PREFACE

The present bulletin is the second to be prepared at the request of the College of Education for the current topic series. The aim of this bulletin, like that of the Bulletin for Latin Teachers, is to place before high-school teachers a succinct statement of the problems connected with a specific high-school study, and to suggest some of the more important materials and methods for dealing with the same.

It is hoped that in the near future, it will be possible to present a similar bulletin on each of the major high-school studies. It is desired to make these bulletins of as broad use to teachers in service as possible. Suggestions will be greatly appreciated. F. H. SWIFT,

Secretary of College of Education

INTRODUCTION

This brief bulletin is designed primarily for the teachers of history who are beginning their work. It was prepared at the request of the College of Education. The information is chiefly bibliographical, tho some elementary principles of method are included. The bibliography is not complete, but most of the books mentioned also contain bibliographies so that the more advanced teachers will be able to run down practically all the standard literature on the subject through the works listed here. Books published in this country are listed with the name of the publisher, while books published abroad are listed with the place of publication only. The prices quoted are the list prices of the publishers and do not include postage or express. Most of the books mentioned may be obtained through the special book department of the History Teacher's Magazine. Address Dr. A. E. McKinley, 1619-21 Ranstead Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Foreign books may be ordered through the importing firms G. E. Stechert & Co., 151-155 West Twenty-fifth Street, New York, or A. C. McClurg & Co., 330-352 East Ohio Street, Chicago. Frequently the local book dealers are able to obtain the books for you at a saving.

BULLETIN FOR TEACHERS OF HISTORY

THE TEACHER'S PREPARATION

SUBJECT-MATTER

The first requisite for the successful teacher of history is thoro knowledge of the subject. In times past this requirement was sometimes not regarded very seriously. High-school administrators frequently proceeded on the tacit assumption that everyone "knew history" with the result that athletic, forensic, or musical attainments in prospective teachers were sufficient to win them places as teachers of history. Fortunately that time is rapidly passing. Modern high-school executives are keenly aware of the correlation between the teacher's mastery of subject-matter and successful class-room work. They understand the complexity and importance of history and are not inclined to tolerate slipshod, superficial work there. As a result it is becoming increasingly difficult for teachers not trained for the work to obtain positions as teachers of history. Occasionally the situation in particular schools necessitates the teaching of history by a teacher trained for other lines of work. Such a teacher has the unenviable task of "working up" the subject and teaching it at the same time. Probably the most helpful bibliography for such a teacher will be found in the following works:

Andrews, Gambrill and Tall, A Bibliography of History for Schools and Libraries. Longmans, 1910. Price 60 cents.

History Teacher's Magazine. McKinley & Co., 1909. Price $2.00 per year; $1.00 for members of Historical Association.

The first work, compiled by scholars and teachers, contains a carefully selected list of the best works in English for high-school purposes. Author, date of publication, and price of every book are given. In addition a brief critical estimate of each book appears so that the reader is amply guided in selecting the most useful. For books published since this little bibliography was drawn up, see the bibliographical section of the History Teacher's Magazine. This periodical is edited under the supervision of a committee of the American Historical Association and appears ten times a year. It is, for practical purposes, the official periodical of the history teachers, an indispensable part of the teacher's library.