According to the Webster's Third New International Dictionary, a hornbook
is "a child's primer formerly in use consisting typically of a sheet of
parchment or later of paper mounted on a thin wooden board and protected
by a sheet of transparent horn and having on it the alphabet and other
rudiments such as the digits and often the Lord's Prayer". As I recall
from my visits to the colonial section of Williamsburg, VA, these
hornbooks were shared by many students and had to be sturdy. Although the
horn is no longer used, the concept of having basic information in one
place apparently carried over to the legal hornbooks of today.
Barbara Duval, Librarian
Smith Helms Mulliss & Moore, LLP
Charlotte, NC
bduval@vnet.net
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