E. Jennifer Monaghan - The History of Literacy

The History of Literacy

Dr. Monaghan’s interest in the study of the history of reading evolved by chance. She was volunteering as a tutor at a local public elementary school in Brooklyn and was dismayed at how reading was being taught. Dr. Monaghan began to look at the background of reading instruction and eventually completed her dissertation on Noah Webster’s speller, which was used to teach reading as well as spelling. Her first book, A Common Heritage: Noah Webster's Blue-Back Speller (1983), was an outgrowth of her dissertation. Additionally, she has published numerous book chapters, journal and encyclopedia articles, reviews, and a catalog, including several coauthored with Dr. Douglas K. Hartman.