The immortal Milton declared that “a good book is the precious life blood of a master spirit.” It has been and will continue to be the happy privilege of the publisher to clothe the good book of the master spirit in a style befitting its character, and to place it within the reach of those who should have its message. That the educational publisher is doing that work with much greater skill now than at any time during the past two centuries is manifest; that he will, as time grows apace, do it increasingly better, who can doubt? A BRIEF HISTORY OF AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHERS Allow me to close this paper by giving a brief record of the organization of the houses now engaged in educational publishing, mentioning the titles of some of the earlier textbooks produced. In this brief record I have considered the history of these houses in chronological sequence rather than in alphabetical order, beginning with the earliest American house engaged in textbook publishing. CHRISTOPHER SOWER COMPANY.--Christopher Sower (Saür), the founder of this house, issued in 1733 as his first venture in publishing, a _schoolbook_ entitled _Ein A B C und Buchstabier Buch_. In 1747 he published a German and English Grammar; in 1750, _The Golden A B C, or the School of Knowledge in Rhymes_ (English translation of German title); in 1771, _The New England Primer, Enlarged_. Although he began publishing in German, he was soon printing in both German and English, and he issued from six to twelve books a year until his death. His most important educational publication was _Die Schul-Ordnung_, written by Christopher Dock, a remarkable schoolmaster in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. This is known as the first American treatise on school teaching. In 1758 Christopher Sower was succeeded by his son, Christopher Sower, 2nd, and he by his son, Samuel. In 1799 another son, David, Sr., took charge of the business. In 1842 Charles G., son of David, Jr., succeeded his father. In 1888, 150 years after the founding, the firm was incorporated as the Christopher Sower Company, with Charles D. Sower as President. In 1910 the officers were: Albert M. Sower, President; James L. Pennypacker, Vice President; Daniel B. Hassan, Secretary and Treasurer.