Hornbook
English Meaning
The first book for children, or that from which in former times they learned their letters and rudiments; -- so called because a sheet of horn covered the small, thin board of oak, or the slip of paper, on which the alphabet, digits, and often the Lord's Prayer, were written or printed; a primer.
- An early primer consisting of a single page protected by a transparent sheet of horn, formerly used in teaching children to read.
- A text that instructs in the basic skills or rudiments of a subject.