McGuffey’s Newly Revised Eclectic Fourth Reader with Rules for Reading and Exercises in Articulation, Defining, Etc. William H. McGuffey. Winthrop B. Smith & Co., Cincinnati. 1853.
Look at how many entries are from The Bible. I count twelve. Read down through the selections. Why, it’s as if Wm. H. McGuffey, Doctor of Laws, was trying purposefully to teach kids something in addition to rhetoric! Don’t miss the RULE.
I am quite fortunate to have a specialty book shop nearby which services the homeschool market. As a result, I found both of the principal editions of McGuffey’s Readers plus a little booklet on the history of the Readers. Over the years, I have found quite a number of books at this shop of general interest, not just of interest to school students. Among others, I found a 19th century grammar (Harvey’s) and the penmanship exercise booklets of Pratt R. Spencer (Spencerian penmanship).
While those latter books are rather too pedantic for my tastes, the McGuffey Readers answer well in their selections to quite modern tastes and approaches.
You should give us a primer on the history. Is it of all readers or just McGuffey’s?