to spell such
words as "plumb-pudding" "(and who can suppose a better?)," presents her
full face in the Newbery edition, and but a three-quarter view to her
American admirers.

These facts, together with the knowledge that Isaiah Thomas was a fair
engraver himself, make it possible that his apology for the first
impression of the tiny classic was for his own engraving, which he
thought to better.

Thomas not only copied and pirated Newbery's juvenile histories, but he
adopted his method of advertising by insertions in the text of these
tales. For example, in "The Travels of Robinson Crusoe, Written by
Himself," the little reader was told, "If you learn this Book well and
are good, you can buy a larger and more complete History of Mr. Crusoe
at your friend the Bookseller's in Worcester near the Court House." In
"The Mother's Gift," there is described well-brought-up Miss Nugent
displaying to ill-bred Miss Jones, "a pretty large collection of books
neatly bound and nicely kept," all to be had of Mr. Thomas; and again
Mr. Careful, in "Virtue and Vice," "presented at Christmas time to the
sons and daughters of his friends, little Gilt Books to read, such as
are sold at Mr. Thomas' near the Court House in Worcester."

Thomas and his son continued to send out these toy-books until their gay
bindings faded away before the novelty of the printed paper covers of
the nineteenth century.

FOOTNOTES:

[92-A] Tyler, _Literary History of the American Revolution_, vol. i, p.
485.

[94-A] _Life of Josiah Quincy_, p. 27. Boston, 1866.

[94-B] Earle, _Child Life in Colonial Days_, p. 171.

[98-A] Tyler, _Literature of the American Revolution_, vol. ii, p. 182.

[98-B] _Ibid._, p. 156.

CHAPTER V

1790-1800

By Washington
Great deeds were done.
_The New England Primer_,
New York, 1794

Line after line their wisdom flows
Page after page repeating.
T.G. HAKE

CHAPTER V

1790-1800

_The Child and his Book at the End of the Century_

Any attempt to trace the slow development of the American child's story
of the nineteenth century must inevitably be made through the
school-books written during the previous one. Before this, English books
had been adapted to the American trade. But now the continued interest
in education produced text-books pervaded with the American spirit. They
cannot, therefore, be ignored as sporadically in the sp