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CATALOGUE

OF THE

PEDAGOGICAL LIBRARY

AND THE

BOOKS OF REFERENCE

IN THE

OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS,
BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION, PHILADELPHIA,

WITH BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTES AND REFERENCES.

BY

JAMES MAC ALISTER,

SUPERINTENDENT PUBLIC SCHOOLS, PHILADELPHIA,

PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE BOARD.

PHILADELPHIA:

BURK & MCFETRIDGE, PRINTERS, 306 AND 308 CHESTNUT STREET.

1887.

48842

L3

25

PREFACE.

The books which are catalogued in this little volume have been brought together during the past four years. On entering upon the duties of Superintendent of Public Schools in Philadelphia, I felt that it would be a great advantage to have at command the best authorities on the history, science and art of education. Questions would be sure to arise in connection with the work of organizing the supervision of the schools which would render such a collection of books a great convenience to those immediately connected with the Superintendent's Office, to the teachers, and to other persons interested in the public school system of the city. The liberality of the Board of Public Education has enabled me to carry out this purpose, and while the resources at command have been limited, the library has grown to such proportions as to render the printing of a catalogue a necessity.

The field of pedagogical literature is so extensive that it has not been possible to do more than make a selection of books adapted to the immediate needs of the department, while laying a broad foundation for future additions. What was required was a good working pedagogical library, and it is believed that the selection made furnishes the essentials for a pretty thorough study of the history and theory of education in the past, as well as ample materials for dealing with the living questions of our own time.

The paucity of German books will be noticed by every one having the slightest acquaintance with the richness of that language in pedagogical works, The general utility of the library must be urged as an

explanation of this deficiency. Besides, many of the writings of the great German educators are now accessible to the English reader, and the results of German thought and experience are speedily set before us in the form of translations and in original works upon the education of that country.

No apology, it is presumed, is needed for what may seem an undue preference for the French writers on education. The striking progress recently made in public education by our sister European republic has attracted marked attention all over the world. This advance has been accompanied by an awakening among her leading publicists and educators, that has borne fruit in a goodly array of works relating to education in both its theoretical and practical aspects, and possessing all those qualities so characteristic of the French mind in every department of literary effort. While the French, like all the rest of the world, have been borrowers in education from the Germans, it must be admitted that of late years they have been producing books of great pedagogical value. These are quite fully represented in this library, and it is believed, are not one of its least important features.

To increase the usefulness of the catalogue, a selection of references to the more recent and important articles in the leading periodicals has been added. Some of the best pedagogical literature of the day appears in this form; and it was thought that the references to these sources of information, so easy of access in public libraries, would prove a convenience to persons consulting the catalogue for guidance or suggestions on special topics. Occasional bibliographical notes have been inserted for the same reason. I may be permitted to state with regard to both of these features that no attempt at completeness has been made. They might have been greatly extended; but I have confined myself to making selections from my own notebooks and the memoranda of my current reading. The object has been to call attention to such articles and books as are of special value, or are interesting on account of their bearing upon new and pressing educational questions,

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