Way back in 1997, according to the archives, our list founder queried the name of Nabokov’s English primer, which he describes at the start of chapter four in SM.

 

DBJ remarked:

 

I am attempting to identify the English primer from which Vladimir Nabokov

learned to read English circa 1904. He describes it as "a brown volume" in

which the early section was restricted to three-letter words. Its heroes

were Ben, Dan, Sam & Ned: "Who is Ben?" "He is Dan," "Sam is in bed." "Ben

has an axe."  Near the text's end a simple story was presented: "One day

Ted said to Ann: Let us---"

 

These are example sentences Nabokov recalled some 40 years later, so they

may well be "illustrative" rather than accurate quotes. The book is

probably British since his governess was. Although, he refers to it as "my

grammar," the examples lead one to assume it was simply an elementary

reader.

 

I would be most grateful for any suggestions. Is there perhaps a

particular information source about the history of English primers that

covers the turn of the century?

 

I happened upon VN’s passage today as I prepared to teach my class and had the same question. Fortunately, Google Books has once again proved useful. Nabokov’s primer was likely The Revised Code: The Grade Lesson Books in Six Standards, by E.T. Stevens and Charles Hole (London, 1863). See here:

 

https://books.google.com/books?id=gMwDAAAAQAAJ&dq=ben%20dan%20sam%20ned&pg=PA14#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Cheers,

Matt Roth