For more than 270 years, Alexander Gordon’s The Humourist sat largely unread in the pages of the South-Carolina Gazette.

I recovered the essays. I identified their author. I published the definitive edition.

But from the beginning, I have wanted something more.

I want Gordon in the classroom.

So today I’m releasing a free classroom teaching packet featuring two complete essays from The Humourist, with historical and literary context, discussion questions, assignment possibilities, explanatory notes, and complete citation information.

Even better, the essays are designed to slip readily into courses instructors are already teaching.

One pairs Gordon with Anne Bradstreet’s “The Prologue.”

The other pairs him with Benjamin Franklin’s Silence Dogood.

No new unit required. No syllabus overhaul.

Use them tomorrow.

Explore the Free Classroom Resource →

Gordon waited more than 270 years.

Now, he’s going to class.