The Union Speller presents an "orthography" or set of conventions for writing a language and the norms of spelling. It also contains numerous exercises on punctuation, pronunciation, synonyms, etc. It claims to be compatible with Webster's then-new American Dictionary. While the title page and face pages are missing, this Sanders' Union Speller was copyrighted in 1865 and published in 1872.
The green front cover depicts a male teacher instructing five young boys and girls who are also standing. The back cover contains ads for other texts in the American Educational Series. The text is 178 pages long.
Charles W. Sanders (1805-1889) was a teacher and prolific author of several well-known series of children’s textbooks which bear his name. These include readers, spellers, primers, and grammars designed for both the primary and secondary grades. Sanders’ books became the standard and were adopted in all of New York State’s public schools. His textbooks were also published widely overseas.
Henry Ivison (1808-1884) was one of the pioneers of the school book industry in America. The business he established in Manhattan, New York grew and prospered under several partnerships, with the name of Ivison always at the head of the firm. When The Union Speller was published, the house was incorporated as Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor & Co. Intense competition in the American textbook industry caused several of the leading publishing houses to join forces. In 1890, the consolidation of Ivison, Blakeman and Co., Van Antwerp, Bragg and Co., A.S. Barnes & Co., and D. Appleton and Co. resulted in the creation of a new corporation known as the American Book Company