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The New England Primer (view source)
Revision as of 03:33, September 15, 2015
, 03:33, September 15, 2015Used bio from 1915 public domain text.
'''The New England Primer''', also known as '''the little Bible of New England''', was an early textbook for use in the American Colonies.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/topic/The-New-England-Primer The New-England Primer], [[Encyclopedia Britannica]]</ref>
'''The New England Primer''', also known as '''the little Bible of New England''', was an early textbook for use in the American Colonies.<ref name=britannica>[http://www.britannica.com/topic/The-New-England-Primer The New-England Primer], [[Encyclopedia Britannica]]</ref>
The ''Primer'' was first published in 1690<ref>[https://www.thefederalistpapers.org/ebooks/the-new-england-primer The New England Primer]</ref> by Benjamin Harris. It was used as a primary textbook among other texts, such as Dilworth's Spelling Book, the Psalter, and the Testament.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MhLZsUeqmasC&pg=PA162|last1=Whiton|first1=John M.|title=Sketches of the History of New-Hampshire, from Its Settlement in 1623, to 1833: Comprising Notices of the Memorable Events and Interesting Incidents of a Period of Two Hundred and Ten Years|date=1834|work=Marsh, Capen and Lyon}}</ref>
The ''Primer'' was first published prior to 1690.<ref>[https://www.thefederalistpapers.org/ebooks/the-new-england-primer The New England Primer]</ref> It was used as a primary textbook among other texts, such as Dilworth's Spelling Book, the Psalter, and the Testament.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MhLZsUeqmasC&pg=PA162|last1=Whiton|first1=John M.|title=Sketches of the History of New-Hampshire, from Its Settlement in 1623, to 1833: Comprising Notices of the Memorable Events and Interesting Incidents of a Period of Two Hundred and Ten Years|date=1834|work=Marsh, Capen and Lyon}}</ref>
==Background==
The New England Primer played a most important part in the early history of the education of the Americans. Notices referring to the Primer in America go back as far as 1691, when an advertisement appeared in the pages of Newman’s Boston Almanac. This announcement of Benjamin Harris in Boston speaks of a second impression but not a single copy of this early New England Primer seems to be extant. The first book owned by every American of those days seems not to have been preserved with great care, which indicates that these books, once printed, were heavily used.<ref name=britannica />
Livermore, a keen and eager collector, was unable to find a copy printed earlier than 1775. Ford with other discovered material in his hands could go back to the copy in the New York Public Library, dated 1727, which remains the earliest New England Primer known to be extant. Between the years 1680 and 1830 about six and one-half million Primers were printed, of which about 1,500 are still in existence.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l_dAAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA9|last1=Heartman|first1=Charles M.|title=The New England Primer Printed in America Prior to 1830: A Bibliographical Checklist|date=1834|pages=9-15}}</ref>
==References==
==References==