About the Book:
This is the biography of the man who gave Americans their most important household book next to the Bible. A typical American farm boy who made good under difficulties, Noah Webster’s influence in the development of the United States was a real contribution to its growth. His life covers a fascinating period in American history when the young republic was just getting on its feet. Where others gave the new country its laws and government, he provided schoolbooks glowing with the American spirit. Twenty-five million copies of Webster’s Spelling Book were used in schools during his lifetime. The American Dictionary, which he compiled when he was fifty years of age, was his greatest achievement.
About the Author:
Isabel Proudfit is well known in the book field. She has written biographies of Hans Christian Anderson, Robert Louis Stevenson, Mark Twain, Noah Webster, James Fenimore Cooper. She has also written charming stories for young children, some of which have appeared in book form, others in children's magazines. Before turning to juvenile writing, Mrs. Proudfit was a reporter covering important assignments for newspapers in New York City and London. Although her childhood was spent in Illinois, she lived for many years on a farm in Connecticut and in New York City.
My Review:
Have you ever wondered who wrote the dictionary? Well Noah Webster wrote Webster's Dictionary, this book is used by millions and is a very well known book. But I never really thought of or even considered the author or creator. This book tells us all about Noah the boy. A boy that was very inquisitive and very hard working and was a ferocious reader. He loved the written word.
The book while giving you information on Noah's life also lets you in on what was going on in the world around him. This was at the perpetual height of the taxation on tea. So many were not too thrilled with the British at the time of Noah's childhood. Noah's family were farmers and had very little but were able to end Noah to Yale for an education. The author goes on to tell us about his schooling at Yale and about the modest food there. I'm sure college in his day wasn't such a grand adventure due to the fact that families had very little money beyond the cost of tuition.
We are told about how Mr. Webster struggled to get the Blue-Backed Speller published. After being published he had a hard road ahead of him just to get the books in schools so that the children could learn from them. He went on to write and sell many books that are still in existence today including the Webster's Dictionary. This is a great book for young children to read about the life of this fascinating individual.
Disclosure of Material: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookCrash.com book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive, review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR Title 16, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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