Two textbooks on unconventional arithmetic : reactions of influential persons

Abstract

The paper describes two Icelandic arithmetic textbooks, published respectively in 1780 and 1911–14, both written at the beginning of an era when enhancing general education was placed on the agenda for restoring the Icelandic society after natural disasters. Both textbooks emphasized unconventional and mental arithmetic. Both books were criticized by influential persons. The focus is on the grounds of their arguments. Both books survived the criticism, considering the circumstances, while few positive comments on them have been found in sources from their times