The Historic Textbook Collection that is part of the Center for the History of Early Iowa Education and Culture contains over 300 textbooks on subjects taught over time in Iowa’s rural schools at varying grade levels. The Center is in the process of identifying titles that were known to have been used in specific schools at particular dates, drawing on student and teacher recollections and information found in the Rural School Records. Among the titles in the collection are:
- Century Handbook of Writing (The Century Company, 1922)
- A Child’s Book of Teeth (World Book Company, 1932)
- Eaton’s Graded Speller (Omaha School Supply Company, 1917)
- Elson-Gray Basic Reader, Book One (Scott, Foresman & Company, 1936)
- Grammar and Composition for Common Schools (American Book Company, 1886)
- Iowa and the Nation (A. Flanagan, 1899)
- Number Stories Book 1 (Scott, Foresman & Company, 1934)
- A One Book Course in Elementary Music and Selected Songs for Schools (Fullerton & Gray, 1925)
- Science All About Us (Ginn & Company, 1946)
The Center’s holdings also include a number of textbooks that were used in teacher preparation programs.