Born in 1800, William McGuffey was a philosopher, philanthropist, and public-school teacher.  In 1836, he wrote a series of reading textbooks that would be used primarily in public schools during the 1800s.  The McGuffey Readers have since undergone a series of revisions, but they are still extremely popular, particularly with homeschooling families.  They teach phonics simply and are filled with high-quality literary works. The McGuffey primers have