Ingham,

16| 16| 78

Jonia,

60 1499 241 771 14581 14 13 49 38 1176

1052 17 162 123 5207 178 275 2253

Kalamazoo,

15 90 75 3147 128 72 2876

9 8 50

35 1534 33 16 882 38

4 +15 36

9 9 55

43 1633 37 63 1467 123

Lenawee,

20 209 172

Livingston,

16

7685 240 432 6993 371 16 134 99 3241

111 156

12 73

5 27 122

584 60 4

82 184 3181

93

59

82

41

10 91

4 62 531

251 50 4

Michilimackinac,

20 219 199 8925 137 614 7872 318 121 167 17 145 100 10594 187 265 6982 422 93 96

5

12 71

5 48,104

700 34 41

6

112 25

4 76 91

178 75 4

$23293 33 $59931 62 81649 581153460 1956 1213 4492 82.64 3013 509 203 24905 751 85521 67 $1110 05

*These seven counties report the number of volumes in all their school district libraries, but none of them report the number of libraries.

See abstract of Inspectors' report, Napoleon, Jackson county,

See abstract of Inspector's reports.

GENERAL NOTE.

There is a great variety of school books in use in the schools of nearly every township in the state. This variety causes an unneces

sary expense to parents; is a perplexity to teachers, preventing, as it does, a proper classification of scholars; and is, hence, an impediment in the improvement of our common schools, which should be removed as early as practicable.

It is not particularly important that the same series of books be used throughout the state. It would be well, however, for all the schools of a township to use a uniform series of books; and when practicable, for the schools of a county to do so.

The law makes it the duty of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to prepare and cause to be printed with his annual report, a list of books adapted to the use of primary schools.

Of the books already in use, there are many nearly equally merit orious. Some are used almost exclusively in one county; others, in other counties. I have hence prepared a somewhat extended list, embracing (in my judgment,) the best books I have been able to examine. Whenever any one of them is in general use in the schools of a township or county, I would not recommend a change. But where there is little or no uniformity in the books in use, I would respectfully recommend that a series of books be adopted by the Teachers' Association of the town or county, or by a Convention of School Inspectors. Generally the books which the superintendent would recommend, other things being equal, are placed first. Frequently, however, there seems to be yery little difference in the merits of several similar works by different authors. In such cases I would recommend the uniform adoption of those in general use.

[No. 5.

LIST OF BOOKS,

Recommended by the Superintendent of Public Instruction for use in Primary Schools, for Teachers, and for Township Libraries. [SEE GENERAL NOTE ON PRECEDING PAGE.]

1. Spelling Books.

Cobb's New Spelling Book,

Gallaudet and Hooker's Spelling Book,
Saunders' Spelling Book, and

Webster's Elementary Spelling Book.

2. Reading Books.

Cobb's New Juvenile Readers, Nos. 1, 2, and 3,

66

New Sequel and North American Reader,

McGuffey's Eclectic Readers, (in five numbers,)

Saunders' School Readers, (in four numbers,)

The American Popular Lessons, Introduction and Sequel to the same, and School Friend, by Miss Eliza Robbins,

Sweet's Elocution,

Porter's Rhetorical Reader,

Willson's American Class-Reader,

Lovell's United States Speaker,

Knowles' Rhetorical Reader.

3. Arithmetics.

Colburn's First Lessons in Arithmetic,

Davies' Arithmetic, (in two parts,)

Emerson's Arithmetic, (in three parts,)

Ray's Arithmetic, (in three parts,)

Willson's Arithmetic, Smith's New Arithmetic, and

Perkin's Elementary and Higher Arithmetics.

4. Geographies.

Mitchell's Primary Geography,

Mitchell's Modern School Geography,

Mitchell's Ancient Geography,

Woodbridge, Olney and Smith's Geographies.

5. Grammars.

Peirce's Grammar, Brown's Grammar,