DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERST SELECTIONS FROM AMERICAN AUTHORS. A READING BOOK FOR SCHOOL AND HOME. FRANKLIN, ADAMS, COOPER, LONGFELLOW. EDITED BY SAMUEL ELIOT, SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BOSTON. SHELDON AND COMPANY NEW YORK AND CHICAGO. 606614 COPYRIGHT, 1879, BY TAINTOR BROTHERS, MERRILL & CO. Press of J. J. Little & Co., PUBLISHERS' NOTICE. IN many of the reports of prominent school superintendents, which have come to our notice, it is recommended that the series of reading books in use in the schools be supplemented by miscellaneous books of history, poetry, biography, fiction, etc. This growing demand for supplementary reading material for public and private schools, of a different character from what is to be found in any series of school readers, has led to the publication of this volume. It was more directly suggested by the following, which we quote from the report (1878) of Samuel Eliot, LL. D., Superintendent of Schools, Boston: "We not only want more reading books, but different ones; not readers, not fragments of writings, but writings however brief, a story or a history, a book of travels or a poem, associated as vividly as possible with the author who wrote them.” While many good books might be selected from those already published, nearly all of them contain more or less material not suited to the object in view. It is believed that a book prepared with special reference to school use will be found in every respect better |