OF SHORT SCHOOL BOOKS. ALEXANDER IRELAND & CO., PALL MALL COURT, MANCHESTER, are issuing A SERIES OF SCHOOL BOOKS, Under the above title. HERE is one standing objection against most existing school books, and their into his hand a school book which costs from two to ten shillings, and which he cannot work through within three or four years. Long before the end of this time the boy has become disgusted with the book-and, perhaps, with the subject also. He abhors the very sight of its well-thumbed pages. He has a strong feeling, too, that he has not been making progress in all these vears. If the very same book had been given him in portions, each of which might have been fully conquered and made part of his mental stock in half a year, the pupil would have had a strong feeling of progress and mental power, and would have hailed his arrival at a new part of the subject with keen pleasure. It is on this principle that the present series is to be constructed. Each book will contain only such a quantity of matter as it is believed a boy of average abilities may, with average application, fully master in the course of half a year. Each book will be carefully graduated into its successor; and the highest possible degree of clearness and completeness of statement will be aimed at. If, then, a boy has thoroughly got up one book, he will naturally be promoted to the next book on that subject in the series; and this change will form at once a mark of past progress and an incitement to new exertion. If he has not, he must continue to work in that book until he is able to approach the following one. Thus a boy who has passed through his halfyearly course with moderate success will be presented, at the opening of a new half, with a fresh set of books; his ambition will be gratified, his merit openly acknowledged, and his curiosity incited and engaged to open the new course with eagerness and diligence. The books of this series will be written by men who not only thoroughly understand their subject, but can place it in the fullest and clearest light; can view it from every possible stand-point that may be made available for the young intellect surround the subject with aptest illustration, and elucidate it by the can impart freshness to old subjects, and w f interest, and, by their understanding of, a feelings of the young, can interest and ex work. The books will general, every pos on the part of the Each set of five less salient point of the precedi ed into lessons; and in save time and trouble the part of the pupil. se lesson, in which the opted in different language; and, as a general principle, constant reference will be made to what has preceded, while the maxim of varied repetition-repetition without monotonywill never be lost sight of. Each book will contain the largest possible collection of exercises-of the most varied character, always carefully graduated, and, in general, constructive as well as analytic. The pupil will be first led to a general statement or rule, by a few easy exercises: he will then have more difficult exercises founded upon that general statement or rule, and then exercises on the exceptions to the rule. Perfect intelligence of a theory will thus be secured by extraordinary fulness of practice-the method of nature in all intellectual procedure. The Editor and Writers of this Series are profoundly convinced that the first feeling that should be instilled into a boy is the feeling of power; and that, with this view, every subject ought to be approached by the easiest steps and the most gradual synthesis. The natural difficulties in the way of teachers and learners are so great that they may well dispense with artificial obstacles raised by the compilers of school books. The common feeling of school boys towards their work is that of disappointment and discouragement; it ought to be one of mastery and zest. The distinctive features of these School Books will, therefore, be SHORTNESS, CLEARNESS, GRADUATION, PRACTICALITY, AND CHEAPNESS. Each Work of the Series appears in two forms-one in a stout binding, PRICE SIXPENCE; THE FIRST FIVE WORKS OF THE SERIES are now ready, and may be had of A. IRELAND & CO., Pall Mall Court, Manchester; SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, AND Co., 4, Stationers' Hall Court, London; and all Booksellers. AN N EASY ENGLISH GRAMMAR FOR BEGINNERS. BOOK FIRST: Being a Plain Doctrine of Words and Sentences, with 162 Exercises. By J. M. D. MEIKLEJOHN, M.A. Third Edition. AN N EASY ENGLISH GRAMMAR FOR BEGINNERS, BOOK SECOND. Of Sentences, Words, and their Growth. This Part contains a Full and Systematic Exposition of the Analysis of Simple Sentences, with 98 Exercises. AN N EASY ENGLISH GRAMMAR FOR BEGINNERS. Exercises. ARITHMETIC.-BOOK FIRST. A GRADUATE Simple Rules, with Eleven Hundred Examples. A KEY TO THE ARITHMETIC, PRICE SIXPENCE. AN EASY GEOGRAPHY. By an INSPECTOR OF SCHOOLS: BOOK FIRST. THE HERBERT SERIES OF SHORT SCHOOL BOOKS. OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. "WESTMINSTER REVIEW." "The first of the Herbert Series of School Books has just been issued, being 'An easy English Grammar for beginners.' The plan of the Grammar seems a good one. If the whole series be as carefully compiled, as well printed, and as low in price, as this specimen, it will prove of great service to all engaged in education." "ATHENÆUM." "The distinctive features,' we are told, in these school books will be 'shortness, clearness, graduation, practicality, and cheapness;' and we can bear testimony that this is the case with the first. The author expresses himself with great plainness, and at the same time is not regardless of accuracy. His definitions of the parts of speech are rather different from those generally given, nor do we consider them free from objection; but they are framed upon the sound principle that the class to which a word is to be referred depends upon the function it performs in a sentence; and are avowedly-like the whole book-in a rudimentary form, to be modified and completed at a more advanced stage. A large portion of the work is taken up with a series of exercises-both analytic and synthetic-which cannot be done without great advantage. The author calculates that a child of average capacity can get through the whole book in five months. Without pretending to determine how far this is just, we can safely say that whatever time it takes will be well spent, if the directions to teachers are carried out. When we add that the book, though well printed and strongly bound, is published at sixpence, we think we have sufficiently established its claim to a favourable reception." "CRITIC." "This little manual is intended to be the first of a graduated series of educational works, which shall be at once cheap, handy, and simple. The publishers promise that the books of this series will be written by men who not only thoroughly understand their subject, but can place it in the fullest and clearest light; can view it from every possible stand-point that may be made available for the young intellect; can surround the subject with aptest illustration, and elucidate it by the fullest and simplest explanation; can impart freshness to old subjects, and win from the new all possible stores of interest; and, by their understanding of, and sympathy with, the wants and feelings of the young, can interest and excite them in their every-day school-work.' This is undoubtedly a very ambitious standard; and we, for our part, are not acquainted with any other schoolbook in the English language which would nearly satisfy it. The first elements of every science must necessarily, we think, be to some extent wearisome to the learner; and no amount of 'crustula blanda' can altogether obviate this. The little work before us is, however, a step in the right direction. It is short, clear, and simple; evidently the work of a writer who has bestowed some thought upon his subject; and taken considerable pains to express his meaning lucidly and concisely." The head of a large educational establishment says: "The first manual is unquestionably the most rational and useful work of the kind ever published, and I intend to introduce it to our large classes here." |