Which McGuffey?

Two Versions Could Not be More Different!
Well, sometimes you just get lucky and hit the jackpot! While aiding a local schoolhouse to get their new visitor program up and running for the fall, I volunteered to search out some 30 hard cover copies of McGuffey's Eclectic Third Readers to create lessons for their 4th grade "scholars."

William H. McGuffey's readers may not have been widely used in New England, being mostly sold in the midwest and the south, but the prospective schoolmarms felt his stories and lessons were perfectly appropriate for their version of living history. Accuracy can be elusive when budgets and time are looming over you. It was the oral reading experience they were seeking, "toeing the line," and reading aloud with expression that seemed more important. They also felt contemporary children could use of few of these lessons!

Together we decided that for cost-saving, (since brand new reproductions are expensive in quantity), we would consider good, tight reproduction copies from online pre-owned book sites. So, the search began. Who knew that there would be TWO editions of this title for sale with no details as to content? Two of us owned copies of the REVISED EDITION of 1879, but not the earlier edition from 1836/1837. As a matter of fact, the descriptions on numerous used book sites were vague and photos didn't reflect any helpful information. So we were left wondering which edition we should buy.
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It wasn't the publication dates of the two editions alone that would aid in the decision, but a terrific video we stumbled upon, right on YouTube. A homeschool mom named Cassie Deputie has used McGuffey very successfully with her own children and has provided us with a comprehensive, well-researched, and articulate 22-minute explanation entitled, "What's the Difference Between the Two McGuffey's?" Exactly what we needed! Her analysis is delivered with confidence and clarity as to which edition she chose to fit her children's needs, which she called the God-centered edition.

​To save your group the same dilemma we faced, heres's the link to this very interesting talk  even if you're not in the market for the Eclectic Readers. It is the story of one man's mission to enhance children's character and remind them of their moral duties through the stories and poems he published for school use in 1837.  The 1879 edition is less McGuffey, more secular, and possibly less controversial for today's public school visits. See for yourself...

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