The great American educator Noah Webster first published A Grammatical Institute of the English Language, otherwise known as the Blue Back Speller, in 1783. His goal was to provide a uniquely American, Christ-centered approach to training children. Little did he know that this remarkable gem would become the staple for parents and educators for more than a century and would help to build the most literate nation in the history of the West. Many of the Founding Fathers used this book to home school their children, including Benjamin Franklin who taught his granddaughter to read, spell, and pronounce words using “Old Blue Back.” Facsimile edition.

title page publisher notes preface 1 preface 2 preface 3
analysis of sound page 12 page 13 page 14 page 15
page 40 page 41 page 48 page 49 page 92 page 93

Price: $12.00 + S & H

A Page from The New-England Primer The single most influential Christian textbook in history. Most scholars agree that most, if not all, of the Founding Fathers were taught to read and write using this volume which is unsurpassed to this day for its excellence of practical training and Christian worldview. First published in 1690, the goal of the Primer was to combine the study of the Bible with the alphabet, vocabulary, and the reading of prose and poetry. This is the book that introduced the children’s prayer, “Now I lay me down to sleep,” and which made the “Shorter Catechism” a staple of education for American children. More than five million copies were sold in the nineteenth century alone. Facsimile edition written with older modern-English characters authentic to the founding era.

title page publisher notes John Hancock poem prayer
alphabet letters syllabels alphabet lesson 1 alphabet lesson 2
proper men's names proper women's names advice to children John Rogers

Price: $9.00 + S & H