ABSTRACT

When textbooks were textbooks Since the introduction of movable type, the printed word has been the dominant means by which educators have presented to-be-learned information to students. An early notable exception to this dominance of text was the profusely illustrated Orbis sensualium pictus by Comenius that originally appeared in 1657 and was one of the rst publications specically produced for general educational purposes (Comenius 1777; Figure  1, overleaf ). The inspired work of Comenius in allocating pictures and words essentially joint responsibility for information presentation was relatively short-lived and reliance on words as the primary form of communication to students soon became the norm. As the term indicates, ‘textbooks’ were mostly made up of text, while pictures, if present at all, typically played a  minor role as adjuncts to the written word. Today, the educational establishment still very much tends to privilege words over pictures. Only with the recent advent of graphics-oriented computers, tablets, and smart phones have signicant challenges to the dominance of text begun to arise.