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This series focuses on educational theory and practice, particularly in the context of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Europe and its colonies and America. During this period, the questions of who should be educated, to what age, to what standard and using what curriculum, were widely debated. The reform of schools and universities, the drive towards improving women's education, and the movement for free (or at least low-cost) schools for the poor were all major concerns both for governments and for society at large. The books selected for reissue in this series discuss key issues of their time, including the 'appropriate' levels of instruction for the children of the working classes, the emergence of adult education movements and proposals for the higher education of women. They also cover topics that still resonate today, such as the nature of education, the role of universities in the diffusion of knowledge and the involvement of religious groups in establishing and running schools.

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45 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Education

Page 2 of 3

Thoughts on the Education of Daughters
  • With Reflections on Female Conduct, in the More Important Duties of Life
  • Mary Wollstonecraft
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    20 March 2014
  • Paving the way for modern feminist thinking, Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–97) dared to challenge traditional eighteenth-century attitudes towards women. First published in 1787, this book discusses how girls can best be educated to become valuable wives and mothers. It argues that women can offer the most effective contribution to society if they are brought up to display sound morals, character and intellect, rather than superficial social graces. Wollstonecraft later developed her ideas in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (also reissued in this series), in which she attacked the educational restrictions imposed upon women. Her writings formed a cornerstone of the battle for women's rights in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Prompting deeper reflection upon the role and status of women in modern society, the present work remains an instructive and provocative read for those seeking to learn about the roots of feminism in its social and historical context.

Letters on Education
  • With Observations on Religious and Metaphysical Subjects
  • Catharine Macaulay
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    20 March 2014
  • First published in 1790, this collection of letters presents the mature views of Catharine Macaulay (1731–91) on education and related topics. Famed as an impassioned writer on history and politics, she defied eighteenth-century preconceptions of what it was possible and appropriate for women to achieve. Ranging across a broad spectrum of subjects, from diet and reading to pastimes, religion and discipline, this work reflects her enlightened thinking. She compares the educational situation in England to the contemporary French and American systems, and even those of ancient Rome and Sparta. Championing equality in education regardless of gender, Macaulay argues for the instruction of girls within a co-educational system, seeing this as the only way to improve female standing in society. Also reissued in this series is her eight-volume History of England (1763–83), which traces the upheavals of the seventeenth century.

Improvements in Education, as it Respects the Industrious Classes of the Community
  • With a Brief Sketch of the Life of Joseph Lancaster
  • Joseph Lancaster, William Corston
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    23 January 2014
  • The son of a shopkeeper, Joseph Lancaster (1778–1838) received little formal education himself. In 1798 he set up a school in Southwark, waiving fees for poor children. Originally published in 1803, this work sets out in detail the philosophy and practice of Lancaster's system of education, which relied on peer tutoring. He was always concerned with the education of the underprivileged in industrial cities, lamenting that 'poor children be deprived of even an initiatory share of education, and of almost any attention to their morals'. The early decades of the nineteenth century saw the peak of the popularity of Lancaster's system as his ideas spread and inspired the establishment of schools around the world. His book is still significant in the history of educational methods. This reissue of the revised third edition of 1805 incorporates a brief 1840 biography of Lancaster.

The Conflict of Studies
  • And Other Essays on Subjects Connected with Education
  • Isaac Todhunter
  • Published online:
    05 May 2014
    Print publication:
    22 August 2013
    First published in:
    1873
  • The nineteenth century was a time of great reform in education, with debate focusing on such questions as who should be educated, in what manner, and to what degree. Given the technical advances brought about by the Industrial Revolution, rigorous mathematical education was seen by many as essential. A mathematician, educator and examiner for the University of Cambridge, Isaac Todhunter (1820–84) was also known as a prolific and very successful author of mathematics textbooks. In his day, he was considered an influential, albeit somewhat conservative, figure in mathematical education. In these six essays, first published in 1873, he discusses topics raised by the reform movement (for which he had little sympathy), such as the examination system, teaching methods and materials. Born of Todhunter's vast experience in the field, this work reflects an insider's perspective and remains relevant to students and scholars interested in the history of mathematics teaching and the University of Cambridge.

