This 5 3/4 by 19 inch, 16 page booklet titled The Old Blue-Black is a history of the Webster's spelling book known as the Blue-Black Speller.  It includes reprints on the speller from the New York Evening Post and a lecture given in 1886 by J.M. Greenwood, Superintendent of Kansas City Schools  to the State Teachers' Association in 1886. It's titled The Old Blue Black Its Position Among Text-books, Its Work as an Educator. The booklet was published by D, Appleton & Co.,  a publisher who'd put out editions of the speller. Ads for their books for schools (not the speller) are on the inside front and back covers.  The covers are fragile with stains and chips  and starting to split The pages are toned.