"This book will be a monumental contribution to the topic and a staple of scholarship for decades." —Michael B. Katz

"A remarkable volume of critical synthesis and passionate revisionism." —Journal of Economic History

". . . ambitious and stimulating . . . required reading not only for social historians but also for policy-makers and activists." —Histoire Sociale

"Clearly an important book . . . marks a significant point in the history of literacy studies." —History of Education Quarterly

"A stimulating challenge to traditional assumptions and scholarly commonplaces." —Journal of Communication