Creator David Safier, prompted by an interest in educational history and almost 30 years of experience as a high school English teacher, has combined his love of literature with his belief "that good literature can also be good history." This collection of school tales includes passages drawn from nineteenth-century fiction about "common schools" (rather than costly private institutions). With one exception, all are works by US authors, including Mark Twain, Caroline Kirkland, and Edward Eggleston. Currently, there are tales from six writers with more in the works. Common themes are highlighted in the texts, including stories about the schoolmaster, punishment and revenge, students at work, and schoolmates. Introductions and commentaries (in the form of footnotes) are provided for each text. The numbered footnotes, when clicked, appear in a separate frame at the bottom of the page. The notes for each text are also available as a separate page.