by Eric Sloane. Softbound, 48 pages, 8-1/2" x 11". Harkening back to a time when the three R's actually stood for reading, 'riting and religion, Sloane's sketchbook explores the history of early American schools. He writes of the preciousness of paper, the origins of the words "blackboard" and "moonlighting," and offers marvelous illustrations of one-room New England schoolhouses, desks, and benches from the 18th and 19th centuries.