Schoolbook Collection

Mitchell's Primary Geography, 1849

Due to Clifton Johnson's interest in children's literature and education, he began collecting books on the subject early on in his career. By the end of his life, Johnson had amassed over 1000 volumes of 17th, 18th, and 19th century schoolbooks, ranging from almanacs to spellers on topics from arithmetic to zoology. The majority are American imprints, but there are a number of English and foreign language texts. It is of value for students of the history of education, the history of children's books and of life in New England from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century.