Proceedings of the Linguistic Circle of Manitoba and North ...
Linguistic Circle of Manitoba and North Dakota
... widely read secular book in America during the nineteenth century. The speller , also called Webster's "blue-backed" because of its characteristic blue cover and binding, was first printed in 1783. All told, it has sold probably no less than 200 million copies since then. By Webster's death in 1843, the speller had already gone to at least 404 editions, and as late as 1936, one edition was still being used in 13 Noah Webster, Patriotism, and the Americanization of English Tom Domek 13.