author

John Ludwig Hülshof

b. 1856

Known for practical early-20th-century readers for English learners, this educator wrote with a clear sense of what foreign-born students needed most: useful language, steady progress, and confidence. His best-known work, Reading Made Easy for Foreigners, reflects a hands-on approach to teaching English in everyday settings.

1 Audiobook

Reading Made Easy for Foreigners - Third Reader

Reading Made Easy for Foreigners - Third Reader

by John Ludwig Hülshof

About the author

John Ludwig Hülshof was a language teacher and author born in 1856. Contemporary editions of his work identify him as a teacher of modern languages in the public schools of New York City, and he is best remembered for the instructional series Reading Made Easy for Foreigners, published in 1909.

His books were designed for learners of English, especially adults and newcomers studying in public or evening school settings. Rather than aiming for lofty literary display, Hülshof focused on graded reading, vocabulary building, and practical command of the language.

That makes his work a small but interesting part of the history of language education in the United States. Even now, his surviving readers offer a glimpse of how teachers once helped immigrants and other non-native speakers build reading skills step by step.