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hornbook |
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hornbook, primer of a kind in use from the 15th to the 18th cent. On one side of a sheet of parchment or paper the matter to be learned was written or printed; over the sheet, for its protection, a transparent sheet of horn was placed; and the two were fastened to a thin board, which usually projected to form a handle, perforated so that the hornbook might be attached to a girdle. The matter printed or written included the alphabet in capitals and small letters and other material, varying in different hornbooks, such as numerals and the Lord's Prayer. Sometimes the base and handle were made of metal, stone, or ivory and had letters carved or cast on them.
BibliographySee A. W. Tuer, History of the Hornbook (2 vol., 1896, repr. 1968). How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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In Mackey's words, "Every concept, no matter how figural or sublime, had its literal, dead letter aspect" (Bedouin Hornbook 201-02). This unique introduction to pioneer history in the form of an ABC book (B is for Bandalore (a forerunner of the yoyo), H is for the Hornbook (the textbook that most children learned to spell with), X is for the eXhaustion of hardworking homesteading families). Read aloud, sadly, Rath's own writing has the cadences of a hornbook, elementary, clear, careful, repetitious, syntactically cautious, and insistent on its lessons. |
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