Bernard Bailyn

Education in the Forming of American Society

"Anyone concerned with [the] development [of contemporary education] or with any other aspect of American history should read and take to heart the analysis, criticisms, and suggestions in [this book]."—Merle Curti, The Historian

"Bailyn takes us on an intellectual safari, pointing our good hunting ground and providing a rich amramentarium to hunt with. He describes with gusto what needs to be done in writing the history of the early American family ('the historical role of education is inexplicable without reference to it'); of the impact of clergy, printers, and teachers upon education; of the role of apprenticeship and the financial support of education; and of the effects of the American Revolution and the expansion of the frontier on education."—Arthur Henry Moehlman, New England Quarterly

"The bibliographical essay is a masterpiece of its kind, creating and sustaining a modd of high interest which at times resembles a detective story. But what makes the book unique . . . is the concise and thought-provoking interpretive essay with which it opens. What Bailyn has to say should not be missed by any student of American history who regards himself as more than a narrow specialist."—Frederick D. Kershner, Jr., William and Mary Quarterly

"[Bailyn's] hypotheses are original and imaginative, and point to a vast and hitherto inadequately explored literature. Hopefully, they will prove sufficiently provocative to set in motion the kind of informed historical scholarship that to date has been all too rare in the field of American education."—Lawrence A. Cremin, Journal of American History