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Why the Longevity of the McGuffey Readers?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 February 2017

John A. Nietz
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Extract

No series of American textbooks enjoyed so long and popular circulation as the McGuffey Readers. Most of the many biographies and articles written about the McGuffeys and their Readers give most credit for this to the original authors. It is not the purpose of the writer to belittle the great contribution made by the McGuffeys, but an analysis of the facts needs to be made to obtain a true picture of the matter.

Type
Research Article
Information
History of Education Quarterly , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , June 1964 , pp. 119 - 125
Copyright
Copyright © 1964, University of Pittsburgh Press 

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References

Notes

1. Much has been written about the McGuffeys and their Readers. Minnich's book includes a bibliography of six pages prepared by Crout, George C. (See Note 5, 95ff.) Some has been written since. However, for the purposes of this article the writer largely depended upon books that were mainly based upon primary sources. Furthermore, the writer's Old Textbook Collection contains sixty-eight McGuffey Readers of various titles, dates, imprints, and editions, including four first editions. These were amply used.Google Scholar

2. McGuffey Ruggles, Alice, The Story of the McGuffeys (Cincinnati, 1950). She is the granddaughter of Alexander McGuffey and thus had access to intimate human interest information about the McGuffeys.Google Scholar

3. Franklin Crawford, Benjamin, William Holmes McGuffey: The Schoolmaster of the Nation (Delaware, Ohio, 1963). This is a small but interesting book about William McGuffey and about the McGuffey Societies.Google Scholar

4. Vail, Henry H., A History of the McGuffey Readers (Cleveland, 1911), 4, 5. Mr Vail became an employee of the Wilson, Hinkle & Company in 1871, and in 1890 became one of the four active partners of the newly formed American Book Company. Thus he had direct access to all preserved materials and information pertaining to the publishing of the McGuffey Readers. Google Scholar

5. Minnich, Harvey C., William Holmes McGuffey and His Readers (Cincinnati, 1936), 39–40. This is a book of about 200 pages written nearly entirely from primary sources, containing reproductions of many pictures of the Readers and of some selections. It also lists the Readers found in four leading McGuffey Collections: (1) Miami List, (2) Henry Ford List, (3) Maud Blair List, and (4) the Ohio State List.Google Scholar

6. Minnich, Harvey C., “William Holmes McGuffey and the Peerless Readers,” Miami University Bulletin (Oxford, Ohio, 1928), 92. He was for years the Dean of the School of Education at Miami University, and was largely responsible for developing The McGuffey Museum there and later became its Curator. This pamphlet contains a list of The Collection of McGuffey Readers in the Museum.Google Scholar

7. Vail, op cit., 39 ff.Google Scholar

8. Ibid., 48 ff.Google Scholar

9. Ibid., 67–70.Google Scholar

10. Grove Hughes, Raymond, “An Analysis of the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth McGuffey Readers,” (unpublished doctor's dissertation, University of Pittsburgh, 1943). This includes an analysis of the selections and lessons contained in all the editions of these readers.Google Scholar

11. Ibid., 145.Google Scholar

12. Ibid., 66.Google Scholar

13. Minnich, , op. cit., 69.Google Scholar

14. Nietz, John A., Old Textbooks (Pittsburgh, 1961), 78. Ten pages of this book deal with the McGuffey Readers. Google Scholar

15. Ibid., 77 ff.Google Scholar

16. Minnich, , op. cit., 72.Google Scholar