Philosophy in Sport Made Science in Earnest
  • Being an Attempt to Illustrate the First Principles of Natural Philosophy by the Aid of the Popular Toys and Sports
  • Volume 3
  • John Ayrton Paris
  • Illustrated by George Cruikshank
  • Published online:
    05 April 2014
    Print publication:
    18 April 2013
    First published in:
    1827
  • John Ayrton Paris (1785–1856), writer and physician, became a member of the Linnean Society in 1810, and served as president of the Royal College of Physicians from 1844 until his death. Intended for children and originally composed for the author's family, this three-volume work about science was first published in 1827. Dedicated to the writer Maria Edgeworth (1768–1849) and with illustrations by George Cruikshank (1792–1878), it aims 'to blend amusement with instruction', since youth, as Paris writes, 'is naturally addicted to amusement'. Topics covered in Volume 3 include optical illusions, centrifugal forces and the compound nature of white light; the science behind these is demonstrated using concave mirrors, Catharine wheels and a thaumatrope (which Paris is sometimes credited as having invented). A fascinating and popular text in the history of science education, the engaging narrative seeks to prove 'how profitably, and agreeably, the machinery of fiction may be worked for the dissemination of truth'.

Philosophy in Sport Made Science in Earnest
  • Being an Attempt to Illustrate the First Principles of Natural Philosophy by the Aid of the Popular Toys and Sports
  • Volume 1
  • John Ayrton Paris
  • Illustrated by George Cruikshank
  • Published online:
    05 April 2014
    Print publication:
    18 April 2013
    First published in:
    1827
  • John Ayrton Paris (1785–1856), writer and physician, became a member of the Linnean Society in 1810, and served as president of the Royal College of Physicians from 1844 until his death. Intended for children and originally composed for the author's family, this three-volume work about science was first published in 1827. Dedicated to the writer Maria Edgeworth (1768–1849) and with illustrations by George Cruikshank (1792–1878), it aims 'to blend amusement with instruction', since youth, as Paris writes, 'is naturally addicted to amusement'. Topics covered in Volume 1 include momentum, geometry, elasticity and rotatory motion; the science behind these is demonstrated using a yo-yo, a jack-in-the-box and a slingshot, among various other toys and games. A fascinating and popular text in the history of science education, the engaging narrative seeks to prove 'how profitably, and agreeably, the machinery of fiction may be worked for the dissemination of truth'.

Philosophy in Sport Made Science in Earnest
  • Being an Attempt to Illustrate the First Principles of Natural Philosophy by the Aid of the Popular Toys and Sports
  • Volume 2
  • John Ayrton Paris
  • Illustrated by George Cruikshank
  • Published online:
    05 April 2014
    Print publication:
    18 April 2013
    First published in:
    1827
  • John Ayrton Paris (1785–1856), writer and physician, became a member of the Linnean Society in 1810, and served as president of the Royal College of Physicians from 1844 until his death. Intended for children and originally composed for the author's family, this three-volume work about science was first published in 1827. Dedicated to the writer Maria Edgeworth (1768–1849) and with illustrations by George Cruikshank (1792–1878), it aims 'to blend amusement with instruction', since youth, as Paris writes, 'is naturally addicted to amusement'. Topics covered in Volume 2 include the collision of bodies, vacuums, motion in flight, and echoes; the science behind these is demonstrated using marbles, a kite and musical instruments, among various other toys and games. A fascinating and popular text in the history of science education, the engaging narrative seeks to prove 'how profitably, and agreeably, the machinery of fiction may be worked for the dissemination of truth'.

