History of the McGuffey Readers

Millions of children in the United States learned to read from what came to be called the McGuffey Readers, a series of textbooks created by William Holmes McGuffey. McGuffey was a minister who believed that youngsters should be taught morality along with reading. First published in the 1830s, the original McGuffey Reader was followed by five additional readers, the last published in 1885.

Initial Edition

The first McGuffey reader, the Primer, introduced children to the letters of the alphabet, phonetic pronunciation and other basics, with children modeling McGuffey's ideas on morality throughout the fifty-five lessons.

Editions for Beginning Readers

The popularity of the McGuffey Readers spread at the same time later editions began to be published for students who had mastered the primer. In the second and third readers, a variety of subject matters was introduced in the stories. Ethical issues continued to infiltrate the text.

Upper Level Literature Editions

In the fourth and sixth editions, literature was emphasized. Among the well-known authors, most, including Shakespeare and Dickens, were British. Many selections from the Bible were included.

Elocutionary Edition

The fifth edition of the McGuffey Reader was specifically designed for practice in elocution and dramatic reading.

Impact of the Series

For seventy-five years, millions of American children learned to read exclusively from McGuffey readers, which sold over one hundred million copies.

Resources

• Source: Educational materials