Hornbook

Horn-book, a leaf of vellum, formerly used in teaching children to read and count. The leaf was covered with a sheet of transparent horn, and enclosed in a wooden frame with a handle for the child to grasp. On the vellum were written the alphabet, the Roman numerals, the Lord's Prayer, and sometimes a few short words. At a later date the leaves were made of paper and printed, and in this form they remained in use till the middle of the 18th century.