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The Educational Writings of John Locke

John Locke · 1922

A 1922 edition collecting Locke's writings on education, edited by J. W. Adamson.

This collects Locke's own writings on education, showing his influence on ideas about raising and teaching children.

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The Educational Writings of John Locke
John Locke, The Educational Writings of John Locke, ed. J. W. Adamson, 1922. Digitized scan, Internet Archive.

About this source

What it is

This book collects the educational writings of John Locke, edited by John William Adamson and published in 1922 (a second edition; first published in 1912). It includes a facsimile page of Locke's original draft of Some Thoughts concerning Education.

Why it matters

Locke's ideas about raising and teaching children influenced educational thinking for generations. This edition, prepared by a professor of education, made his writings accessible to later readers studying the history of teaching and childhood.

Look closer

  • Why might an editor in 1922 think Locke's centuries-old ideas on education were still worth publishing?
  • What can a facsimile of a draft page tell us that a printed text cannot?
  • How might ideas about educating children have changed between Locke's time and 1922?

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