Early Yorkshire Schools
  • Volume 2, Pontefract, Howden, Northallerton, Acaster, Rotherham, Giggleswick, Sedbergh
  • Arthur Francis Leach
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    18 April 2013
    First published in:
    1903
  • Published for the Yorkshire Archaeological Society in 1903, this second volume of a two-volume survey sets out to collect and put into historical context the extant documentation relating to the foundation and early history of seven Yorkshire schools: Pontefract, Howden, Northallerton, Acaster, Rotherham, Giggleswick and Sedbergh. Although none is as ancient as the three cathedral schools surveyed in the first volume, the documentation - the earliest of which is typically in Latin, while later documents tend to be in English - extends from 1139 and the founding of Pontefract Grammar, takes in Rotherham College from its foundation in 1483, and includes a full record of Sedbergh School, from its genesis in the 1520s through its re-establishment in 1551 and up to the end of the seventeenth century. Arthur Francis Leach (1851–1915), dubbed 'the father of the history of education in England', provides an introductory narrative to accompany these primary sources.

Labour and Childhood
  • Margaret McMillan
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    26 September 2013
  • Celebrated for her pioneering work to improve the education, health and welfare of slum children, Margaret McMillan (1860–1931) was an active socialist campaigner and member of the Independent Labour Party. Her involvement with Bradford school boards drew her attention to the poor state of health of the pupils - rickets, scurvy, anaemia and malnutrition were commonplace. Working with her sister Rachel (1859–1917), as well as lobbying for improved standards, Margaret opened the country's first school clinic in Bow in 1908. The sisters' most famous enterprise, the Deptford Camp School, soon followed, and the Rachel McMillan College for training nurses and teachers was founded in 1930. One of her many influential books on pre-school and primary education, this work of 1907 considers the vital role of the school doctor and argues that the practice of poor schoolchildren engaging in part-time labour is detrimental to their well-being.

Early Yorkshire Schools
  • Volume 1, York, Beverley, Ripon
  • Arthur Francis Leach
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    18 April 2013
    First published in:
    1899
  • Published for the Yorkshire Archaeological Society in 1899, this first volume of a two-volume survey sets out to collect and put into historical context the extant documentation relating to the foundation and early history of three ancient Yorkshire schools - in York, Beverley and Ripon - from their origins up to the Reformation. The earliest of these is what later became York's St Peter's School, founded in 627 by St Paulinus of York and where Alcuin was an early headmaster. An extract from his Latin poem The Bishops, Kings and Saints of York relating to his time at the school is printed here, alongside a wealth of letters, charters and other documents (many in Latin) concerning the history and traditions of all three schools. Arthur Francis Leach (1851–1915), dubbed 'the father of the history of education in England', provides a narrative account to accompany the primary sources.

Practical Education
  • Volume 2
  • Maria Edgeworth, Richard Lovell Edgeworth
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    24 May 2012
    First published in:
    1798
  • The scientist Richard Lovell Edgeworth (1744–1817), educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and Oxford, was a Member of the Lunar Society of Birmingham, where he exchanged ideas with other scientists, including James Watt, and was known for his significant mechanical inventions. However, Edgeworth's real interest was education: in this 1788 two-volume work, written with his daughter, the poet Maria Edgeworth (1768–1849), he draws on his own experience of raising twenty children (by his four wives), from which the work derives its authority and innovative character. The work was very influential, and led to his Essays on Professional Education (1809; also reissued in this series). The two volumes discuss the theories of philosophers and educationalists, while in general arguing for the importance and formative character of early childhood experiences. Volume 2 discusses schooling, the idea of creativity and imagination, and the relationship between public and private education.

