School Readers & Textbooks
Database of School Textbooks, c. 1870 - 1930 This is a work in progress. It's a searchable database of all books approved for use in British Columbia schools from the 1870s to the end of the 1920s. The database is built on a checklist compiled by Roy Hill of the Royal British Columbia Museum, using official reports, catalogues, and manuals published by the Department of Education. Hill's checklist for the period c. 1870-1900 was augmented in 2004 with bibliographical data researched by Paul Washington, a graduate of the School of Archives, Information and Library Science at The University of British Columbia. Our database supplements the Canadian Textbooks database, compiled in conjunction with the History of the Book in Canada project.
Dick and Jane [Elson-Grey School Readers] A brief introduction to a popular series of American readers used in British Columbia schools from the mid-1930s to the 1960s.
Jerry and Jane [High Roads to Reading] Pictures and text from a popular series of Canadian school readers used in British Columbia schools in the 1930s. The story "Fun on the Hill" illustrates a character who became increasingly prominent in school readers - the "friendly policeman."
