McGuffey's Eclectic Primer (Illustrated)

McGuffey's Primer #0.5

by William Holmes McGuffey, Anabasis Press (Editor), Alexander Hamilton McGuffey (Editor)

The first volume in the reader series compiled by the McGuffey brothers.
These quality Kindle editions include the classic illustrations and are complete with phonetic symbols/diacritical marks.

Genres: Education, History, Classics, Childrens, Textbooks, Religion, Reference

70 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1881

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Jennifer (JenIsNotaBookSnob) · Rating 4 out of 5]

We skipped a couple passages that were just a bit too outdated, but, otherwise Kairi gradually read through this with assistance. I'm going to let her do some easier Seuss books before starting the next McGuffey's book.

Overall, this was a bit dated, as one would expect from it being a very old book. There were a couple passages so outdated we skipped and some I just changed a couple words on. Mostly though, it was a very good tool for teaching reading. Passages build on each other, gradually adding additionally vocabulary words. There are sections of cursive at the end of the lessons.

I'm sure we will have a couple skipped passages in all the McGuffey readers. Even so, it's such a good tool available as a free ebook that it is still worth doing.

[Shalana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it! My kindergartener is doing so great and the repetitive sounds of the letters gives her confidence to try out words (letter pairings/groupings) that she's unfamiliar with. I suggest this for everyone!!! We've finished the Primer and are going on to the next book. Jr was super excied to be done and moving to the next level. Love this series!

[Becky Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE the McGuffey Readers! These have been great for our homeschool. I've seen marked differences in my kids' reading, writing, spelling, and grammar just since using these.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really really helpful text for understanding the aspects of reading and language we have prioritized in pedagogy over time. Language has long been a tool for conveying morals and cultural ideas in the school environment. This, I think, explains some of the TX state school board's decisions about what should be included in textbooks. The school board would prefer to have texts that reinforce existing ideals (a la McGuffey's Eclectiv Primer) rather than keep pace with the rest of the nation that encourages children to engage in more challenging, occasionally counter-cultural, thought.

[Jonathan Jerden · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1881 - my hardcover copy was published in 1909 - this is one of the first American primers for 1st grade/6-year-olds in teaching how to read.

The accompanying sketches of the 1880s countryside are wonderful scenes of rural America.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for children. I taught my son how to read using this book, and
now I'm able to get these for my grandson.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Now they will crown some one Queen of the May. Who shall it be? It should be the best girl, and that is Kate" (57-58). Overt references to loving God toward the end.

McGuffey was a Presbyterian minister and college professor/president. Harriet Beecher (Stowe) was offered the job of writing/editing these books, but she turned it down and recommended her friend William Holmes McGuffey. These readers were used in public schools from about the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s. A professor at Liberty University writes that these readers functioned as the New England Primer did in the previous century; this essay includes reasons that some critics have objected to the readers. Some private school students and homeschoolers still use them.

I bought a set of the revised edition (1879 reprint) at a Christian educators' conference around 2007. The original 1836–37 edition is more explicitly religious, whereas the 1879 edition (which McGuffey did not write or edit) has more of a secularized civil religion flavor. Kate started reading this primer soon after she turned 5.

Marilynne Robinson supports the McGuffey readers in her essay "McGuffey and the Abolitionists" in The Death of Adam. Here is a good reason not to abandon the McGuffey Readers.

[Jane G Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Ronan and I are making our way through this primer. The "lessons" are short and the type is large and bold, but I think the phonetic symbols look confusing on the page. We head straight to the text and read through the passages a few pages at a time.

There are three things that I think are useful in this little book. I was able to do a short lesson on cursive vs print since they intersperse a small amount of cursive throughout the lessons. I like that. You can just skip it if you're not interested in teaching your child about cursive yet, but I've already decided that after all our reading lessons, we are heading straight to cursive and are going to learn to print once he has a handle on cursive letters.

John Ronan also seems to really like the intricate black and white illustrations. He studies them, and the picture for the next lesson gets him excited about actually reading the text.

And although the text is outdated ("Has the lad a dog?" and "Ann has a fan" not an electric fan, but the Japanese sort that waves the heat away) these words are easy to explain and it already gives the child a feeling of another way of speaking and a different time in history.

We are already through about six months of reading lessons (in Distar--and JRonan is five), so this work is fairly easy for him, but it's nice practice. I don't know how it would go trying to teach a child to read directly from these books...

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a primer from 1881 for first graders. It is definitely an old-school book, but not so foreign as one might think. My first grader is able to read the bulk of this book just fine.

There are some dated references, but nothing too obsolete. Each lesson introduced the student to about six new words. It is unclear to me if it is expected to move from one lesson to the next day after day or to concentrate on a lesson until it is mastered. It seems like there has to be some pause in there to go from naming a few words to reading page-long passages at the end of the first month.

Truly a step back in time . . .

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

McGuffey's 1836 "The Eclectic First Reader" is the initial installment in a series of readers used by four generations of my great grandparents who settled Midwestern American-German communities. This reader provides important insight into the values they held and the perspectives they carried as they developed the economies and child rearing practices that directly influenced my parents and myself. I found the chapter story lines fascinating as I read about Christian life principles and paradigms.

[Rosanna]

Our elementary library had a collection of these. so when I saw this one in the bookstore, I had to buy it. I don't keep a lot of antique books. (I like to read books and preserve antiques, so why would I read an antique book?) However, this copy is a 1909 revised edition reprint of the 1881 original. I'm very glad to have found it.

[Kevin Driskill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This instructional book is a classic in every sense. The incremental building of vocabulary and reading skills helps early readers progress and grow. There is also an interesting vein of moral teaching embedded in the text that was typical to the period and lacking today. Very short and easy to read.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isabel and I took turns reading this to each other. I was amazed at how quickly it helped her reading improve. The content in this one is pretty simple but there are a few poems that were really nice and I like the old fashioned values and perspective.

[10TX · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent way to teach reading after learning letter sounds, short vowels, and blending. I find it better to learn to blend three letter short vowel words before starting these readers. Less frustration.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children can learn to read with sticks and dirt. Often times we make learning too complicated. I teach my children how to read with this, letter tiles, a house full of irresistible books, and a little bit of dirt thrown in for good measure...

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Greenfield Village / Henry Ford Museum Girl Scouts Overnighter. March 27, 1993"

[Magda]

I used to have the whole set, through the fifth reader. Maybe Teddy would like these...

[Laurie Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This first book in the famed series presents the beginning lessons in reading while teaching character through learning about God.

[MomoDong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Work while you work, play while you play;
One thing each time, that is the way.
All that you do, do with your might;
Things done by halves, are not done right.

[Awjtf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting to read these. It's amazing what was taught in the 1880's!