The New England Primer Issued Prior to 1830: A Bibliographical Checklist for the More Easy Attaining the True Knowledge of This Book, Embellished With … Improved and Arranged in Two Alphabets

Reprint of the 1922 edition. Hardbound. Cloth. Oversized Octavo. 3 p. l., ix-xxii, 23-190, [2] p. frontispiece, facsimiles. [New York]; 1922. Heartman based his work on Ford’s earlier bibliography on the same subject. Ford’s bibliography covered Primers only through 1800. Heartman takes the subject through 1830. This new editions cites one hundred and seventy seven primers, locating more than two hundred and ten copies. Heartman provides a brief historical introduction to thesubject. Despite some controversy, Heartman settles on the 1727 New England Primer printed in Boston as the earliest example of its kind. He is certain, however, that many New England primers were printed before this time, but this is the only one of whose existence we can be certain. It was, after all, next to the bible, the basic reading in colonial society, and could be found in the bookshops of most towns and general stores. It was also one of the most extensively advertised books andshows up very frequently in inventory lists. Profusely illustrated. This is the enlarged second edition, citing 362 primers. Besterman 4224.