Hall, William. The Encyclopaedia of English Grammar: Designed for the Use of Schools. Wheeling, Va.: John B. Wolff, 1849.
Like newspapers, textbooks were frequently among the earliest imprints issued in regional outposts like Wheeling, Virginia (later West Virginia). Such is the case with William Hall’s Encyclopaedia of English Grammar, which was first copyrighted in nearby Ohio. This image is taken from a chapter on music instruction found at the end of the book—embodying the porous and flexible nature of subjects treated within one textbook in antebellum America. The songs themselves: O, California and Robert Burns’ Auld Lang Syne reflect popular musical taste.
