Textbook, "McGuffey's First Eclectic Reader," Revised Edition 1879, Published 1920

The McGuffey Readers textbook series was used in American schools during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Readers emphasized the fundamental skills of reading and writing but included stories on a wide range of subjects from many sources (hence, "eclectic"). The books were also intended to develop proper character in children, and had a religious overtone.