hornbook

noun

1. (historical)A single page containing the alphabet, covered with a sheet of transparent horn, formerly used for teaching children to read.

   “Yes, yes, he teaches boyes the Horne-Booke: […]”

   “HO′RNBOOK. n.ʃ. [horn and book] The firſt book of children, covered vvith horn to keep it unſoiled.”

   “By way of the hornbook Shakespeare would have learned to read, […]”

   “Infants learned their letters from a hornbook, a square of wood shaped like a table-tennis bat on which were pasted the alphabet, syllables and the Lord's Prayer […]”

   “The hornbook is the first piece of instructional material specifically mentioned in American records.”

2. A legal textbook that provides a basic overview of a particular area of law.