Pictorial primer

In his explanatory note to parents and teachers, publisher Benjamin Steill states that his primer 'lays claim both to novelty, and to an improvement on all works of a similar class ...' The novelty and improvement is in the use of lower case letters, as opposed to capitals. He believes that the child is disadvantaged if taught initially with capitals as these are not used in words, except as initial letters. He continues:

'By teaching the smaller letters before any reference is made to capitals, some progress will be gained towards the formation of words; when capitals make their appearance, the teacher can inform the pupil that the change of shape is adopted for the purpose of marking the beginning of a sentence ... Thus the labour of the child will be greatly reduced, and the apparent contradictions avoided.'

The clear layout and the illustrations make this an attractive book. As the child's ability progressed, numbers and simple exercises are introduced, for instance, to find the sheep, and make the correct tally, with the number eight. Steill published several spelling and grammar books for children, among his other works for adults.

This copy was given to Miss C Simpson with her aunt's love in June 1845.

Permission to use this item for any purpose, including publishing, is not required from the State Library under these conditions of use.

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