The World at Home (First Book) is an educational geography and general knowledge reader for children, first published in 1882 as part of the Royal School Series by T. Nelson & Sons in London, Edinburgh, and New York. The book introduces young students to basic concepts of geography, maps, directions, and global awareness through reading passages about distant lands and daily life in different cultures, combined with illustrations, poems, and comprehension questions. Typical copies featured a cloth-bound cover stamped with the royal crest, and early editions contained approximately 128 pages, while expanded editions could reach up to 272 pages.
Among its contents are chapters such as “The Black Man at Home,” which reflect the colonial and racist attitudes common in late Victorian educational materials, alongside more conventional lessons on topics like maps and weather. The book was widely used in British primary schools to instill a worldview aligned with the perspectives of the British Empire, presenting both factual and biased narratives about other peoples.
Publication year: 1882 (First Book edition)
Publisher: T. Nelson & Sons (London, Edinburgh, New York)
Language: English
Original language: English
Target age: Children and early primary school readers
The World at Home (First Book) by T. Nelson & Sons