Arithmetic and geometry have been an integral part of the American school curriculum since the early colonial days. A necessary skill for occupations as diverse as merchants and merchant marines, arithmetical instruction was highly valued and highly structured, with the material manifestation being the "arithmetic book," the students' workbooks filled with notes and exercises.

Scope and contents:

The Arithmetic Book Collection includes a small number of manuscript workbooks used by students studying arithmetic or geometry, ranging in age from the late colonial period through the 1820s. These include:

1. Avery, Jerusha. Commercial arithmetic book, ca.1787, 74 pp.

2. Boyd, John. Arithmetic books, ca.1761, 183 pp.

3. Leclerc, Sebastien. Pratique de la géometrie, 1774, 205 pp.

4. Ludwig, Jacob. Arithmetic book, 1807, 169 pp.

5. Ricketts, Palmer C. Practical geometry books (3), n.d.

6. Slocomb, Sally Eager. Arithmetic book, ca.1805, 34 pp.

7. Tomson, Andrew. Arithmetic book, 1821, 24 pp.

Provenance:

Acquired variously.

Recat. 7/98 rsc

Subject index to the Arithmetic Book Collection

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