INDEPENDENT CHILD'S SPELLER: PRINTED IN IMITATION OF WRITING; WITH ORIGINAL CLASSIFICATIONS OF WORDS, FORMATIONS OF COLUMNS, AND EXERCISES FOR READING, WRITING, ETC.
New York: American Book Company, 1872. Hardcover. 12mo. Olive-tan BOARDS (7 1/8 in. x 5 in. ) with encircled graphic to front board by illustrator John Karst., depicting a young girl holding up a small slate board with the phrase "I can write" on it, in cursive! A charming and lovely children's speller, highly unusual in its emphasis on cursive writing and sections on sounded out vowels, and illustrated alphabet. 80 pp. Previous owner's name to front pastedown, as well as bookseller/stationer's purple rubber stamped image (F.A. Ford, Woodburn, Oregon). Good Plus. Item #100770
The author departs from traditional spellers in believing that "the eye and the hand must be trained to the formation of words; and since spelling is a part of writingk, the written form only should be used...".
Hence this author's use of cursive throughout the entire book. Further, the author maintains: "...the laws of mental association, also -- especially those of resemblance, contrast, and contiguity in time and place – should receive such recognition in the construction of the text-book as shall insure whether consciously or not, their appropriate use and legitimate results..." In keeping with this pedagogical philosophy, the author adds: "the words here used have such original classifications and arrangements in columns – in reference to location, number of letters, vowel sounds, alphabetic equiv alents, and consonant terminations – as exhibit most effectively their formation and pronunciation. The vocabulary is strictly confined to the simple and signifcant monosyllables in common use..." (Preface).
Price: $75.00