The most influential books in the history of American education, The McGuffey Readers not only taught reading skills and classic literature but also imparted idealized middle class virtues to millions of schoolchildren. This anthology organizes more than eighty selections from all six volumes of the 1879 edition into twelve thematic chapters, making it possible for readers to examine the cultural assumptions that permeated middle America in the nineteenth century. A general introduction places the books in their historical context and provides background information on the life and career of their compiler, William Holmes McGuffey. Helpful editorial features include chapter introductions, a chronology, questions for consideration, a bibliography, illustrations from the 1879 edition, and an index.