Essays on Professional Education
  • Richard Lovell Edgeworth
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    24 May 2012
    First published in:
    1809
  • The scientist Richard Lovell Edgeworth (1744–1817), educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and Oxford, was known for his significant mechanical inventions. He was a Member of the Lunar Society of Birmingham, where he exchanged ideas with other scientists, including James Watt. However, Edgeworth was also greatly interested in education: drawing on his own experiences of raising twenty children (by his four wives), in 1788 he published, with his daughter, the poet Maria Edgeworth, his famous two-volume Practical Education (also reissued in this series). The work was very influential, and led to this book, published in 1809, a series of essays on professional education (again written in co-operation with Maria), dealing with the nature of different occupations in a state. He discusses education for the professions, including the Church, the Army and the Law, but also refers to the education of statesmen, gentlemen and even princes.

Practical Education
  • Volume 1
  • Maria Edgeworth, Richard Lovell Edgeworth
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    24 May 2012
    First published in:
    1798
  • The scientist Richard Lovell Edgeworth (1744–1817), educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and Oxford, was a Member of the Lunar Society of Birmingham, where he exchanged ideas with other scientists, including James Watt, and was known for his significant mechanical inventions. However, Edgeworth's real interest was education: in this 1788 two-volume work, written with his daughter, the poet Maria Edgeworth (1768–1849), he draws on his own experience of raising twenty children (by his four wives), from which the work derives its authority and innovative character. The work was very influential, and led to his Essays on Professional Education (1809; also reissued in this series). The two volumes discuss the theories of philosophers and educationalists, while in general arguing for the importance and formative character of early childhood experiences. Volume 1 deals with different areas of childhood education, including play, learning, and obedience and good behaviour.

Rapport historique sur les progrès des sciences naturelles depuis 1789, et sur leur état actuel
  • Edited by Georges Cuvier
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    03 November 2011
    First published in:
    1810
  • In 1808, Napoleon I, Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815, commissioned a series of official reports on the progress of scientific research since 1789. First published in 1810, this report on the current state of science was written by French naturalist and zoologist Georges Cuvier (1769–1832). One of the first scientists to establish the fields of comparative anatomy and palaeontology, Cuvier became permanent secretary of the Academy of Sciences in 1803. As such, he was charged with examining the state of science in higher educational establishments, and with presenting an overview of the progress accomplished during Napoleon's reign in the fields of chemistry, physics, biology, geology, and medicine. This report includes discoveries made by French scientists, such as the chemist Antoine Lavoisier (1743–94), as well as those made in the countries then under French occupation.

Where There's a Will, There's a Way!
  • Or, Science in the Cottage; An Account of the Labours of Naturalists in Humble Life
  • James Cash
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    22 December 2011
    First published in:
    1873
  • During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries many scientists, naturalists, engineers and inventors from humble backgrounds, largely self-taught, made significant contributions to British science. This 1873 book by James Cash (1839–1909) celebrates their achievements in natural history, while promoting a 'self-help' ideology, stressing how disadvantages could be overcome by those with ability and determination. Many of his subjects corresponded with great names such as William Jackson Hooker, and sent specimens or local information which helped build up the larger picture. Cash gives particular attention to men from the north of England, where many men engaged in the cloth trade were also notable plant collectors. His subjects include George Caley, a weaver self-taught in Latin and French, and whom Sir Joseph Banks employed to go to New South Wales as a collector; Edward Hobson, a factory worker; and John Horsefield, a self-taught weaver who memorised the Linnaean orders at his loom.

English Works
  • Toxophilus. Report of the Affaires and State of Germany. The Scholemaster
  • Roger Ascham
  • Edited by William Aldis Wright
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    31 October 2010
    First published in:
    1904
  • The Tudor writer Roger Ascham (c.1514–1568) was royal tutor to Princess Elizabeth. Ascham is best known for his works Toxophilus (1545) and The Scholemaster (1570) which were edited, together with his Report of the Affairs and State of Germany (1570), by the renowned literary scholar William Aldis Wright (1831–1914) and published in 1904 as part of the Cambridge English Classics series. Toxophilus, a Ciceronian dialogue between Philologus (the lover of study) and Toxophilus (the lover of the bow), articulates the importance of physical training to a gentleman's education. The Scholemaster, which was published posthumously, consists of two books. The first describes the character and teaching methods of the ideal tutor and the second advocates teaching languages by double translation. Ascham's English prose came to be seen as a model for how classical principles of form and organisation could be applied to the vernacular.

