这套读本的英文原版共分七级，包括启蒙读本和第1-6级。考虑到启蒙读本与第一级篇幅都较少，难易程度也很接近，于是将之合并为第1册，其余2-6级与英文原版相同。这样国内出版的这套读本共包括6册。
从本书开始，均是比较正式的课文，概述了历史、生物、天文、动物学、植物学、餐桌礼仪、行为举止、对神和老师的态度等。每一课包括词汇和课文，并且对一些生词的英文做出了解释，让学生学会通过简单英文理解生词，养成用英语理解和思维的习惯。
This series of schoolbooks teaching reading and moral precepts,originally prepared by William Holmes who was a professor at MiamiUniversity McGuffey, had a profound influence on public educationin the United States. The eclectic readers, meaning that theselections were chosen from a number of sources, were consideredremarkably literary works and probably exerted a greater influenceupon literary tastes in the United States more than any other book,excluding the Bible.
It is estimated that at least 120 million copies of McGuffey'sReaders were sold between 1836 and 1960, placing its sales in acategory with the Bible and Webster's Dictionary. Since 1961 theyhave continued to sell at a rate of some 30,000 copies a year. Noother textbook bearing a single person's name has come close tothat mark. McGuffey's Readers are still in use today in some schoolsystems, and by parents for home schooling purposes.
The second reader appeared simultaneously with the first andfollowed the same pattern. It contained reading and spelling witheighty-five lessons, sixteen pictures and one-hundred sixty-sixpages. It outlined history, biology, astronomy, zoology, botany;table manners, behavior towards family, attitudes toward God andteachers, the poor; the great and the good. The duties of youth arestressed. Millions of pioneer men and women were alumni of thissecond reader college, they were able to read and writeEnglish.

William Holmes McGuffey (September 23, 1800 – May 4, 1873) wasan American professor and college president who is best known forwriting the McGuffey Readers, one of the nation's first and mostwidely used series of textbooks. It is estimated that at least 122million copies of McGuffey Readers were sold between 1836 and 1960,placing its sales in a category with the Bible and Webster'sDictionary.
He was born the son of Alexander and Anna (Holmes) McGuffey nearClaysville in Washington County, Pennsylvania, which is 45 milessouthwest of Pittsburgh. In 1802 the McGuffey family moved furtherout into the frontier at Tuscarawas County, Ohio. He attendedcountry school, and after receiving special instruction atYoungstown, he attended Greersburg Academy in Darlington,Pennsylvania. Afterwards, he attended and graduated fromPennsylvania's Washington College, where he became aninstructor.
He was close friends with Washington College's President AndrewWylie and lived in Wylie's house for a time; they often would walkthe 3 miles to Washington College together.
McGuffey's house in OxfordMcGuffey left Washington College in1826 to become a professor at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Ayear later in 1827, he was married to Harriet Spinning of Dayton,Ohio, with whom he had five children. In 1829, he was ordained atBethel Chapel as a minister in the Presbyterian Church. It was inOxford that he created the most important contribution of his life:The McGuffey Readers. His books sold over 122 million copies. Hewas very fond of teaching and children as he geared the bookstoward a younger audience.
In 1836, he left Miami to become president of Cincinnati College,where he also served as a distinguished teacher and lecturer. Heleft Cincinnati in 1839 to become the 4th president of OhioUniversity, which he left in 1843 to become president of WoodwardCollege (really a secondary school) in Cincinnati.
In 1845, McGuffey moved to Charlottesville, Virginia where hebecame Professor of Philosophy at the University of Virginia. Ayear after his first wife Harriet died in 1850, he married MissLaura Howard, daughter of Dean Howard of the University ofVirginia, in 1851. McGuffey is buried in the university burialground, in Charlottesville, Virginia. The School of Education atMiami University is housed in McGuffey Hall which is named for himand his home in Oxford is a National Historic Landmark offeringtours on weekdays.

LESSON 1 EVENING AT HOME
LESSON 2 BUBBLES
LESSON 3 WILLIE’S LETTER
LESSON 4 THE LITTLE STAR
LESSON 5 TWO DOGS
LESSON 6 AFRAID IN THE DARK
LESSON 7 BABY BYE
LESSON 8 PUSS AND HER KITTENS
LESSON 9 KITTY AND MOUSIE
LESSON 10 AT WORK
LESSON 11 WHAT A BIRD TAUGHT
LESSON 12 SUSIE SUNBEAM
LESSON 13 IF I WERE A SUNBEAM
LESSON 14 HENRY, THE BOOTBLACK
LESSON 15 DON’T WAKE THE BABY
LESSON 16 A KIND BROTHER
LESSON 17 MY GOOD-FOR-NOTHING
LESSON 18 THE KINGBIRD
LESSON 19 EVENING HYMN
LESSON 20 THE QUARREL
LESSON 21 THE BEE
LESSON 22 THE SONG OF THE BEE
LESSON 23 THE TORN DOLL
LESSON 24 SHEEP-SHEARING
LESSON 25 THE CLOUDS
LESSON 26 PATTY AND THE SQUIRREL
LESSON 27 THE SPARROW
LESSON 28 SAM AND HARRY
LESSON 29 THE LITTLE HILL
LESSON 30 THE BOAT UPSET
LESSON 31 MARY’S LETTER
LESSON 32 THE TIGER
LESSON 33 THE FIRESIDE
LESSON 34 BIRDIE’S MORNING SONG
LESSON 35 WILLIE AND BOUNCE
LESSON 36 WILLIE AND BOUNCE (CONCLUDED)
LESSON 37 THE KITCHEN CLOCK
LESSON 38 THE NEW SCALES
LESSON 39 THE BEAR AND THE CHILDREN
LESSON 40 THE LITTLE HAREBELL
LESSON 41 THE FISHHAWK
LESSON 42 WHAT THE LEAF SAID
LESSON 43 THE WIND AND THE LEAVES
LESSON 44 MAMMA’S PRESENT
LESSON 45 MARY’S STORY
LESSON 46 RALPH WICK
LESSON 47 COASTING DOWN THE HILL
LESSON 48 THE FOX AND THE DUCKS
LESSON 49 PRETTY IS THAT PRETTY DOES
LESSON 50 THE STORY-TELLER
LESSON 51 THE STORY TELLER (CONCLUDED)
LESSON 52 THE OWL
LESSON 53 THE OWL (CONCLUDED)
LESSON 54 GRANDFATHER’S STORY
LESSON 55 GOD IS GREAT AND GOOD
LESSON 56 A GOOD OLD MAN
LESSON 57 THE GREEDY GIRL
LESSON 58 A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING
LESSON 59 MY MOTHER
LESSON 60 THE BROKEN WINDOW
LESSON 61 THE BROKEN WINDOW (CONCLUDED)
LESSON 62 FRANK AND THE HOURGLASS
LESSON 63 MARCH
LESSON 64 JENNY’S CALL
LESSON 65 POOR DAVY
LESSON 66 ALICE’S SUPPER
LESSON 67 A SNOWSTORM
LESSON 68 BESSIE
LESSON 69 BESSIE (CONCLUDED)
LESSON 70 CHEERFULNESS
LESSON 71 LULLABY