author
James H. (James Hiram) Fassett
1869–1930
A longtime educator and school superintendent, he is best remembered for creating early reading books that brought stories, folklore, and history within easy reach of children. His Beacon readers became a familiar part of classroom reading in the early 1900s.
1 Audiobook
The Beacon Second Reader
by James H. (James Hiram) Fassett
About the author
Born in 1869, James Hiram Fassett was an American educator from Nashua, New Hampshire. Sources connected with his schoolbooks identify him as superintendent of schools in Nashua, and his work shows a strong interest in helping children learn to read through lively, age-appropriate literature.
He is most closely associated with the Beacon readers, a graded series for young students that included titles such as The Beacon Second Reader, The Beacon Third Reader, and later volumes in the set. These books gathered stories, fairy tales, and other literary selections for classroom use, reflecting the reading-centered teaching approach he was known for.
Fassett also wrote local history for children, including Early History of Nashua [N.H.]; For Fourth Grade Children. He died in 1930, but his books remain part of the record of early twentieth-century American education and the effort to make reading both skillful and enjoyable for young learners.