在美国，很多人都读过《麦加菲读本》，美国媒体更称其为“影响美国五代人的心灵读本”。其主编者威廉·H.麦加菲，是美国知名的教育家。他先后担任过弗吉尼亚大学道德哲学教授、迈阿密大学语言学教授，以及俄亥俄大学校长。他用了20多年时间，从浩瀚的西方经典文学中选编了一套读本，希望通过这些散文、诗歌、戏剧、哲理故事中浅显而美妙的文字，让美国的小朋友们在提高文学修养的同时，也可以感受道德教育的力量。该读本一经面世，就有近万所美国学校将它选为教材。1961年以后，在西方每年销量仍达到3万册以上。可以说，没有哪一套个人主编的教材能超过这套书的发行量！
这套书英文原版共7册，包括一册启蒙读本和1-6级教材。由于启蒙读本和第一级篇幅都很少，我们出版时合编成一册；其余2-6级则和英文原版相同。这套书的内容由浅入深，从基本单词、常用句型开始，延展到简单的诗歌，再进阶到中长篇的经典著作。从难易程度来看，前三部分内容单纯美好，文字朴素简洁，比较适合国内中低年级小学生阅读；后三部分的内容相对繁复深奥，开始有侧重性，有的笔法精密，描写细腻；有的文风犀利，寓意深刻，比较适合高年级小学生和中学生阅读。
这套书的特色在于它所包含的内容更贴近生活。它没有童话的唯美和寓言的神奇，但其中的文章会让小朋友们觉得事情就发生在身边。而且，除了对真、善、美的颂扬，麦加菲也没有回避生活中的艰难与困苦，但其宗旨绝非消极愤世，而是突出困境之下个人的坚守与成长。这样的文章往往更容易引起心灵的共鸣，滋养心灵的成长，也将对小朋友的人生观起到积极正面的推动作用，堪称真正的“德育”教材。
我们衷心希望通过这套书的出版，让中国的小朋友学习到真正标准的英语，开阔自己的视野，打开通往世界的心灵之窗；同时又获得文学知识、个人修养、伦理道德等多方面的提升。
Lesson1 Anecdote of the Duke of Newcastle
Lesson2 The Needle
Lesson3 Dawn
Lesson4 Description of a Storm
Lesson5 After the Thunderstorm
Lesson6 House Cleaning
Lesson7 Schemes of Life often Illusory
Lesson8 The Brave Old Oak
Lesson9 The Artist Surprised
Lesson10 Pictures of Memory
Lesson11 The Morning Oratorio
Lesson12 Short Selections in Poetry
Lesson13 Death of Little Nell
Lesson14 Vanity of Life
Lesson15 A Political Pause
Lesson16 My Experience in Elocution
Lesson17 Elegy in a Country Churchyard
Lesson18 Tact and Talent
Lesson19 Speech Before the Virginia Convention
Lesson20 The American Flag
Lesson21 Ironical Eulogy on Debt
Lesson22 The Three Warnings
Lesson23 Memory of Our Fathers
Lesson24 Short Selections in Prose:
Lesson25 The Jolly Old Pedagogue
Lesson26 The Teacher and Sick Scholar
Lesson27 The Snow Shower
Lesson28 Character of Napoleon Bonaparte
Lesson29 Napoleon at Rest
Lesson30 War
Lesson31 Speech of Walpole in Reproof of Mr.Pitt
Lesson32 Pitt's Reply to Sir Robert Walpole
Lesson33 Character of Mr.Pitt
Lesson34 The Soldier's Rest
Lesson35 Henry V.to his Troops
Lesson36 Speech of Paul on Mars'Hill
Lesson37 God is Everywhere
Lesson38 Lafayette and Robert Raikes
Lesson39 Fall of Cardinal Wolsey
Lesson40 The Philosopher
Lesson41 Marmion and Douglas
Lesson42 The Present Adelaide
Lesson43 The Baptism
Lesson44 Sparrows
Lesson45 Observance of the Sabbath
Lesson46 God's Goodness to Such as Fear Him
Lesson47 Character of Columbus
Lesson48 "He Giveth His Beloved Sleep."
Lesson49 Description of a Siege
Lesson50 Marco Bozzaris
Lesson51 Song of the Greek Bard
Lesson52 North American Indians
Lesson53 Lochiel's Warning
Lesson54 On Happiness of Temper
Lesson55 The Fortune Teller
Lesson56 Renzi's Address to the Romans
Lesson57 Character of the Puritan Fathers of New England
Lesson58 Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers
Lesson59 Necessity of Education
Lesson60 Riding on a Snowplow
Lesson61 The Quarrel of Brutus and Cassius
Lesson62 The Quack
Lesson63 Rip Van Winkle
Lesson64 Bill and Joe
Lesson65 Sorrow for the Dead
Lesson66 The Eagle
Lesson67 Political Toleration
Lesson68 What Constitutes a State?
Lesson69 The Brave at Home
Lesson70 South Carolina
Lesson71 Massachusetts and South Carolina
Lesson72 The Church Scene from Evangeline
Lesson73 Song of the Shirt
Lesson74 Diamond Cut Diamond
Lesson75 Thanatopsis
Lesson76 Indian Jugglers
Lesson77 Antony over Caesar's Dead Body
Lesson78 The English Character
Lesson79 The Song of the Potter
Lesson80 A Hot Day in New York
Lesson81 Discontent—An Allegory
Lesson82 Jupiter and Ten
Lesson83 Scene from"The Poor Gentleman"
Lesson84 My Mother's Picture
Lesson85 Death of Samson
Lesson86 An Evening Adventure
Lesson87 The Barefoot Boy
Lesson88 The Glove and the Lions
Lesson89 The Folly of Intoxication
Lesson90 Starved Rock
Lesson91 Prince Henry and Falstaff
Lesson92 Studies
Lesson93 Surrender of Granada
Lesson94 Hamlet's Soliloquy
Lesson95 Ginevra
Lesson96 Inventions and Discoveries
Lesson97 Enoch Arden at the Window
Lesson98 Lochinvar
Lesson99 Speech on the Trial of a Murderer
Lesson100 The Closing Year
Lesson101 A New City in Colorado
Lesson102 Importance of the Union
Lesson103 The Influences of the Sun
Lesson104 Colloquial Powers of Franklin
Lesson105 The Dream of Clarence
Lesson106 Homeward Bound
Lesson107 Impeachment of Warren Hastings
Lesson108 Destruction of the Carnatic
Lesson109 The Raven
Lesson110 A View of the Coliseums
Lesson111 The Bridge
Lesson112 Objects and Limits of Science
Lesson113 The Downfall of Poland
Lesson114 Labor
Lesson115 The Last Days of Herculaneum
Lesson116 How Men Reason
Lesson117 Thunderstorm on the Alps
Lesson118 Origin of Property
Lesson119 Battle of Waterloo
Lesson120 "With Brains,Sir"
Lesson121 The New England Pastor
Lesson122 Death of Absalom
Lesson123 Abraham Davenport
Lesson124 The Falls of the Yosemite
Lesson125 A Psalm of Life
Lesson126 Franklin's Entry into Philadelphia
Lesson127 Lines to a Waterfowl
Lesson128 Goldsmith and Addison
Lesson129 Immortality of the Soul
Lesson130 Character of Washington
Lesson131 Eulogy on Washington
Lesson132 The Solitary Reaper
Lesson133 Value of the Present
Lesson134 Happiness
Lesson135 Marion
Lesson136 A Common Thought
Lesson137 A Definite Aim in Reading
Lesson138 Ode to Mt.Blanc