A Hundred Wonders of the Modern World and of the Three Kingdoms of Nature
  • Described According to the Best and Latest Authorities and Illustrated by Numerous Engravings
  • C. C. Clarke
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    02 December 2010
    First published in:
    1834
  • Sir Richard Phillips (1767–1840) was a London-born author and publisher of educational textbooks who used a vast array of pseudonyms, including that of Reverend C. C. Clarke. Phillips' marketing techniques - the systematic borrowing of famous (living or deceased) authors' names for his textbooks, along with the multiplication of easy to produce related educational products - were key to his success. No doubt meant as an accessible encyclopaedia, this 40th edition of 1834 - attributed to Phillips himself - is a surprisingly vast and heterogeneous survey, which compiles natural and man-made curiosities across the world. The Himalayas and Mont Blanc share a chapter with the Peak of Derbyshire; famous rivers lead to mysterious subterranean forests; and Stonehenge is closely followed by St Paul's cathedral. Halfway between reference book and textbook, this richly illustrated volume is a fascinating catalogue of the world's wonders as perceived in the early nineteenth century.

Strictures on the Modern System of Female Education
  • With a View of the Principles and Conduct Prevalent among Women of Rank and Fortune
  • Volume 2
  • Hannah More
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    28 October 2010
    First published in:
    1799
  • A unique and influential public figure in her time, Hannah More (1745–1833) was a prolific writer. This two-volume study, published in 1799, is her definitive work on women's education, which went through thirteen editions by 1826 and sold over 19,000 copies. The work outlines More's belief that women's education and conduct determined the moral state of a nation, reflecting her acceptance of eighteenth-century views on the status and education of women. In Volume 2 More argues that, with proper education, women - viewed by her as naturally more religious than men - could regenerate Christianity. She also discusses conversation, fashionable life and public amusements. The modern reader will find More's conservative stance on women's rights a fascinating contrast to more liberal works of the age, including Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Women. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=moreha

Strictures on the Modern System of Female Education
  • With a View of the Principles and Conduct Prevalent among Women of Rank and Fortune
  • Volume 1
  • Hannah More
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    28 October 2010
    First published in:
    1799
  • A unique and influential public figure in her time, Hannah More (1745–1833) was a prolific writer. This two-volume study, published in 1799, is her definitive work on women's education, which went through thirteen editions by 1826 and sold over 19,000 copies. The work outlines More's belief that women's education and conduct determined the moral state of a nation, reflecting her acceptance of eighteenth-century views on the status and education of women. In Volume 1, a heavy emphasis is placed on the need for women to observe propriety, and More argues that women should seek to acquire knowledge and discipline rather than accomplishments. The modern reader will find More's conservative stance on women's rights a fascinating contrast to more liberal works of the age, including Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Women. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=moreha

The Higher Education of Women
  • Emily Davies
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    23 September 2010
    First published in:
    1866
  • Emily Davies (1830–1921) was an English early feminist and suffragist who is best remembered for her pioneering campaign to allow women access to university education. Davies was one of the founders of Girton College, Cambridge and served as Mistress between 1873–1875. This volume, first published in 1866, discusses the state of female education after the ages of 16-18. Davies explores the contemporary differences between male and female education and advocates women's entry into higher education, providing specific suggestions on how this could occur and the benefits it could bring to both men and women. The concerns of early feminists and the differing contemporary attitudes towards female education are presented in this volume, which also includes the 1854 pamphlet Remarks on the Education of Girls by feminist Bessie Rayner Parkes and an influential 1854 pamphlet summarising the legal restrictions of married women by feminist activist Barbara Bodichon.

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