The Original Blue Back Speller [Hardcover]

Noah Webster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2003

The great American educator Noah Webster first published A Grammatical Institute of the English Language, otherwise known as the Blue Back Speller, in 1783. His goal was to provide a uniquely American, Christ-centered approach to training children. Little did he know that this remarkable gem would become the staple for parents and educators for more than a century and would help to build the most literate nation in the history of the West. Many of the Founding Fathers used this book to home school their children, including Benjamin Franklin who taught his granddaughter to read, spell, and pronounce words using "Old Blue Back."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: Vision Forum (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 192924116X
• ISBN-13: 978-1929241163
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Education

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teach children to read simply and efficiently!, May 6, 2007

By 

Rosemary Thornton "Niece of Addie Hoyt Fargo ... (Norfolk, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Original Blue Back Speller (Hardcover)

This is a reprint of a book that America used for 150 years to teach school children how to read. It is an excellent resource for homeschooled kids and for any parent who wants to teach their own child how to read.
I taught my first grade daughter how to read, using this book and McGuffey's Readers. When we finished Noah Webster's Blue Backed Speller, she could read anything - from the KJV Bible to the local newspaper with extraordinary comprehension, accuracy and speed.

Quite frankly, I was amazed at how easy it was to teach my little girl how to read. And it became a real precious time - spending 45-60 minutes each day with her for about 6 weeks, reviewing the lessons in this book.

After our incredible success, I ordered extra copies of this book and gave them away to friends who were frustrated with public schools and teachers explaining why kids weren't reading by 2nd grade.

My friends also had good results with this book and they bought their own copies to give away to more friends.

My little girl is now a a sophomore in college (honor student!) and she has remained a voracious reader throughout her life. I highly recommend this book.

I bristle when I hear tales of the rampant illiteracy in our schools. Teaching our little ones to read does not require massive federal spending or enormous budgets. It requires love, patience, parental involvement and Noah Webster's Blue Backed Speller.

It really is just that simple.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Original Blue Back Speller, March 18, 2007

By 

Linda M. Foster - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Original Blue Back Speller (Hardcover)

I really like this book because it sheds light on how a part of the English language was initially taught in American schools during Noah Webster's era and for numerous years, thereafter. I believe that one can benefit most from this book with the help of a tutor/teacher and/or a dictionary, so that the correct pronunciation of words will be learned. I appreciate having this historical document in my own library even though some of the faded and broken text is sometimes difficult or impossible to read: I suppose this loss of legibility is a result of the aging of the work.

25 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but difficult to read, February 27, 2006

By 

somanybooks_solittletime (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Original Blue Back Speller (Hardcover)

This book is very interesting to read but you probably would not want to use it in your homeschool as I was hoping to because the type is small and hard to read This must be because of the way that it was printed or the type or printer that was used, I don't know. This is a shame because it is biblicaly based and very moral and spiritually uplifting reading unlike most of the begining reader material out there. If only it could be reprinted with clearer type.