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Thirty-Ninth Annual Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of Michigan
With Accompanying Documents, for the Year 1875
Lansing: W.S. George & Co., State Printers and Binders, 1876
Original hardcover
ISBN: None shown
This is a real 1876 Michigan state education report, made when public schools, teacher training, state colleges, and graded schools were still being built into the system we know now. It is not a modern reprint. It is an original state document with the Michigan seal on the title page and gilt spine lettering on the binding.
The strongest collector hook is the mix of Michigan school history and institutional history. The contents include reports and statistics tied to Michigan public schools, the University of Michigan, the State Agricultural College, the State Normal School, graded schools, teachers, school funds, and county superintendents. One photo also shows a plan/map of the grounds of the State Agricultural College in Lansing.
This copy also has a period library label from the Library and Reading Room of the Town of Amherstburg, Ontario. It was added to that library in May 1881. That gives the book a second story: a Michigan state report that crossed into a Canadian town library and was used as a working reference book more than 140 years ago.
Best fit for collectors of Michigan history, education history, public school history, University of Michigan history, State Agricultural College history, government reports, Amherstburg / Ontario library history, and 19th-century institutional books.
Major hook: original 1876 Michigan public instruction report with State Agricultural College plan/map and Amherstburg, Ontario library label.
Condition: Good antique condition. Green cloth hardcover with gilt spine title. Covers show rubbing, spotting, scuffs, corner wear, edge wear, and wear at spine ends. Pages show age toning, foxing, and some marks. Former Amherstburg Library and Reading Room label inside front cover. Pencil notes visible on contents page. Binding appears usable from photos, but this is an old, handled state report and should be opened with care. No dust jacket. See photos for full condition details.
Search terms: Michigan public instruction, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1876 Michigan report, 1875 schools, W.S. George Lansing, Michigan education history, State Agricultural College, University of Michigan, State Normal School, Amherstburg Library, Ontario library, antique government report.
