Old Time Schools and School Books

Primers and other early American schoolbooks were often lost due to years of use, neglect and eventually becoming outdated. Thankfully, Clifton Johnson, in Old Time Schools and School-Books, is able to draw from his vast collection of school books in order to offer readers a taste of the insides of these books, from the printed content to graffiti scribbled in the margins. Additionally, Johnson presents lively scenes of how schoolhouses operated in order to present a larger picture of the development of education, particularly as it unfolded in Massachusetts. Although nearly a century old, the book offers a thoughtful and engaging look at the early roots of education in the United States.