The English Spelling-Book

A corrected and improved 1843 edition of a hugely popular work: part reading primer, part compendium of general knowledge.

William Fordyce Mavor (Author)

9781108066952, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 12 December 2013

174 pages, 21 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 1 cm, 0.23 kg

Variously a teacher, clergyman and town mayor, William Fordyce Mavor (1758–1837) wrote prolifically on a range of literary, historical and educational topics. This work, first published in 1801 and reissued here in a corrected and improved edition of 1843, is Mavor's most famous. Intended to 'sow the seeds of useful learning', it is both a reading primer and a compendium of general knowledge. Beginning with the alphabet, with each letter illustrated by the delightful wood engravings of Thomas Bewick, the book presents vocabulary of increasing complexity together with simple and amusing stories for reading practice, as well as guidance on spelling and grammar. General knowledge is addressed through sections on such topics as weights and measures, geography, key dates in history, and the solar system. So successful was the work that it ran to 500 editions, had sold more than 2 million copies by 1823, and was translated into Hindi and French.

Preface
The alphabet
Words of one syllable
Words of two syllables
Words of three syllables
Lessons in natural history
Words of four syllables
Select fables
Moral observations
Advice to young persons
Brief introduction to the arts and sciences
Outlines of geography
Survey of the universe
Select pieces of poetry
Appendix
Figures and numbers
French words and phrases
Latin words and phrases
Prayers.

Subject Areas: Philosophy & theory of education [JNA]