The New-England Primer's first edition antedated by less than a half-dozen years the publication in Britain of John Locke's Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693), a wide-ranging essay on child-rearing practices that highlighted children's capacity for reason and their susceptibility to being molded for life through judicious exposure to books and other influences suited to their capacity.

NPR: Excerpt: 'Minders of Make-Believe'