that mark. McGuffey's Readers are still in use today in some school systems, and by parents for home schooling purposes.
This first reader of 1841 introduces children to McGuffey's ethical code. The child modeled in this book is prompt, good, kind, honest and truthful. This first book contained fifty-five lessons.
William Holmes McGuffey (September 23, 1800 – May 4, 1873) was an American professor and college president who is best known for writing the McGuffey Readers, one of the nation's first and most widely used series of textbooks. It is estimated that at least 122 million copies of McGuffey Readers were sold between 1836 and 1960, placing its sales in a category with the Bible and Webster's Dictionary.
He was born the son of Alexander and Anna (Holmes) McGuffey near Claysville in Washington County, Pennsylvania, which is 45 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. In 1802 the McGuffey family moved further out into the frontier at Tuscarawas County, Ohio. He attended country school, and after receiving special instruction at Youngstown, he attended Greersburg Academy in Darlington, Pennsylvania. Afterwards, he attended and graduated from Pennsylvania's Washington College, where he became an instructor.
He was close friends with Washington College's President Andrew Wylie and lived in Wylie's house for a time; they often would walk the 3 miles to Washington College together.
McGuffey's house in OxfordMcGuffey left Washington College in 1826 to become a professor at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. A year later in 1827, he was married to Harriet Spinning of Dayton, Ohio, with whom he had five children. In 1829, he was ordained at Bethel Chapel as a minister in the Presbyterian Church. It was in Oxford that he created the most important contribution of his life: The McGuffey Readers. His books sold over 122 million copies. He was very fond of teaching and children as he geared the books toward a younger audience.
In 1836, he left Miami to become president of Cincinnati College, where he also served as a distinguished teacher and lecturer. He left Cincinnati in 1839 to become the 4th president of Ohio University, which he left in 1843 to become president of Woodward College (really a secondary school) in Cincinnati.
In 1845, McGuffey moved to Charlottesville, Virginia where he became Professor of Philosophy at the University of Virginia. A year after his first wife Harriet died in 1850, he married Miss Laura Howard, daughter of Dean Howard of the University of Virginia, in 1851. McGuffey is buried in the university burial ground, in Charlottesville, Virginia. The School of Education at Miami University is housed in McGuffey Hall which is named for him and his home in Oxford is a National Historic Landmark offering tours on weekdays.
【目录】
lesson 37 what kind of house is this? do you think it is a schoolhouse, or a church? it looks like a church, but i think it is a schoolhouse. i see the boys and girls with their books and slates. when the bell rings, they will go in. a good likes to go to school. lesson 38 “john! e here. be quick, and tell me what kind of bird this is.” “do you not know, henry?” “oh, no! what is it?” “it is a quail.” “it is the first quail i have seen. is it good to eat?” “yes; but i should not like to kill it.” lesson 39 is not this a dear in the crib? her name is kate, and she has big, blue eyes. you can not see her eyes, for they are shut. kate is a good ; but she will cry if she is hurt, or if she is not well. bess likes to sit near the , and to rock her in the crib. lesson 40 review henry black and ned bell live near our house. they go to school, and i see them go by each day with their books and slates. miss may tells the girls and boys that they should be at the schoolhouse when the bell rings. so henry walks fast, and is fi rst at school. he is a good boy, and wants to keep the rule of the school. ned is not a good boy. i do not think he likes to go to school or to church. i saw him try to kill a quail with a stone. the quail is too quick a bird for that, and ned did not hurt it; but i know that a good would not try to kill a bird. lesson 96 it is noon, and the school is out. do you see the ren at y? some run and jump, some y ball, and three little girls y school under a tree. what a big room for such a small school! mary is the teacher. they all have books in their hands, and fanny is rea. they are all good girls, and would not be rude even in ying school. lesson 100 one evening frank’s father said to him, “frank, would you like to go with me to catch some fish?” “yes; may i go? and with you, father? ” “yes, frank, with me.” “oh, how glad i am!” here they are, on the bank of a river. frank has just pulled a fine fish out of the water. how proud he feels! see what a nice, quiet spot they have found. frank has the stump of a big tree for his seat, and his father sits on a log near by. they like the sport.
以下为对购买帮助不大的评价