| Summary: | Fifth level Royal Reader comprising illustrated prose pieces (many on historical subjects) and poetry. Includes word lessons, dictation, letter-writing and paraphrasing exercises, hymns for recitation; sections on useful knowledge, health of the body, plants and their uses, the lives of great men, quotations, figures of speech and rhetorical passages. The Royal School Series, produced in Britain, were used in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador from the 1870s until well into the 20th century. The series consists of eight books, in order: The Infant Reader, The Royal School Primer, and six numbers of The Royal Readers. Together they covered the subjects reading and spelling from the commencement of schooling to final matriculation. The texts went through many printings, making publication dates particularly difficult to determine. The Royal Readers were intended "to cultivate the love of reading by presenting interesting subjects treated in an attractive style." (No.VI, Preface). All six numbers contain stories, poetry, spelling and pronunciation lessons, reading comprehension questions and writing exercises. Extensive use is made of natural history as a subject, with the addition of history from No.IV onward. Moral guidance is a common theme throughout much of the content. All numbers are illustrated.
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